Clothing care guide
Taking care of technical clothes is not difficult and by washing them correctly you extend the life of your clothes considerably. You can take your favorite garments with you on more adventures and at the same time you reduce your total environmental impact by buying less new. What more could you ask for?
Wool is a fantastic material that has natural dirt and bacteria resistance. Therefore, wool does not need to be washed after each use. Hang up and vent instead. Too much washing deteriorates the wool's properties and wears out the garments unnecessarily.
- Feel free to use a laundry bag that protects your garments. We sell the laundry bag GuppyFriend in our own stores and here in the webshop. When cleaning the bag and filter in the machine, make sure you wipe clean and dispose of the lint in the trash.
- Wash with a gentle program or wool program, maximum 30 degrees.
- Preferably use wool detergent and be sure to use the correct dosage. Buy wool detergent. If you do not have detergent for wool, you can use mild environmentally certified detergents. Then choose a detergent without enzymes that has a neutral pH.
- Avoid bleaches, alkaline substances that raise the pH value and enzymes such as proteases or amylase because some enzymes break down proteins and fats in the wool. This also applies to silk.
- Avoid fabric softener. In addition to being bad for the environment, it impairs the garment's performance, especially moisture transport and drying time.
- Do not tumble dry, in addition to being bad for the environment, wool garments are sensitive to high heat.
- Shape the garment after washing and let it dry flat on, for example, a towel.
Ours shell layers with membrane can be in 2, 2.5 or 3 layers. How one shell layers is structured differs slightly depending on how many layers it has. A two-layer shell always has a loose lining on the inside to protect the membrane. One in 2.5 layers is a lighter shell consisting of an outer fabric laminated with a membrane which then has a protective layer printed on the inside of the membrane closest to the skin. 3-layer shell consists of an outer fabric laminated with a membrane and a thin knitted or woven fabric on the inside. This makes 3-layer shells more durable than 2.5 layers, but usually a little heavier.
- We recommend washing your garment after each season and additionally if you see signs of dirt or sweat around the neck and cuffs. Otherwise, the ventilation in the garment may deteriorate and moisture may even leak in through the dirt. Salt and dirt can also damage and dissolve the taping at the seams.
- Wash at a temperature stated in the washing advice on the garment, usually 40 degrees.
- There are special detergents for shell layers, but it usually works just as well with the most common varieties. Choose mild environmentally certified detergents and make sure you use the right dose. Buy detergent and impregnation.
- Avoid fabric softener. In addition to being bad for the environment, it degrades the garment's performance.
- Hang dry.
- Apply heat to the garment after washing so that the water-repellent surface of the outer fabric is reactivated. Use iron, dryer or drying cabinet, on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
- If you notice that water no longer beads on the garment, you can strengthen the impregnation with a wash-in or spray that you can find in the webshop or in our stores.
When washing clothes made of synthetic materials, it is especially important to prevent the spread of microfibres in the water by using a laundry bag.
- Air clothes instead of washing, if the clothes are not too dirty. You save water, energy and it makes the clothes last longer.
- Feel free to use a laundry bag. It protects your garments and prevents microfibers from leaking out. When cleaning the bag and filter in the machine, be sure to wipe clean and dispose of lint in the trash. Never rinse the laundry bag with water as the fibers can then end up in lakes and oceans.
- Wash at a maximum of 40 degrees.
- Wash with mild environmentally certified detergents and be sure to use the correct dosage. Buy detergent here.
- Avoid fabric softener. In addition to being bad for the environment, it impairs the garment's ability to transport moisture and inhibits the quick-drying properties.
- Do not tumble dry, it wears out both the clothes and the environment unnecessarily. Most synthetic garments dry quickly anyway.
- Hang dry.
Our lined garments consist of an outer fabric and an inner fabric, with insulating synthetic lining from Primaloft in between. There are many advantages to using Primaloft's synthetic lining, including not having to tumble dry the garment with balls to puff it up after washing. It dries faster than down and does not smell when wet.
- Air clothes instead of washing if the clothes are not too dirty. You save water, energy and make clothes last longer.
- Use our laundry bag. It is important when you wash synthetic clothes as it protects your garments and prevents microfibers from leaking out. When cleaning the bag and filter in the machine, be sure to wipe clean and dispose of lint in the trash. Never rinse the laundry bag with water as the fibers can then end up in lakes and oceans.
- Wash at a maximum of 40 degrees.
- Wash with mild environmentally certified detergents and be sure to use the correct dosage. Buy detergent here.
- Avoid fabric softener. In addition to being bad for the environment, it impairs the garment's ability to transport moisture and inhibits the quick-drying properties.
