Forever is a Care Routine
A Guide to Make Your Sustainable Clothes Last Longer
Every piece of clothing you own has already lived a long life before it reached you. It started as a plant in the soil or a fibre spun and woven somewhere far away and travelled a long road to become your favourite outfit now hanging in your wardrobe. That kind of journey deserves to keep going and the good news is that making your clothes last is far simpler than it sounds!
This is just a gentle guide to keeping the clothes you love around for longer. It turns out that the things that are kindest to your wardrobe are usually the kindest to the planet too.
First, why does any of this matter?
The numbers are worth sitting with. On average, a piece of clothing stays with its owner for just over three years before being let go of and India generates an estimated 7-8 million tonnes of textile waste every year. Much of this discarded clothing and fabric waste ends up in landfills or is burned, harming the environment. Fashion consumption is on the rise. Reducing, reusing and recycling textiles is more important than ever.
It doesn’t just vanish. Clothes in landfill take decades to break down, releasing greenhouse gases the whole time, poisoning soil & wildlife and leaching chemicals as they rot. The fashion industry already accounts for somewhere between 8 & 10% of global carbon emissions, which is four to five billion tonnes a year. That’s far more than most of us imagine when we drop a bag at the donation bin and feel good about it.
None of this is meant to make you feel guilty. It’s just that once you know it, it's hard to believe. The fix also turns out to be smaller and easier than you’d expect. A lot of it comes down to how a garment is cared for once it’s yours.
The everyday habits make the biggest difference.
None of these is dramatic. They’re small shifts that, once they become second nature, make your clothes last noticeably longer.
WASH LESS
Try to wash your clothes less than you think you need to. This is the big one. If you’ve been out all day, of course, it goes in the wash. But a shirt worn for a few hours around the house? It can usually go again. Most things don’t need washing nearly as often as we wash them and every cycle you skip saves water and spares the fabric a little wear.
LET A REAL LOAD BUILD UP
Running the machine half empty leads to wastage. Waiting until there’s a proper pile means fewer cycles, less water and less energy for every garment in the drum.
GO GENTLE
Hand washing or simply a gentle cycle keeps colours from bleeding and stops things from stretching and tearing. Your darks stay dark far longer when they aren't blasted on a hot, heavy wash.
HANG THINGS UP TO DRY
The dryer is hard on clothes. A line or a rack does the job beautifully and if something’s drying in bright sun, turn it inside out so the colour doesn’t fade. It costs nothing and the fabric will be grateful to you for it.
STORE WITH A BIT OF CARE
Keep them somewhere cool, dry and airy to keep mould and that musty smell at bay. Wooden or fabric-padded hangers help too. Wired ones will gradually wreck the shoulders of everything they told.
MEND BEFORE GIVING UP
A smaller tear isn’t a death sentence. Many little fixes you can manage at home and for anything trickier, there’s always a tailor. If a piece really is past wearing, it can still become something; a tote, a scarf, a small fabric charm or almost anything beats the bin.
Treating the Natural Fabrics
While the most successful brand will almost always provide some guidance on caring for a specific piece, here are some general guidelines for the fabrics you'll likely be holding.
Organic Cotton
Use gentle detergents. Never use bleach or scrub hard. Iron warm inside out.
Hemp and Linen
Two of the hardest and straightest fabrics that exist. All they require is the same basics. Mild detergent, no scrubbing or bleaching and a warm iron on the inside. Take care of them and they will last forever.
Handwoven Fabrics
If it is organic cotton, kala cotton or twill, keep in mind that there are real hands behind each of these. Use mild detergent (no bleach or scrubbing), warm iron inside out and when you have to dry clean, do it. The smoother the handling, the longer the craftsmanship lasts.
Crochet
Handmade crochet is soft and washable, which isn't the case with machine-made. Use a mild detergent to hand-wash it in cool water. Never wring or twist it. Gently squeeze all the water to get rid of it, then place it on a towel to dry so it retains its shape rather than flattening out.
Plant Fibres
These are some of the most beautiful and breathable wearings you will ever have and they'll reward you with gentleness. Wash them with your hands or wash them gently in a mesh bag. Use a mild, plant-based detergent. Do not wring, dry on a line away from the harsh sun. All they need is a cool iron.
The Secret to Keep in Mind
Caring for clothes is simple and easy. It is cleaning up a bit less and drying a bit better to patch the little stuff instead of replacing it. Those are all options that extend the life of a piece in your closet and out of a landfill!