Better Shopping
Shopping Responsibly
Better shopping is about more than just recycling what you no longer need or finding certain items second hand. First and foremost, #bettershopping means taking care of what you already have and love.
To help you take better care of your favourite items and understand what they are made of, we have compiled a short guide to help you shop better.
Keep your favourite pieces for longer
We all have pieces in our wardrobe that we wish would last forever and buying a new one isn’t always the right choice.
The first step in making your favourite items last as long as possible is caring for them properly.
To help you with this, we have compiled a short list explaining the most important laundry symbols, which you find on your clothes tags, so you can take the first step in preserving what you love.
Step One: Wash
From coffee stains to pen marks and the general wear and tear of everyday life, we wash our clothes all the time. However, not all clothes can be washed in the same way. Below, you find the most common washing symbols and what they mean.
Buckets with a number indicate the highest possible temperature at which you should wash your garment.
If there is a line beneath the number, it is best to wash the garment on a delicate cycle. A hand in the basin tells you the garment should best be washed by hand.
If the basin is crossed out, it is best to get the garment dry cleaned instead of washing it.
Step Two: Dry
Let’s be honest, dryers are a great invention (never have towels been this fluffy), but not every garment is happy about a toss in the warm dryer air.
The first square with the empty circle within it indicates that putting your garment in the dryer is okay.
One dot within the sqaure means that you will have to dry your clothes on a delicate setting and two dots mean that you can simply dry your garmet on your dryers standard setting.
A horizontal line over the square means that this garment needs to be dryed lying down and cannot go in the dryer. This is usually the case for fabrics that easily stretch or wrinkle.
Step Three: Bleach
Sometimes stains can be hard to remove. Luckily some garments allow us to bleach them, bringing them back to their former glory. Below we’ll explain what the symbols for bleach mean for your pieces.
The first triangle simply indicates that, if need be, bleaching your garment should be okay.
The letters „CL“ within the triangle stand for chlorine, indicating that you should only use chlorine when bleaching your piece.
A crossed out triangle indicates that the garment should best not be bleached and a triangle with the three stripes indicates that the garment, should only be bleached with oxygen bleach, a softer bleach compared to chlorine.
Step Four: Iron
Some garments come out the wash or the dryer a bit wrinklier then we would like them to. Below you can read a bit more on how to check whether your favourite piece can be ironed.
An empty iron on your launry tag indicates that your garment can be ironed.
One dot sets the highest ironing temperature at 110°C and let’s you know that you shouldn’t be using steam.
A crossed out iron indicated that it’s best not to iron your garment at all. And an iron crossed out underneath indicates that no steam should be used.
Different Materials for Different Styles
Whether natural or synthetic fibres, each material has its advantages and disadvantages. Here you can learn a little more about the different materials your garments are made from.
Natural Fibres
Linen
Linen is natural fibre, keeping you cool in the summer due to its weave. It shrinks slightly when wet, but you can easily restore its original shape by ironing with steam at maximum temperature. To maintain the lustre, iron your garment from the reverse side.
Cotton
A lightweight natural fibre, cotton, just like linen cools you down in the summer and easily absorbs sweat. It can wrinkle easily when washed, but ironed with high heat and steam, it is easily restored to its former glory.
Wool
Thorough airing is often enough for woollen items. When washing them, use mild or wool detergent and select the wool or hand wash programme on your washing machine, or wash them by hand. Never wash wool in hot water as it will make it shrink.
Silk
Silk, also a natural material, is a very delicate material and must be treated with care. Use mild detergent to wash silk and do not stretch the garment when wet.
Synthetic Fibres
Polyester
Polyester is a versatile synthetic fibre used for all different kinds of clothing. A key advantage of this fibre is that it doesn’t really wrinkle, so usually no ironing is needed after washing.
Viscose
Viscose is a synthetic fibre made from cellulose that shrinks slightly when wet. Restore its original shape by simply ironing the garment with steam.
