Conscious Care

Conscious Clothing Care: Top Tips

Caring for your clothing properly helps reduce your environmental impact and keeps your garments looking great for years. Here’s how you can look after your clothes the sustainable way:

1. Wash Less Often

Washing pieces too often wears out fabrics and uses a lot of water and energy. Unless it’s visibly dirty or smelly, try airing it out or spot-cleaning instead.
A top tip I learnt working in a theatre: spray the garment with vodka — the alcohol works as a natural deodoriser, perfect for delicate or dry-clean-only items.

2. Wash at Lower Temperatures

If we manufacture a piece that’s machine washable, we always recommend washing at no more than 30°C. Lower temperatures are usually enough to clean clothes effectively and use less energy — protecting both your garment and the planet.

3. Use Eco-Friendly Detergents

Choose biodegradable, non-toxic detergents that are kind to waterways and your skin. Avoid fabric softeners, as they can coat fibres and reduce breathability.

4. Avoid the Tumble Dryer

We recommend no tumble drying on every VF piece. Air-drying saves energy and helps clothes last longer by reducing stress and shrinkage. Hang or lay flat to dry, and avoid direct sunlight for delicate or brightly coloured items.

5. Use a Filter Bag or Machine Filter

Synthetic fabrics shed microplastics in the wash. Use a wash bag or install a microfibre-catching filter to help reduce waterway pollution.

6. Store Clothes Properly

Fold heavy knits to avoid stretching, hang lighter pieces on quality hangers, and keep everything in a clean, dry space to protect from mould or pests.

7. Repair, Don’t Replace

A missing button or small hole doesn’t mean the end of a garment’s life. Enjoy learning some basic repair skills — or bring your item to us. We’re happy to help!

8. Donate, Swap or Rework

When you no longer love a piece, don’t bin it. Pass it on, donate to charity, or rework it into something new.
Twice a year, we open the VF Facebook group so customers can sell their pre-loved VF pieces to each other. Join the VF group.

 

If any of your Violet Flamingo pieces ever let you down — a zip breaks, a fastening is lost, or a seam splits — I’ll repair it free of charge, no matter its age. Just get in touch and we’ll arrange the process.

Big love,
Lindsey 💜