I always try to hand wash my clothes… we all know our clothes look better for longer when we hand wash. But lets face it, with the kids and housework, and all the weekend craziness, these days it’s often hard to find time (or even the energy!!) to handwash… So here’s a little tip… make it beautiful.
Just like we’ve done with our HQ waste recycling station, I got my hands on a gorgeous steel wash basin, and made some gorgeous organic Laundry Detergent (recipe below) and now I invite the kids to help me do it on the lawn, under dappled sunlight… and we all love it!!
How to make your own Laundry Detergent:
I found this DIY on the Mommypotamus blog but there are so many gorgeous recipes out there… just look around!
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 cups washing soda (Buy it or to make your own: Set oven to 200 degrees C. (or 400 degrees F), Pour a thick (1/2 inch or so) layer of baking soda on the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 1 hour, stirring 1-2 times in the middle, or until it has changed in look and feel. Baking soda has a silky/powdery feel and washing soda is more grainy and not silky. The baking soda will need to reach the full 200 degrees for this reaction to take place, so give it time. Let cool and store in air-tight jar.
- Three bars of soap, finely grated.
- Optional – organic lavender, rose or lemon myrtle oil.
TO MAKE:
- Cut soap into small chunks. Add to the food processor along with the washing soda.
- Blend until you have a fine powder. You may want to lay a dish towel over the top of your food processor to prevent a fine mist of powder from floating into the air. Also, let it settle a bit before opening the container or the powder will float onto your kitchen counter!
- Pour into a clean container (keep the essential oil next to the jar and add 5 drops with each load)
Or just find some eco detergent at the store, they always smells gorgeous!!
Did you know…
… that increasing the life cycle of your garments is the most direct way you can reduce waste and pollution in the textiles system?* In fact, the clothing industry alone could impact the amount of carbon, water and waste used by as much as 10% if garments stayed in rotation in our wardrobes for just three months longer than normal.**
The best part? This means that we as consumers have absolute power in effecting positive change for our planet, simply by wearing our clothes for longer.
There are simple steps to increasing the lifespan of our clothes;
Speaking of washing your clothes…
…Lately, especially for those of us concerned with the state of our oceans, there’s been much talk about microfibres. Microfibres are the tiny particles of plastic that shed from your synthetic clothing during the wash cycle and end up in our oceans.
Research shows the main culprits of microfibre shedding materials are the fluffy ones you might find in outerwear like jackets, (synthetic fleece or acrylics in knit blends) and this is easily dealt with by spot washing these garments instead of machine washing, but there are many other ways you can minimise microfibres escaping into the ocean…
