How to Green Your Wardrobe
Wearing vintage clothing is one of the best ways to reduce the environmental impact of your fashion choices—short of walking around naked.
Up next in How to Go Green at Home (26 videos)
To save the planet, start with your house; this Howcast video series gives you tips on how to keep a green home.
You Will Need
- A vintage store
- A sewing kit
- A resale shop
- Eco-safe laundry detergent
- A clothesline
- And an environmentally conscious dry cleaner
Steps
-
Step 1
Read labels
Check labels when you shop. Look for natural fabrics such as wool, cotton, cashmere, bamboo, hemp, and linen.
-
Step 2
Avoid synthetics
Avoid new synthetic fabrics made with petrochemicals, such as acrylic, polyester, rayon, nylon, or anything labeled stain-proof or wrinkle resistant. Many such fabrics are treated with chemicals that not only impact the environment, but also may be absorbed or inhaled directly.
-
Step 3
Look for natural dyes
Look for white or naturally colored fabrics made with no chemical dyes. Botanically dyed or color-grown cotton provides natural variety.
-
Conventional cotton is among the world's most chemically treated crops—buy organic cotton instead.
-
Step 4
Think classic not trendy
Try not to load up on trendy items that you will throw away after one season. Be willing to pay a bit more for a high-quality classic that will last for years.
-
Step 5
Buy vintage
When shopping for clothes, accessories, and jewelry, check your local consignment or thrift store for vintage items.
-
Step 6
Make over old clothes
Don't but new clothes unless you have to. Extend the life of what you already own with a stylish makeover—such as new buttons or trim.
-
Step 7
Donate used items
When finished with an item of clothing, instead of discarding it, hand it down to a friend or charity, or donate it to a resale shop.
-
Step 8
Use a green dry cleaner
Many natural fabrics wash beautifully in cold water by hand, but if you must dry-clean something, look for an environmentally conscious dry cleaner.
-
Avoid dry cleaners that use the chemical Perc, a known cancer-causing agent.
-
Step 9
Use nontoxic detergent
Launder your clothes with a nontoxic detergent that is free of dyes and artificial fragrances. Powdered detergent is easiest on the environment.
-
Step 10
Use a clothesline
Consider air-drying at least some of your clothes on a clothesline, to save on electricity and the carbon emissions that go with it.
-
Forty million plastic bottles are tossed daily in the US, but—luckily—plastic bottles can be recycled into durable polyester and fleece.
