Washing clothes sustainably and correctly is incredibly important. It is important for the clothes to last as long as possible, but also for our environment. Here at Geggamoja we will give you tips on how to wash children and baby clothes in a sustainable way.
1. Wash less - Yes, you read that right, wash less! Sometimes it happens that you put clothes in the laundry basket on autopilot. Then it might be good to think an extra time if the garment is so dirty that it needs to be washed? Sometimes it can be enough to air. Try to wash less and you will increase the life of your clothes and you can use them longer.
2. Fill the washing machine - Fill the entire washing machine. It contributes to fewer washes, and you save both water and energy, which is better for the environment.
3. Lower the temperature – Lower the temperature when you washing. You can wash at 30 and 40 degrees, there are few garments that actually need to be washed at 60 degrees. The temperature on the garments label is only a guideline for what the garment can be washed in, not a requirement for the garment to be clean. Washing garments at lower temperatures is more gentle for both the environment and the garment. In addition, less energy is used at lower temperatures, and the material and color of the clothes last better.
4. Dose detergent correctly– Dose detergent correctly and take less if you have a little laundry. On the detergent package, it says how much detergent you need in relation to the hardness of the water. The softer water, the less detergent is needed. The water has different hardness depending on where in Sweden you live. About 80 percent of Sweden has soft water. It doesn't get cleaner with extra detergent.
5. Use eco-labelled detergent - Detergents contain various substances that can be harmful to our environment. Therefore, choose a detergent that is environmentally friendly, for example Svanen or Bra Miljoval. In this way, you contribute to less chemicals being washed into our nature.
6. Avoid pre-washing – Instead, you can treat the hatches directly on the garment that needs more thorough treatment before putting them in the washing machine.
7. Tumble dry less – Tumble dry less and let the clothes dry on their own. It is better for the environment and your garments last longer. However, outwear usually need to dry in a drying cabinet or tumble dryer to reactivate their water repellency. Then be sure that you set the correct temperature for how the garment should be dried. If it says that the garment should be washed at 40 degrees, that is also the maximum temperature for how it should be dried. When you tumble, think about tumbling garments that have the same drying time together, to get the garments dry at the same time.
