EQALIZR PRODUCT CARE
INTRODUCTION
By caring for your garments well you can extend their lives, and reduce each garments carbon footprint by around 20–30%. Here are a few simple tips to help you maximise the life of your garments —keeping both your favourite pieces, and the planet, in better shape.
Care Instructions
Care labels are there for a reason, so make sure you read them carefully. All Eqalizr care labels can be found on the inside of the garment but all care instructions are also included here and get regularly updated as the range increases.
Pay special attention to our outerwear and hat care labels, as they have more specific washing instructions. They both prefer to be spot-cleaned, instead of being put through the washing machine, so opt for this instead.
100% COTTON
You may machine-wash your organic cotton garments at a normal wash cycle setting and at a low temperature (max. 30°C), or cold. Choosing lower temperatures reduces the risk of shrinkage and color fading while minimizing the associated cost and environmental impact of energy usage.
Use a gentle eco-friendly laundry detergent and avoid conventional softeners as well as bleach, as they can damage the fabric. To further protect your organic cotton garments, always wash them with similar colors and inside out.
Avoid tumble-drying, as this can speed up the aging of your organic cotton garments, may cause shrinkage, and also uses a considerable amount of energy. Instead, hang dry your organic cotton garments immediately after removing them from the washing machine, and gently shake and re-shape them while doing so.
In case you really do need to dry your clothes as quickly as possible, you may tumble-dry them using the air cycle (no heat). But please remember that hang drying your laundry is the most environmentally-friendly option.
IF YOU NEED TO IRON – Gently shaking out your garments while they are still damp is often enough to remove wrinkles naturally. However, if you do need to iron your organic cotton clothes, you may do so at a low to medium heat. A good option is always to start with the lowest heat setting and gradually adjust it as needed.
POLYESTER
Choose a cold, gentle cycle when washing recycled polyester items or hand wash them in cold water. Always, remember to quickly remove these garments when the cycle finishes and hang them out. This can help to avoid creasing.
Line dry these pieces and ensure to use the hanger loops when you hang them up in your wardrobe. This can help to avoid stretching therefore ensuring a good fit for longer. Always iron on the reserve side and keep the temperature warm rather than hot.
POLY/COTTON
Polycotton fabric should be washed in cold water to prevent shrinking and damage to the fabric. Warm or hot water can cause the fabric to shrink or fade, especially if it contains a high percentage of cotton. Cold water is gentler on the fabric and will help to maintain its shape and colour.
When washing polycotton fabric, it is important to use a gentle detergent that is free of bleach or fabric softener. Bleach can cause the fabric to fade or become discolored, while fabric softeners can leave a residue that can make the fabric feel stiff and scratchy. Use a mild detergent that is designed for delicate fabrics to keep your cotton polyester fabric soft and supple.
When washing polycotton fabric, it is important to avoid overloading the washer. Overloading the washer can cause the fabric to become tangled and twisted, which can lead to damage or pilling. Wash polycotton fabrics in small loads to ensure that they are cleaned properly and don’t become damaged during the washing process.
Polycotton fabric should be washed on a delicate cycle to prevent damage to the fabric. The delicate cycle is gentler on the fabric and will help to maintain its shape and quality over time. Avoid using the regular or heavy-duty cycle, which can be too rough on the fabric and cause it to become damaged.
Polycotton fabric can be tumble-dried on low heat, but it is important to remove the items from the dryer promptly to prevent wrinkling. High heat can cause the fabric to shrink or become damaged, so it is important to use a low heat setting.
While some polycotton items may be tumble-dried on low heat, it is generally best to hang them to dry. This will help to prevent shrinking and distortion of the fabric. If you do choose to tumble dry your polycotton clothes, be sure to remove them promptly from the dryer to prevent wrinkles.
If your polycotton clothes do require ironing, be sure to use a low heat setting. High heat can melt the polyester fibers and cause damage to the fabric. Use a pressing cloth to protect the fabric from direct heat and avoid ironing over any buttons or zippers.
RECYCLED
100% recycled polyester should be hand-washed with a maximum temperature of 30 degrees. (65% Organic Cotton 35% recycled polyester), (18% spandex, 82% recycled polyester) can be machine washed at a maximum temperature of 30 degrees.
DOWN FILLED
Machine-washing a down jacket
- Machine-wash your down jacket on a gentle cycle at 30 degrees °C. If it’s available, select the ‘extra rinse’ option. Use a down-specific soap or detergent, like Grangers Down Wash Concentrate.
- Skip the spin cycle. It’s better for your down jacket to drip dry and/or use a tumble dryer.
Hand-washing a down jacket
- Soak your down jacket for up to 60 minutes in a sink. Again, go for a down-specific detergent such as Grangers Down Wash Concentrate.
- Rinse by lightly squeezing out excess water (don’t wring it!) and follow the drying steps below.
Drying Your Down Jacket
- Once the wash is complete, carefully remove your down jacket — it’ll be heavy — and lay flat to dry on a clothing rack.
- It’ll take around 24–48 hours to drip dry depending on the weather conditions. As it dries, keep giving it the occasional fluff, particularly around any wet clumps of down.
- When the down jacket is almost dry, put it in the tumble drier on a low heat and check it regularly. To maximise the loft of your down jacket, throw in two to three tennis balls, or Granger’s reusable drying balls. This will really help fluff up your down jacket.
