5 SUSTAINABLE WARDROBE CARE TIPS BY BLANC

Photography THEA LØVSTAD

BLANC is a high-quality people & planet-friendly garment care specialist, providing a natural dry cleaning, tailoring and laundry service with stores and deliveries across London. They clean all clothes, even the most delicate, in a healthy, natural and sustainable way. ​Unlike conventional dry cleaners who soak clothes in toxic chemicals which they then evaporate at very high temperatures, BLANC uses the eco-friendly ‘wet clean’ technology: based on water, biodegradable detergents and much gentler temperature, it is incredibly efficient, yet much safer for clothes, and of course our planet.

The team at BLANC wants all your garments to live a long and healthy life. Given their expertise in garment care, we were intrigued to find out from them how to prolong the life of our beloved clothes, and as expected they shared their best tips and tricks for your favourite fashion outfits to last much, much longer!

How can we eco up the laundry day?

BLANC: “Only wash your clothes when needed. If your garment hasn’t been put through a sweaty workout or a morning coffee spill incident, you can definitely wear them more than once before throwing them into the washing machine. When your laundry bag is full and it’s time for a wash, read the care label to ensure your garment is taken care of properly. The cardinal rules of preserving a garment are respecting temperature requirements for the wash cycle, and drying instructions: tumble dry low, high or air dry only. As a general rule, ​washing at 30°C or 40°C (often lower than stated on the care label) saves energy and makes your clothes last longer. High temperatures are ​not​ good friends with textile fibres: they wear them out. In other words, you don’t need to wash your basics at 60°C. Not only will you save water, electricity and detergent, but your clothes will last longer.”

What’s in our wash?

BLANC: “Garment care labels are there for a reason: to ensure garments can be taken care of in the right way - so before jumping to conclusions, make sure to always check your labels prior to cleaning! ​The choice of detergents is essential, as every day your clothes are in direct contact with your skin. Eco-friendly laundry detergents are a natural and safe alternative to conventional ones, they do not contain any chemicals or additives and are better for your skin, your health and the planet. Modern and sustainable detergents are also very efficient, from production to rinse-cycle and perfectly able to wash efficiently at 30° while preserving the original colours of the garment. What matters is pre-treating the stains prior to loading if you can.

For each clothes wash, synthetic fabrics such as polyester and viscose release thousands of tiny microfibres. These go down our drains and end up in our oceans and waterways. We, therefore, recommend having a Guppy Friend Washing Bag to hand. It is a scientifically approved solution against microplastic pollution, that filters out even the tiniest microfibres

that shed from our clothes when washing. The washing bags not only help to stop microplastic pollution but also protects and prolongs the life of your clothes.”

Why does mending matter?

BLANC: “When it comes to mending your clothes, we want to change the norm. Instead of replacing your garment with a new one, repair the one you already have. We are strong believers that clothes that are worth buying and wearing, are worth repairing! At the end of the day, your most sustainable option when it comes to fashion is using the clothes already hanging in your wardrobe. Mending teaches you to fall back in love with your clothes. Sometimes adjusting the shape of an item, whether the fit isn’t perfect anymore or it’s just something you’ve grown tired of, is enough to give it a new lease of life.”

What is the best way to store clothes?

BLANC: “Different fabrics call for different storage. As a general rule, avoid plastic containers and boxes as they do not allow for fabrics to breathe, which adds to the risk of mildew. When it comes to clothes made of cashmere or wool, we advise that you fold the garments as opposed to hanging them as hangers can cause the fabric to stretch, thin or even tear. In addition to that, ​moths, unfortunately, have a tendency to love wool and cashmere, so be sure to store your garments safely and somewhere completely dry, preferably in non-woven zip-lock bags with a few anti-moths cedar balls thrown in for good measure. ​For your silky summer dresses: avoid keeping them in direct sunlight, it can actually damage and fade the fibres, so rather keep them in a dark wardrobe. As for linen clothing, we recommend to keep them somewhere cool and dry, and to keep clear of cardboard boxes.”

Why should everyone make the switch to Wet Cleaning?

BLANC: “For the clothes you have that do require a professional clean, one more thing you can do is to quit the dry cleaner and look for a professional wet cleaner. It is not because professional cleaning is called ‘dry’ than the results are better than what you can achieve at home; it is because you take your clothes to professionals, to experts who know stains, textiles, designers and what exact combination of product, temperature and mechanical action will have the desired effect on a specific garment. Dry cleaning is, first of all, not really dry (it uses liquid solvent!); it is, second of all, very toxic for people and planet. Professional Wet Cleaning uses only non-toxic, biodegradable detergents and pure water to achieve the same, if not better results... No toxic solvents means better for your skin, for your health, but also for the planet as there is no hazardous waste from the process. It is, finally, better for clothes: while dry cleaning can deteriorate the textile fibres because of the high temperatures and harsh chemicals used in the process, wet cleaning helps your clothes last longer by using lower temperatures and more gentle detergents.

Valuing and cherishing the clothes you already have is the first step towards a sustainable and ethical wardrobe is to make your clothes last longer. As with many things in life, with fashion also less is more. We hope this inspires you to give your beloved wardrobe some extra love and to prolong the life of your most beloved items, for many years to come.”

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