Fashion is now the second most polluting industry in the world, and much of this pollution is a direct result of poor washing practices. This can damage the fiber, color or even shape, prompting us to change clothes very regularly to replace worn out pieces. We don't always give in to buying the clothes we like because of the maintenance which can scare us. For example, whether it is a piece made in a material like cashmere, suede, or leather or whether it is in bright colors like red or green, we are afraid of damaged due to poor treatment... Certain materials like the tencel of our women's pajamas are quite simple to maintain but you still have to take care of them. There are actually a few reflexes that we advise you to adopt, and which will make your life a lot easier! They will allow you to preserve your laundry and revive the color. We will first see which practices to abandon immediately, which ones to adopt on a daily basis and finally some grandmother's advice for taking care of your dyed clothes.
The main mistakes to avoid when doing laundry.
1- Do not sort:
We all remember this e friends episode where Rachel forgot a red item of clothing in her white machine, and found herself with all her clothes colored pink! Suffice it to say that we are breaking down an open door, you absolutely have to sort brightly colored clothes, whites and dark items when you do laundry! Although washing everything together saves time, in the end there is still a risk of ending up with a whole pile of clothes of the same color... So no negotiation, we take the time to sort! To make your daily life easier, you can make two baskets, one for whites and another for blacks and bright colors... We also advise you to be careful about the clothes that you are going to wash on the right side or on the reverse side, colored clothes, jeans and patterns should preferably be washed inside out! If you are unsure whether to wear light or dark clothing, for example our women's pajama shorts , soak them first to see if they will bleed.
2- Overfill your drum
You absolutely must avoid overfilling your drum because this prevents your items from rotating and you end up with poorly diluted detergent, especially if you use powder or capsule detergent. You also risk ending up with poorly washed clothes.
3- Washing your laundry at the wrong temperature
It often happens that we want to wash clothes at very high temperatures, to disinfect them, with this old idea that a very high temperature eliminates all bacteria. So know that the difference between washing at 30° and washing at 60° is the risk of seeing your keychain damaged even more quickly! White cotton tolerates heat very well, which is why it is often found in fabrics used for baby clothes or underwear. Of course we are talking here about everyday clothing and not household items like sheets or towels, these fabrics are often exposed to more bacteria, while a T-shirt worn only once during the day does not doesn't need such harsh treatment. Overall you just risk damaging it. In addition, bright colors or poorly fixed black colors react more to heat! Our shorts for both men and women are, for example, pre-washed to avoid any risk of fading on the first pass through the machine.
4- Not paying attention to drying and spinning.
Once your clothes are washed, everything is not done, you still have to wring them out and dry them. The best thing to do is to adopt a spin cycle that is not too powerful at the risk of damaging the fiber of your clothes. So we are at 600 to 800 revolutions per minute, this speed is enough for it to be pressed against the wall while being sufficiently wrung out without deforming.
We avoid putting clothes in the dryer as much as possible, as it tends to burn and cause the threads to shrink. For black or brightly colored clothing, avoid letting them dry in the sun as this deteriorates the color. It is better to lay them out in the shade, with delicate textiles like cashmere or terry cloth laid out flat so as not to damage the fibers. The sun, on the other hand, bleaches the pigments... How? Thanks to the UV rays present in the rays, washing your white cotton underwear then drying them in the sun allows you to maintain the full vibrancy of their color by eliminating all bacteria. The same goes for home textiles!
5- Washing your items too often
The number one cause of clothing deterioration is washing it too often. For example, wool, which is antibacterial and anti-odor, doesn't need to be washed as often as a simple polyester t-shirt. Each wash rubs the clothes against each other and against the walls of the drum, which files the fabric and causes the micro-particles in the water to detach. It is better to learn about the different materials before washing them too often.
Tips to adopt on a daily basis:
1- Soak your colors!
If you have the slightest doubt, don't panic, bathe your colored clothes first, especially if it's the first time you're washing them! If you really want to protect your colors a little bit of household vinegar will fix all the pigments, we'll tell you more in our grandmother's advice section!
2- Maintain your washing machine!
At the risk of kicking an open door here too, it is extremely important to properly preserve your washing machine! As we explained, during washing a whole bunch of things come off your clothes and end up in the water: bacteria, hair, fabric fibers, but also particles from stains, what you have buttons, beads, pins or sequins in your pockets or even sometimes! All this sometimes ends up happily in the filter of your washing machine, so it is important to empty it regularly...
You can also run your washing machine empty with a little white wine vinegar or soda to clean your machine from top to bottom! Also avoid using too large quantities of detergent or laundry detergent, whether liquid or powder, as this also creates damage in the filter which will be difficult to eliminate.
3- Listen to your labels!
So yes, it is very tempting to cut them, because they get in the way, they scratch etc., but if they are there it is for a good reason! It is often indicated on these what material your garment is made of, and what the appropriate techniques are (the small printed symbols). These labels tend to be more than prudent, this does not mean that your clothes will not be clean by following these instructions, but if you are in doubt choose to follow the label! You will find on our product sheets for men's and women's pajamas all our advice for each product.
4- The importance of washing bags:
This technique is not necessarily known but putting your delicates in one of these bags can be very useful and very effective! Indeed, first of all it limits the friction of fragile materials on irritating surfaces such as jeans, the walls of the drum, or even zippers! This technique will allow you to considerably extend the life of your wool sweaters and silk blouses.
Other specialized laundry bags like the guppyfriend allow you to reduce the impact of your cycles on the environment. This bag made of monofilament filters microplastic particles such as polyester or polyamide and prevents them from ending up in the water during each cycle. Without this bag, these particles end up in the ocean, which is not great!
Grandma's tips for preserving your colors!
Grandma's tips are really ideal for reviving the colors of our things without using chemical detergents, in a natural way with each wash. They also allow white to regain all its light without too toxic products.
1- The magic of baking soda:
We all know this magic powder for all its virtues, whitening teeth, making cakes swell, cleaning stains! It also has many virtues when it comes to caring for dark colors and clothes! Just put 3 spoons of it in a tray of hot water or in your drum so that it revives all the pigments as on the first day! Indeed, this also applies to white, if your white clothes are a little faded, a little baking soda and they will regain all their shine.
2- White vinegar:
White vinegar has many benefits, in addition to cleaning your washing machine thanks to its anti-limescale properties, it helps to fix colors, preserve and revive their shine, whether they are bright, light or black shades. How ? By eliminating water and detergent residues that prevent pigments from attaching correctly to the threads.
3- Lemon juice
Once again this simple ingredient can do miracles for your colors! Lemon juice is particularly useful for fixing the red color... It is also a way to fix other pigments such as blue or black and to revive white!
In short ?
Finally, if you want to simplify your life as much as possible, remember these three recommendations, sort your colors, do not wash your laundry at more than 30° or 40°, be careful when choosing your spinning and drying! These tips will prevent you from making mistakes on a daily basis, more punctually remember to maintain your machine, revive your colors and use bags when necessary... Finally, if you have doubts, we soak, we check the labels of composition and wash separately to test! For your colors anti-fade wipes are always an easy and handy option. The quality of the detergent is also important, whether it is a liquid, powder or capsule detergent, what matters is that it is suitable, we do not recommend detergents containing overly chemical products, benefit from natural detergents. If you want to know how to restore shine to your shoes and what are the appropriate washing techniques, we recommend our maintenance section.
