We all want to find ways to be more environmentally-friendly. We look for ways to use less water or create less waste, but your efforts can go further than that. For example, simply organizing your closet and taking care of your clothes can have a positive impact on the environment. If you want to learn how your closet can be more sustainable, consider these helpful tips.
Wash Your Clothes Less Often, and Dry Them Naturally
Washing your clothes accounts for as much as 80 percent of their environmental impact, which makes sense when you consider how much water your washing machine uses. If you only wear a garment once for a short period of time, it probably doesn’t need to be washed immediately. When you do wash your clothes, keep the water around 30 degrees and skip the tumble drier if you want to use less energy.
Organize Your Closet
As strange as it sounds, simply organizing your closet can make your wardrobe more sustainable and cost-effective. When you take the time to organize your closet and make sure that all of your best clothes are there for you to see every day, you might realize how much you really have and what you can do with it. You won’t be tempted to go out and buy new clothes, which leads to fewer trips to the store and fewer big purchases.
Buy Clothes with Organic Cotton
Fabrics with microfibers tend to end up polluting the oceans when they get thrown out or even when they go through your washing machine. When you buy new clothes, stick to garments made from organic cotton or cotton that has been certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard, or GOTS. This will take some additional research on your part, but simply owning organic cotton clothes will make your wardrobe more environmentally-friendly.
Never Throw Out Old Clothes
Finally, never throw away your old clothes. It might be tempting to throw away a shirt because it’s missing a button or a dress with a hole in it, but these can be fixed relatively easily. If you can’t do it yourself, find someone who can. If something really is beyond repair, find a different use for it such as a cleaning rag or even fabric for some new clothes. No matter what you do, it will be better for the environment than simply throwing it in the trash.
Comments are closed.
