1. Cotton

You can hand wash your cotton items in cool or lukewarm water with a delicate detergent. Avoid hot water, as this results in shrinking. If you are looking to get rid of a specific stain, use distilled vinegar to spot-clean, before washing the fill garment. If you’d prefer to machine wash, opt for the delicate cycle. Lemon juice can be used as an alternative to bleach to brighten up your load. Avoid the dryer, and let your items dry flat. Iron on low with a piece cloth between garment on iron to avoid scorching. 

>Denim

Denim is a cotton fabric that doesn’t need to be cleaned very often. If there are odors, the item can be hung outside for a few hours. If you are needing to spot clean, use lukewarm and a touch of soap or delicate detergent and spot clean with a towel. You can also soak the entire item in a bath with a small amount of delicate detergent for 30 mins - 1 hour. Hang dry thereafter. If your denim jeans have stretched, turn them inside-out, and throw them in the dryer on warm for 10-20 mins (this is the only instance where you should use a tumble dryer). 

2. Leather

Some leathers can only be dry-cleaned, so check the label. Other leather items may be labeled as “non-washable,” meaning it cannot be washed at all. However if the item is labeled as “washable,” you can wipe it down with simple ingredients, like a 50-50 distilled water and white vinegar mixture, a 2 parts natural oil and 1 part lemon juice combination, or even simply 10-15 drops of essential oil on a microfiber towel. If you’d prefer to buy a product instead, we recommend a natural leather balm, which will help soften, restore and waterproof your item. We like products from Galen Leather Co., Paul’s Pail, and Beek. Items should be air dried, no ironing needed. 

3. Silk

Although silk is thought to be “dry-clean only,” you can hand wash it at home. However, to assess if you can hand wash your silk item, find an inconspicuous area on the item, such as a hem, and dip it in lukewarm water. If dye releases into the water, you’ll know that bleeding would occur if washed. This is a sign to take it to the dry cleaners. But if it does not bleed, we encourage you to wash it from home. Turn the item inside-out, use cool water, and a small amount of delicate detergent. Submerge the item for about 30 mins. Then, rinse the item with cool water (do not wring it out), and lay it out flat to dry. Use a steamer or your iron on the steam setting to get rid of any wrinkles. 

4. Wool & Wool Blends

Luckily wool is a fiber that does not need cleaning often, as it expels odors through moisture control and is naturally stain and wrinkle resistant. Giving your wool garments some air should naturally get rid of orders within a few hours. You can also hand wash your item in cold water with a drop of wool washing liquid. Rinse well, then fold the item in a blanket until it's dry enough to hang dry - this preserves the shape of the garment. You can also wash your wool item in the washing machine on the wool or gentle cycle with water at 40°C. Delicate detergent is a must. 

5. Synthetics

(polyester, nylon, viscose, elastane, other synthetic blends) : Hand wash the item in colder water (30°C/86°F) with a small amount of gentle detergent. Avoid fabric softener, as this can leave a  waxy residue on your synthetics. Line dry thereafter. We encourage you to not machine wash your synthetics, as it results in excess microplastic pollution. However, if you need to, ensure you are washing on a cold, short cycle. Do not tumble dry after, as many microplastics are released in this process. You can also use microplastic preventative products, such as theFiltrol 160,Guppyfriend andCora Ball to reduce your impact. For swimwear and intimates, handwashing and line drying is always encouraged.

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