LINEN
Use the gentle cycle on your washing machine and wash with similar lightweight fabrics. Of course, washing by hand in a large sink or bathtub is an option as well. Wash in lukewarm or cold water with mild detergent. Hot water can cause linen to shrink.
Separate light colours from dark colours to keep them looking sharp. Avoid fabric softener. Linen will soften on its own over time. Do not use bleach or detergent with a whitening agent. Even on white linen, the bleach will blotch the fabric and damage the fibres.
Tumble dry on low. High heat will cause the fibers to break down faster and possibly shrink. If the care instructions require air drying, lay flat over a drying rack. Avoid using clothespins, as they can cause stretch marks and deform the garment.
Iron on medium heat, preferably when the fabric is still a little damp out of the dryer or off the line.
For dark colours, press on the wrong side of the fabric. Use the steam setting on your iron, especially if the material is dry. Steamers work well for garments that are hard to iron.
Spot clean whenever possible. Get more life out of your textiles by not over-washing. You van use a dab of Dawn dish soap and cool water to wash out stains. Baking soda and a few drops of vinegar are a good combination for stubborn stains. Again, no bleach. Some people recommend an oxygenated bleach like OxiClean. However, we continue to have good luck with the dish soap technique and recommend starting there.
A lot of stains like blood, jam, pasta sauce, etc will usually wash out on a very cold wash setting.
3D DECORATED ITEMS
- Machine wash cold with mild detergent
- Do not dry clean
- Dry on low dryer setting
- Do not bleach
Wash Less
Fill Your Washing Machine
Wait until you have enough to comfortably fill your machine. Also, make sure you avoid overfilling your machine as heavy loads cause friction which wears clothes out faster and may also result in the garments being poorly washed.
Choose a Cool Washing Setting
Modern washing machines and washing powder are able to do some pretty impressive cleaning using low temperatures. This is not only better for the environment, but it also puts less stress on your garments, prolonging their lives. Items such as sheets and underwear may require a slightly hotter temperature, but the majority of your EQALIZR wardrobe will benefit from a cool wash.
Avoid the Dryer
Choosing to line dry your garments instead of bundling them all into the dryer is one of the most significant decisions you can make to reduce your impact and keep your garments in tip-top condition. Remember to pop them on the line as soon as you can, to keep them as fresh as possible, and to avoid unnecessary creasing.
Sort Accordingly
All garments are not made equal, so treat them as such. Sort your laundry to make sure you’re washing similar colours and types (heavier verses more delicate garments) together to avoid laundry casualties. An important thing to remember is to make sure no garments are going to cause harm to others mid-wash — close zippers, remove anything from pockets, unbutton buttons, etc. Also, remember that our hats and outwear prefer not to go through the washing machine.
Don’t Dry Clean
Traditional dry-cleaning is generally pretty harsh on the environment, and most dry-cleaners use the chemical Perc, which causes health issues and contributes to air pollution — so it’s really not a great option for anyone. Luckily, none of our garments require dry-cleaning so this can be avoided altogether.
Reduce Microplastics
Microplastics are small pieces of plastic, less than 5mm in length, that have unfortunately made our waterways and oceans their home, as a result of plastic pollution. Many synthetic fabrics, such as polyester and nylon, shed microplastics when they’re put through the wash. They’re then flushed out in our water supply, entering the aquatic ecosystem and damaging plant and animal life. Luckily, the majority of EQALIZR garments are made of 100% natural fibres, which means they’re biodegradable and break down. However, for the small portion of synthetic fabrics we do use, and for other synthetic items in your wardrobe, we recommend using a Guppy Friend washing bag. The Guppy Friend collects microplastics that come off garments in the wash and prevents the microplastics from getting out in the water supply.
When There’s No Life Left…
DO NOT DONATE EQALIZR TEES TO CHARITY STORES! The last thing we want is for straight people to wear the Eqalizr Gay Only brand by mistake!!!! Donate them to gay friends or dispose of them thoughtfully.
Being responsible for your garments when they’re no longer able to be worn plays a huge part in looking after our planet. Around 75% of garments are sent to landfill by consumers, which means most of our clothes get put in a pile and generate methane as the waste decomposes. Methane is known to be 25 times more efficient than CO2 at trapping radiation, making it a huge global warming problem. So, when you need to dispose of them, leaving them to decompose in your compost bin or garden is a great alternative.
When it comes to our garments, over 90% of our offering is made from 100% natural fibres, and therefore will decompose. All you need to do is remove any non-natural fabric parts like thread (this can also be removed after the fabric has decomposed), labels, buttons, zippers, or snaps, and shred the fabric as much as possible (smaller pieces will decompose faster). Next, pop the shredded fabric in your compost bin or bury it in your garden, mixing 2 parts soil to 1 part fabric. Within a year the fabric should have decomposed.
For the small handful of our garments that aren’t made of 100% natural fibres, try and repurpose them when they’re at the end of their (first) life. Cut them up into rags and use as cleaning cloths or get creative and fashion them into produce bags, or use as cushion stuffing. There are plenty of options to extend the lifecycle of your garments, saving you from making additional purchases and therefore reducing your environmental impact.
