DID YOU KNOW UP TO 25% OF EACH GARMENTS CARBON FOOTPRINT COMES FROM THE WAY WE LOOK AFTER OUR CLOTHES.
This page is full of tips, advice and product's to help you care for your clothes.
AFTER CARE.
Caring for our clothes is so important and it defines how long our clothes last for. Our clothing is made in what we think is the best way. We don't use nasty synthetic chemicals and we reduce our water usage. This means that they also need a bit of extra care. Always wash on cold or 30, wash inside out and with like colours. Dont leave the washing machine after the cycle has finished as this could cause our natural colours to run. Let's care for our clothes.
WASH ON COLD OR 30.
This saves energy and will make your bills cheaper as well. Unless your washing bedding or something really dirty you don't need to wash on high heat.
WASH WITH LIKE COLOURS.
Our fabrics are all tested and approved at 4/5 (3 is industry standard) However, we don't know how your other clothes have been dyed so cannot guarantee they won't run or bleed into your other colours. This means that your dark blue T-shirt might run into our white t'shirt and fade the colour. For this reason its best to wash your garments by colour. White/Blacks/Blues/greens/Reds etc.
TAKE OUT THE WASHING MACHINE STRAIGHT AWAY.
Don't leave in the washing machine after its finished. This means that the water will sit on the garments and this can result in colour fading, especially in creased marks when its dry.
HANG DRY.
Try to hang your garments up to dry instead of folding them on a radiator or on a clothes horse. Hanging th garment will make it dry smoother - hopefully meaning no ironing.
DON'T WASH TOO OFTEN.
Some days we are running around and get smelly but most days we really don't. We don't need to wash our clothes everyday. Just hang it up or give it a LABCO garment refresh spray.
We have carefully selected some epic products from two epic brands, both passionate about saving our planet.
"SKINCARE FOR FASHION"
- Josh Gilbertson, The LabCo Founder.
CLEANING STUFF.
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It is fundamental to raise awareness about microplastic pollution, but at the same time we need pragmatic solutions. We link innovative ideas such as the Guppyfriend Washing Bag with education and corporate dialogues to spread knowledge about (micro)plastic pollution.
The profits from the sale of the Guppyfriend Washing Bag go to STOP! Micro Waste and the STOP! Plastic Academy to raise awareness about (micro)plastic pollution and to educate students, adults and industry partners about the problem.
STOP! Micro Waste is a nonprofit initiative to explore and initiate ideas on how to avoid, replace and re-use plastics. It was initiated by LANGBRETT, a group of surfers and nature lovers.
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WASHING TIPS.
FREEZE YA DENIM.
Denim is a fabric which has been designed to be hardwearing. Washing it too much could actually weaken it. Put your denims in the freezer, this will kill bacteria. A lot of bacteria are actually on our bodies though, so freezing will kill the bacteria on the denims but once you put them on they will come back, so basically… wash yourself more than your denims.
INSIDE OUT.
Denims and other darker material can become faded in the wash, particularly as it rubs up against other garments. This is the same for brushed garments and anything with a soft surface too, the garment takes a lot of bashing in that washing machine so we suggest you always turn your clothes inside-out to ensure they hold their colour and softness.
INVEST IN A CLOTHESLINE OR DRYING RACK.
Dyers use a lot of energy and in many cases it’s really not necessary. If you don’t have a place to line-dry your clothes get yourself a clothing rack. As well as reducing your energy for the environments sake it will cut down your monthly bills.
WASH YOUR CLOTHES LESS.
Being battered with water, tumbling, and rubbing up on other garments can leave garments faded, stretched, pilling, and damaged. On top of this washing clothing using a hell of a lot of water, even new water efficient washing machines use on average 20 gallons per wash, this is the equivalent of 160 pints of water. So, unless your outerwear is visibly dirty, you probably don’t need to wash it after each wearing. See if you can extend washing to every other wear, or even three wears, before you toss your garments in the wash If you’re worried about stinking, hang your clothes outside to air.
HATE IRONING.
Ironing uses extreme heat to loosen fabric fibres and press them flat. There’s a good chance you can end up burning or yellowing the fabric if you’re not doing it properly. Using too much heat on delicate fabrics can completely ruin them, don’t use super heat because you’re in a rush as this will cause damage.
We would suggest investing in a steamer for about £20. It uses moisture and heat to release wrinkles while clothes are on the hanger, and its super quick. Because you don’t have to continually reposition your clothes like you do when ironing, steaming can save a lot of time. I love steamers for items that need to be deodorized and straightened, but don’t require clean creases.
BUT, if you really need to iron, make sure you use the right levels. Every iron is different, but here’s a guide:
Linen: 445° F, Cotton: 400° F, Viscose/Rayon: 375° F, Wool: 300° F, Acrylic: 275° F, Polyester: 300° F, Silk: 300° F, Acetate: 290° F, Lycra: 275° F, Nylon: 275° F
STAY AWAY FROM NASTY CHEMICALS.
Many of the leading fashion care products are filled with toxic and abrasive chemicals such as OBAs, FBAs and phosphates. Although they appear to initially offer great cleaning results, over time they will damage the structure of fabrics, shortening their lives. That's before you even consider the negative effects they have on the environment!
RANDOM TIP.
Hairspray can seriously damage clothes. Hairspray is a main culprit for fading, do your hair dressed in a robe, and resist the urge for a final spray before you head out.
Deodorant and antiperspirant are also a bugger when it comes to clothing. When you apply, make sure it’s completely dry before putting on a shirt. The aluminium contained in many antiperspirants can turn clothes yellow and cause brittleness.
WHAT DO DO WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH YOUR CLOTHES.
When you don’t want your clothes anymore, give them to a mate, upcycle, sell or donate them. Here's a few of our tips on what to do when you're done with your old clothes.
RESELL.
One of the best things to do is to sell your old garments, this is a great start to become a circular shopper. Here's a couple of our favourite re-sell platforms;
UPCYCLE.
If your clothes are damaged so reselling or giving to charity isn't the solution, up-cycling might be your answer. It's also a great opportunity to start a hobby and learn a new skill.
CHARITY SHOPS.
If your clothes are still in great condition but you don't fancy selling them then charity shops are a great option. So many charity shops also pick up product if you have too much to drop off yourself just give them a call. if also great to call them first to make sure they have space to take in your product before you drop it.
RETURN.
However, in the case when sadly these clothes continue to be unwanted, we are in the process of arranging a recycling plan so when you’re finished with your TBF garments you can send them back to us. This is in work so we will update all you lovely people when we're all set but do email us at hello@tbfuk.com to ask more about our progress.
WHY THIS STUFF.
GUPPYFRIEND.
REDUCE. It reduces fibre shedding and protects your clothes.
STOPS. It filters the few fibres that do break and doesn’t lose any fibres itself while stopping the fibre from going into the water system.
THE LABCO.
At The Lab Co, we are on a mission to tackle this huge global wastage problem by encouraging people to take better care of their fashion items.
How? By creating solutions that are...
BETTER FOR YOU: Beautiful essential oil driven scents... ZERO nasty chemicals and toxins.
BETTER FOR YOUR ITEMS: Specialist solutions for every need + much less abrasive than standard detergents.
BETTER FOR YOUR WORLD: Eco-friendly formulas that reduce the need to wash or dry clean, protect your items and give them a much longer life!