Here’s how to make your clothes last longer and be more sustainable

Paid for by Electrolux

When you go shopping and find the perfect clothing item, it’s natural to think you’ll be wearing that piece forever. But in this disposable world, people are buying more clothes than ever and disposing of them after just a couple of uses, resulting in an environmental waste crisis.

Today, the Atacama Desert in Chile has become one of the largest garment graveyards in the world, receiving over 39,000 tons of worldwide textile waste every year from Europe, the U.S. and Asia. The clothes pile up and take hundreds of years to biodegrade while polluting the environment and local water supply.

To help keep clothes in the loop for longer, global appliance brand Electrolux is investing in technology to help reduce the environmental impact of garment care by making its washers and dryers increasingly energy and water efficient. The company understands that how you wash and care for your clothes contributes significantly to a garment’s carbon footprint.

Because breaking free from bad garment care habits is no easy task, here are simple tips that will help you take care of your clothes and make them last longer — a win for you, and hopefully the environment, too.

Dare to repair.

Don't sweat if you lose a button or have a few tiny rips on your clothes. Things inevitably break. For many, this might be a sign to part ways with the item, which can often mean throwing it away. But if you’re willing to learn a couple of sewing techniques, it can save you money, plus avoid wasting new materials on unnecessary new clothes.

Upcycle old clothes.

Extending the life of old items in your wardrobe has many environmental benefits, such as less waste, lower pollution, water and energy savings. When things are reused rather than thrown away, it reduces the number of materials and products ending up in landfill.

Electrolux has partnered with a Swedish fashion designer duo, Rave Review, to inspire consumers to take better care of their clothes. They created a unique clothing collection of 11 pieces made from discarded clothing from the Atacama Desert, demonstrating that used clothes still have value.

Wear more, wash less.

It’s safe to assume that most people are not wearing clothes repeatedly enough between washes. By increasing a couple of wears, you can reduce the amount of laundry you do, lessening your carbon footprint and energy consumption. It’s also worth mentioning that overwashing your clothes can damage the fabric, fade colors and shrink the item, prompting you to discard them quicker. Therefore, the more you wear the item without washing, the better for the planet and clothes.

Favor gentle, unscented laundry detergent.

Laundry detergent is a frequent household purchased item. But some people might not be aware that certain types of detergent are more abrasive on clothes than others, especially when dosing is not accurately measured. This is why the type of detergent used can make a measurable difference to the lifespan of garments. A 2021 Electrolux study showed that, in general, “powders perform better than liquids when it comes to removing microorganisms, but they have a greater negative impact on textiles/care.” Therefore, using liquid detergent is recommended as it can be much more gentle, helping make your clothes last longer.

Lower your water temperature.

Turning cold water into hot water is one of the most energy-intensive parts of the laundry process, if not the most. You can cut a load's energy use in half by switching your temperature setting from hot to warm. Despite many people’s lack of confidence in lower temperature’s cleaning efficacy, your laundry will still get clean and most likely be free of stains with the right products. Other advantages to using cold water include less clothing shrinkage, fabric breakdown prevention and fewer wrinkles.

Use an environmentally innovative washing machine.

Electrolux enables consumers to care for their clothes in a more resource-efficient manner by developing technologies that increase laundry efficiency and improve garment care. It has developed features, such as Care Drum, which acts as a "cushion-like" drum pattern for clothes to glide on softly, providing gentler fabric care that may reduce wear and tear on garments. You can also find a design-optimized detergent dispenser, called UniversalDose, which provides efficiency for every type of detergent, enabling all kinds of detergents to break down effectively, guaranteeing the cleaning power even for short washes and low temperatures.

Electrolux also offers great solutions if you’re looking for washing machines that specialize in certain elements, such as color care and less water usage. The ColourCare washing machine treats the water in a way that optimizes the detergent, even in cold water. And the SteamCare washing machine includes a system that allows consumers to refresh their clothes and uses over 90% less water than a complete washing cycle. When washing synthetic clothing, don’t forget to use Electrolux’s microplastic filter that can be fitted to your washing machine and captures up to 90% of microplastics released.

Air dry your clothes.

As you probably know, not all fabrics are the same. Certain luxury items are more fragile, which can’t withstand high heat or rapid motion as they can weaken the garment's structure. If you want your clothing to stay looking sharp, try skipping a dryer cycle for these items. Read the care label and determine whether it can be hung and laid flat or hung to dry. In most cases, the constant use of the dryer machine can lead to faded colors, which for many, can mean the garment has reached the end of its life — although its function is still intact.

From Electrolux:

Electrolux is a leading global appliance brand that reinvents garment care for millions of people worldwide while striving to be at the forefront of sustainability through its solutions and operations. For more information, visit electroluxgroup.com.

This article was paid for by Electrolux and created by Yahoo Creative Studios. The Yahoo Life editorial staff did not participate in the creation of this content.