Owning clothes that we cherish and won’t toss after a few wears involves taking care of our garments_ re-wearing, maintaining, and properly treating the fibers along their lifespan. Doing our part in changing the often wasteful culture of the clothing industry, is to not view our garments as temporary fixtures.
Small things make a difference in the longevity of our clothes, and we feel that knowing how to launder them and how to treat stains is key. We bundled our favorite non-toxic ways to help you take care of your clothes, remove stains, and keep them looking better for longer.
WASHING:
As much as possible, keep the water cool when washing and keep agitation to a minimum to avoid shrinkage and unnecessary wear and tear on your garments.
Vinegar is your best friend (and best value for your money) when it comes to laundry detergent & stains. You can use it as detergent, or start by adding 1 cup of white vinegar to the fabric softener drawer of your laundry loads. This will not only help tackle stains, but it will also add brightness to whites and colors, remove lint, help prevent dyes from running, kill bacteria, neutralize odors, and keep your clothes and machine clear of residue.
DRYING:
We are strong advocates for line-drying to increase the longevity of garments (the tumbling process removes lint + fibers from the clothes over time and can eventually make your garments feel threadbare). If you typically use an automatic dryer_ tumble dry on low heat. Make sure any stains (or remnants of the stain) are gone before drying.
STAINS:
If the stain requires scrubbing, try and go with the grain of the fabric to minimize breakage of fibers and to keep the area from looking pulled or damaged. Below are some of our favorite non-toxic options for stain removal!
TEA + COFFEE
Soak the garment in 1/3 cup white vinegar + 2/3 hot water. This should help lift the stain before washing (as per the label instructions). You can also add vinegar to your washing machine for good measure.
MAKEUP
Add some shaving cream or dish soap to the stain and gently rub it in. Let it foam and sit for 5-10 minutes, then rinse with cold water. Repeat the process a second time, then rinse with hot water. If the stain is still stubborn, you can try a little rubbing alcohol on the spot, too!
FOOD STAINS + OIL/GREASE
Try to treat the stain as quickly as possible in the case of grease spots. Directly add baking soda to the stain and leave for 10 minutes. Scrub the powder into the stain with a gentle toothbrush (always with the grain of the fabric!). Add a little dish soap or castille soap onto the stain and rub it in. Rinse the garment under the tap with cool water before washing as normal.
Alternatively, you can try soaking the whole garment in warm soapy water and leave it there for a few hours to let the dish soap lift out the grease.
WINE + BERRIES
Put some table salt directly on the stain and let it sit for 20 minutes. Part way through the 20 minutes, shake off the salt and add some new salt and continue to let it sit. Add some dish soap to the stain and rub it into the garment, rinse the garment with cool water, and then wash as normal.
INK
Place the stained part of the garment over the lid of a jar with the stained side facing down inside the jar. Hold taught, or use a rubber band to secure it there. Slowly drip rubbing alcohol onto the stain, soaking it and the ink should also drop into the container. Continue until stain is faded. Rinse thoroughly and wash as normal.
A less labor-intensive version is to soak the spot in rubbing alcohol for 30 minutes and see if that lifts the remainder of the stain.
BLOOD
Blood stains should be soaked with ice cold water ASAP. After the pre-soak, the garment can be treated with white vinegar before laundering like normal. It may require several stages of vinegar soaking before it is ready to launder.
GRASS & MUD STAINS
Grass stains are tricky! You can use rubbing alcohol on the spot before laundering. Alternatively, you can apply dish soap directly, and then treat with a 50/50 Hydrogen Peroxide/Water mix after.
For mud, make a paste with Borax & water directly on the stain, and launder immediately.
PERSPIRATION
The yellowing in armpits or on collars (that we all know and love) can be removed by creating a paste out of baking soda and water and putting it directly on the stain and letting the paste soak there for 15-20 minutes before rinsing. Launder as usual with vinegar.
Peroxide also works for removing these stains, check first for harshness on the garment.
BODILY FLUIDS
Cleaning urine, feces, and vomit is best in cold water; warm water only enhances and sets in the often unpleasant odors. Once soaked in cool water, add 1/2 cup peroxide and 1/2 cup baking soda to the washer, and launder like normal.
LAUNDRY & STAIN REMOVAL MUST-HAVES:
White vinegar
Baking soda & table salt
Castille soap & dish soap
Rubbing alcohol & hydrogen peroxide
Soft bristle toothbrush & stiff bristle brush
Borax or Sal-Sud
Pre-mixed stain remover recipe_
non-clear spray bottle (hydrogen peroxide is light sensitive)
We like this one.1 cup Hydrogen Peroxide (3%)
6 TBSP castille soap
30 drops lemon essential oil
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Mix ingredients, shake well, and keep on hand for a quick spot treatment on stains. Great on grease, ketchup, and coffee drips.
*This is for a small batch—you can double this for a bigger bottle/batch.
