Caring for your clothes in an eco-friendly way

What cleaning products should I use and what should I replace them with?

There are a multitude of products on the market for washing your clothes. Some are replaceable, while others come in more natural and eco-friendly versions. When choosing your household products, think about the amount of plastic generated by the packaging. Make sure they can be recycled.

Detergents

When it comes to detergents, some are labelled biodegradable, natural and not tested on animals. However, beware of certain elements such as lead, which is a natural product but toxic to humans.

Fixing colours to your garment

To help your garment last longer, you can fix the colours so they don't bleed.

To do this, fill a basin with warm water and add 250 ml of white vinegar with a handful of coarse salt. Soak your garment for 30 minutes before putting it in the washing machine.

Note that washing in cold water also saves energy, but above all helps your clothes' colours last longer.

Removing stubborn stains

To remove most stains from your textiles, mix a little white vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and hot water. Apply the mixture directly to your garment and leave for 15 minutes before rinsing.

However, a grease stain can simply be sprinkled with bicarbonate of soda.

For tougher stains such as coffee or ink, use lemon juice, salt and lukewarm water.

Be careful not to leave your mixtures on for too long. They can damage the fabric if left for several hours.

Softening clothes

Rest assured, your clothes won't smell of white vinegar after you've washed them with it. White vinegar is very useful for softening your clothes. It removes persistent odours from your clothes, while removing limescale from your washing machine to extend its life.

Does my garment really need washing?

Sometimes we have a tendency to quickly throw an item of clothing away without even thinking about whether it really needs to be washed. In fact, if your child has rolled around in the mud in a clean t-shirt, it's essential that it goes in the wash. On the other hand, jeans that have been worn for just one day and are spotless don't necessarily need to be put in the machine straight away.

Think twice when sorting your laundry, to save water, energy and money. It's an easy thing to do, but it can make a real difference to our planet.

Thanks to a few easy tricks and by replacing your household products with more natural ones, you can clean your clothes in a more environmentally-friendly way. So it's possible to change your lifestyle and move towards a more ethical and responsible way of thinking. By asking yourself the right questions and knowing a little about how to look after your clothes, you can look after your clothes without compromising your values.