My grandmother June left me with the most beautiful dresses and jackets, all of which are still in amazing condition. Some of the items are from the 1940’s and they all are still in amazing condition. I truly adore them and am honored to be able to call them my own. It’s always been evident that my grandma took amazing care of these garments. Unlike a lot of people, I only started doing my own laundry when I went off to college. Between using the cheapest most damaging detergents, old campus washers and not discovering washer bags until later in life, a lot of my clothes were definitely damaged. It wasn’t until my mid 20s that I started recognizing the importance of taking extra care of my clothes and the repercussions of not doing so. There are plenty of reasons as to why we should take the best care of our clothing, with the most obvious one being to extend their life. Extending the life of our clothes also helps save our beautiful planet by creating less waste. I will be linking some of my favorite products below, but I’m in no way affiliated with these products/brands, nor do I make any money off of them. 

Would you use hazardous chemicals to clean your skin? I’m sure the answer is no. A lot of detergents contain harsh chemicals that not only can leave residue on our skin, but also break down clothes overtime. After a few years of research I finally found a detergent that has a plant based formula and cleans my clothes wonderfully! Click here! Not only is it gentle on my clothing, it’s liquidless, zero waste, has no plastic packaging, and is biodegradable! I love the smell of the ocean breeze scent, but the scentless one is just as great! 

Washer bags have changed my life! That may sound a bit dramatic, but it’s the truth! I never realized how inexpensive and useful they are! Click here to shop! I don’t use them for all my clothes, (use i.e. or e.g. jeans and sweats), but for just about everything else. When clothing is placed in these bags tugging and pulling doesn’t happen as much, especially on the spin cycle. In addition, the bags make doing laundry easier because your clothes are already separated. I typically use a smaller one for underwear/bras, and the bigger ones for tee’s, blouses, dresses and skirts. If pull strings and straps are an issue, these washer bags will help with that as well! 

The dryer. Oh, the dryer. Just as harmful as it is useful! Wouldn't it just be easier if we all just got everything dry cleaned? Maybe in a perfect world, but in most worlds that is pretty unrealistic. I always suggest LAY FLAT TO DRY or hand dry. Here's a great basic drying rack! Similar to the washer, clothing being tossed around in a dryer can be very damaging. If you choose to use a dryer I would recommend ditching the typical dryer sheets and using wool dryer balls and wet mineral based dry sheets. I found that these products work so well together rather than alone. Doing this not only makes your clothes happy, but your skin will be too! I highly suggest researching the ingredients in your current dryer sheets as it will blow your mind! 

Extending the life of your clothing is also beneficial to our Earth! In 2018 the United States Environmental Protection Agency, also known as the EPA, reported that 17 million tons of textile waste ended up in landfills. Some textiles can take up to 200+ years to decompose. While breaking down, textiles generate greenhouse methane gas and leak toxic chemicals into the groundwater and soil. In less than 20 years the amount of discarded clothing by Americans has doubled and will most likely triple in the near future if there isn't a change. If we all treat our clothing with the utmost care, we will see a brighter future for our planet and closets. 

Happy washing!