How to care for bamboo fabric and reduce your carbon footprint.

When it comes to curating your wardrobe and distancing yourself from fast fashion, there’s a lot of thought that goes into the pieces in your closet and with proper care, you can help extend the lifetime of your garments. Sustainable fashion choices don’t end with your purchase but continue throughout the lifecycle of your garment. Your laundry habits are an area that you can easily evaluate and it plays a big part in not only the upkeep in quality of your pieces but also the overall carbon footprint of clothing.

Less is more:

It isn’t necessary to wash your clothes after each wear and studies have shown that we wash our clothes more frequently than needed. If you get a little stain, you can often get away with just a spot treatment - keep reading for our stain removal tips and tricks further down. Of course, it’s important to use your judgement and it’s not to say that you should wear the same pair of pants 10 times after you’ve done some heavy lifting in them. Overwashing can cause garments to become misshapen, faded, and worn down and cutting down on how often you do laundry can help keep your garments out of the landfill as they last much longer and stay in better shape! Did you know that on average, individuals throw out 37kg of textiles every year!? When you wash your bamboo pieces, we suggest turning the garment inside out and washing with similar fabrics as it’s less abrasive on the fabric this way. 

Cold water is key:

We always wash our bamboo pieces in cold water and when you do so, it’s a double win. Not only does cold water help keep the fabric in optimal condition, but it also lowers your energy consumption by up to 90% as most of the energy your laundry machine uses comes from heating the water.

Say no to the dryer: 

After a day of wear, it’s normal for the fit of clothing to relax and there’s a common misconception that to shrink it back to its original fit, you should just toss it in the dryer. Because of the spandex in Free Label bamboo pieces, heat has the opposite effect and it breaks down the elasticity in the spandex of the garment and causes it to stretch out more. Because of this we always recommend line drying and not only is this kinder for the earth but again, it helps extend the lifespan of your clothes. Plus the cold water can tighten your bamboo up again!

Tips and tricks for stain removal: 

Deodorant: The struggle is real with this one. You put on your favourite bra, look down and realize there’s a huge white streak under your armpits. A quick hack that we use all the time for non-oil-based deodorants is quite simple and effective! Simply find another piece of similar fabric or grab the edge of the piece you're currently wearing and rub it against your deodorant stain. It’s so simple that it seems like a magic trick. For reasons we can’t explain, this helps deodorant marks disappear in a flash. For oil-based deodorant, read the next tip.

Stains: Dawn dish soap is your best friend, specifically the blue kind. Add a couple of drops of it along with a dash of warm water to cover your stain and let this sit for a few hours or overnight if you have the time. After it’s had the chance to soak in, just give your garment a quick rinse if it was a smaller stain or if it’s a big stain put in through the laundry. Voila, with this method we’ve been able to remove most stains, especially oil!