Wash less. Much less.

Most of us wash most of our clothes too often. Be lazier. By cutting down on unnecessary laundry cycles, you can easily reduce the size of your garment’s environmental footprint. Not to mention save your clothes from the wear and tear of a repetitive machine cycle, making them look their best longer. Goes easy on your energy bill too. Use your eyes and nose to determine when you should really schedule in a laundry day. And check out our tips below to cut down on machine washing even further by refreshing and cleaning your garments in between washes. An exception to the ‘rule’: socks and underwear should be washed after every use.

Air your dirty laundry

Airing in between washes refreshes your clothes and helps you cut down on washes. A short stint in the fresh air or even just hanging them on a chair in your apartment overnight can make a difference. Another tip is to hang things in the bathroom while you shower: the humidity helps smooth out the wrinkles and eliminate light odours.

Brush more than just your teeth

Brushing is a great way to refresh clothes, especially on coarse, textured pieces like a wool blend coat.

Spot clean

Save energy by manually removing stains in between machine washes. Try to spot clean as soon as possible, to avoid those stains settling­ into the fabric.

Only wash full loads

Half-empty machines use almost as much energy as full ones, and you get less clean laundry out of it. So fill up that hamper first

Wash cooler

Cooler wash = less energy consumption. Did you know that just picking 30° over 40° or even 60° on your washing machine saves a considerable amount of energy? Plus, modern detergents are so effective that you don’t need to wash at a high temperature. Bonus points if your machine has an eco-setting. If you’re washing jeans, turn them inside out to save them from colour-fade.

Psst! The care label features the highest temperature the garment can be washed at, not a recommended temperature.

Don't use too much detergent

Your clothes won’t be any cleaner for it. Check the packaging for recommendations — and always look for an eco-label. Many of the chemicals used in detergents can be harsh on your skin and on the environment. And avoid fabric softeners.

Tumble dry: nope. Line dry: yes, yes, yes

If you’re only going to change one laundry habit, make it this: hang dry your clothes instead of tumble drying. Tumble dryers and drying cabinets may be convenient, but they use a lot of energy. Use a clothesline or a drying rack. Remember to reshape (stretch) them a bit first!

Tip: For heavy knits, such as wool and wool blend sweaters, check the care label first: they probably keep their shape and size better if you place them flat to dry.

Only iron if you must

Airing in between washes refreshes your clothes and helps you cut down on washes. A short stint in the fresh air or even just hanging them on a chair in your apartment overnight can make a difference. Another tip is to hang things in the bathroom while you shower: the humidity helps smooth out the wrinkles and eliminate light odours.

Brush more than just your teeth

Hang drying instead of tumble drying can save you ironing time as well! For an even better result, use hangers for shirts, blouses, dresses and so on.

If your clothes are already clean and dry, hang them in your bathroom when you shower. The moist air will act like a steamer, helping reduce the creases.

All our garments are marked with the Clevercare label.

If the stains won't go away

Repair, redesign or recycle. A patch can be the perfect solution (and a great way to add personality) but we’re fans of all kinds of simple redesigns. Check out our jeanious hacks for inspiration.

When a garment has come to the end of its life cycle (in your wardrobe anyway), pop into your nearest Monki store to recycle them (and any other textiles for that matter!) We’ll give you a 10% discount to say thanks