- Hang dry, but add heat to the garment after washing so that the water-repellent surface of the outer fabric is reactivated. Use a heating cabinet, tumble dryer or iron, just make sure to keep an eye on the heat so the garment doesn't melt.
Softshell or shell in one layer are garments with water-repellent treatment, but which do not have a membrane.
- Air clothes instead of washing if the clothes are not too dirty. You save water, energy and it makes the clothes last longer. However, if you have used the garment in salt water or if it has become really dirty or sweaty, you should wash it. Otherwise, the ventilation in the garment may deteriorate and moisture may even leak in through the dirt.
- Use our laundry bag GuppyFriend. It is important when washing synthetic clothes as it protects your garments and prevents microfibers from leaking out. When cleaning the bag and filter in the machine, be sure to wipe clean and dispose of lint in the trash. Never rinse the laundry bag with water as the fibers can then end up in lakes and oceans.
- Wash at a maximum of 40 degrees.
- Wash with mild environmentally certified detergents and be sure to use the correct dosage. Avoid fabric softener. In addition to being bad for the environment, it degrades the garment's performance.
- Hang dry, but add heat to the garment after washing so that the water-repellent surface of the outer fabric is reactivated. Use a heating cabinet, tumble dryer or iron, just make sure to keep an eye on the heat so the garment doesn't melt.
- You can strengthen the impregnation in the garment with a wash-in or spray that you can find in the webshop or in our stores.
Lyocell is a regnate fiber and is produced from cellulose from wood. We only use TENCEL™, which are lyocell fibers produced by Lenzing to ensure that the raw material is taken from certified sustainable sources. The fiber is naturally biological biodegradable and the process of converting the wood pulp into cellulose fibers is a closed process with a high degree of recovery (99%) of the spinning liquid. Lyocell is a cool and soft material with high comfort as it can absorb a high amount of moisture from the body.
To care for your lyocell garments, we recommend that:
- Wash cold, no more than 30C in a very fine wash.
- Air rather than wash to save on both the clothes and the environment. Knitted lyocell materials have natural shrinkage after washing.
- Gently reshape the garments after washing.
- Do not store or dry the garments on hangers to avoid deformation.
- Do not tumble dry and wash with similar colors.
More about environmental impact and clothing care
An important part of a textile product's total environmental impact is associated with how long the product can be used before it wears out, how it is cared for and finally how it is taken care of when it can no longer be used for its original purpose. By extending the life of a garment, where it can be used twice as long, the climate impact is reduced by 49%*. So choosing clothes that are durable and made from recycled/recyclable fibers is a good start.
But also how you take care of your clothes as long as they are used is of decisive importance for the environment. If we can reduce our use of washing machines, it is a big win for the environment.
"If we can reduce our use of washing machines, it's a big win for the environment."
There are several eco-labeled detergents and other cleaning agents that you can use to reduce the environmental impact when doing laundry. Swan labeling and the Nature Conservation Association's Good Environment Choice are examples of two of these. Water and energy consumption when washing and drying in different machines is tested by the Consumer Agency and must be declared for the different devices sold on the market.
What largely affects energy, water and detergent consumption is how washing machines and dryers are filled. If there are few people in a household, it can be difficult to fill the machine and, moreover, many garments are marked with the request that they should be washed separately.
"Remember to apply heat to the garment after washing to reactivate the water resistance of the garment."
General tips for all materials during washing
Avoid using fabric softeners as they impair the performance of the garments and have a negative impact on the environment. The fabric softener settles like a film on the fabric's fibers, which impairs moisture transport and breathability. Some of the substances found in fabric softeners are difficult for nature to break down and are harmful to aquatic organisms. They also contain perfumes and substances that can cause allergic reactions.
Make sure that all zips and velcro closures are closed and that you do not have sharp washing tips on the inside of the garments, to reduce the risk of the fabrics getting caught on sharp objects during washing and becoming puckered. A laundry bag protects clothes and fabrics from breaking or becoming stretched in the washing machine. It is also a way to limit the leakage of microfiber in the washing process, which means that plastic particles do not end up in lakes and oceans. You can buy the laundry bag GuppyFriend in our webshop or in our stores.
Most outer garments have an impregnation called DWR - durable water repellency. The purpose is to make the outer fabric water-repellent. When the treatment wears off after a few seasons, the outer fabric will start to get wet even though the membrane still stops water from going through the garment. When that happens, you can easily reapply the impregnation. If you only want to reinforce the water-repellent surface in exposed areas such as shoulders, you can use a spray. You can also reapply the impregnation to the entire garment with a wash-in. Buy laundry products.