At Cottsbury, we’re big advocates of good, healthy relationships in all forms- relationships with your friends, your family, your community and your things.
Did you know that by discovering how to wash and care for them correctly, you can maximise the lifespan of your precious wardrobe and home textiles (and actually save money at the same time)?
It’s a whole new way of looking at our belongings, where everyone wins and the best thing is, these tricks don’t have to take long.
Don’t.
Okay well, we know that's not possible, but since nearly 25% of a garments total emissions are from its aftercare and disposal, this means that we can actually reduce our emissions by literally doing a little less or making very small changes from our own homes.
We recommend for spills, marks or dirt that are in concentrated places, try spot washing. Buy some gentle hand detergent and just use some warm water to wash that area only.
For things that get a bit more used that you need to put in the wash like gymwear and bedding, we recommend washing at cool or warm on a gentle cycle with plant based laundry detergents and no bleaching agents. Our products are made from natural materials, including our buttons on our duvet covers, which are made from coconut shells (instead of metals or plastic). Please wash on no warmer than a gentle 30 degree cycle to ensure these stay durable and strong.
Towels can be washed warm for hygiene reasons, but 30 degrees is plenty.
In any case, always leave to line dry, saving money on energy usage and emissions here too. It's also more gentle on the fibres.
You don’t need to be a whiz on the sewing machine to learn how to fix your clothes. Making do and mending’s new home is on youtube. There’s nothing you can’t find there, we particularly like Fashion Revolutions tutorials on How to do basic darning and How to sew on a button.
However if the repair is truly beyond you, turn to the experts at The Seam, we have a special discount code to use with them too.
We recommend reselling clothes that are still in great condition and for anything that is not- turn them into cleaning cloths, use the fabric for a craft project and recycle anything with a fabric recycler like TRAID if it can't be reused.
We know your time is precious, but when you get to know, care for and fix your clothes yourself - it can transform your relationship with your things.
It will definitely have less impact on the planet and we think that's well worth it.
