HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR naturally dyed clothing and natural handwoven textiles

Natural dyes and handwoven textiles are resilient and robust but must be treated as the natural resource that they are.

We suggest thinking about switching to pH neutral soaps for all of your clothes, washing less, avoiding deodorants

and staying out of harsh sun as a rule of thumb for yourself, your clothes and the environment.

Natural dyes are living colours. By their very essence, they are natural living colour.

Natural and botanical dyes create wonderfully enduring colour which, if treated well, will last for a long time.

Hand Wash / Cool Washing Cycle

If you do have the luxury of time we would recommend hand wash as this as the best way to care for your items. Hand wash inside out with special care using cold water and a ph neutral or mild natural soap.. If this isn’t an option then a cool delicate wash cycle in the machine is preferable. Cold wash with similar colours in gentle cycle ideally in a lingerie bag. For silk, please use appropriate delicate settings on your washing machine

Avoid Strong Deodorants

It isn’t only laundry detergent that can shift the pH of your garment, deodorants can also shift the colour. Therefore, we recommend avoiding them where possible. This is ideal for your body anyway, it's just a visual representation with naturally dyed goods. If you tend to use natural deodorants then you might be able to get away with it. We would recommend testing a tiny amount on the inside of the clothing first to see if there is a reaction. Some dyes react more strongly to pH shifts than others so it’s always worth checking if you feel more comfortable wearing deodorants with your clothing.

Dry Out of Direct Sunlight

Direct sunlight can damage handwoven textiles and fade natural dyes overtime. Like with our skin, direct and harsh sunlight is damaging so it's always best to minimise exposure as much as is practically possible. Dry naturally in the shade, out of direct sunlight, and your clothing will thank you for it. Avoid machine drying.

Keep Washes to a Minimum

This is a general rule of thumb for anyone who wishes to live a green lifestyle. Your clothing may not be dirty after one wash so why wash it? Be mindful of how much you wash your clothes and ask yourself if you can get another wear out of it before putting it in the laundry bin because, as with all clothing including synthetically dyed items, the colours will fade overtime with excessive washing.

IRON WITH CARE

Turn the garment inside out to iron and use delicate setting when ironing. For linen and cotton , make sure the item is damp as you iron to smoothen the creases and wrinkles.