How to Care for Natural Fibers

Myself, like many of you, am working on creating a conscious closet of natural fibers. Natural fibers are simply better for our bodies—they allow our bodies to breathe more easily and have a lower to non-existent chemical load depending on the origin and treatment of the fiber. 

Natural fibers are fibers that are either protein or plant based. Examples of protein based fibers are: silk and wool. Examples of plant based fibers are: bamboo, linen, cotton. All are wonderful and my closet is filled with 100% natural fibers.

Honeydove is a celebration of natural fibers. I work with: cotton, linen, silk and wool. Natural dyes from plants, leaves, flowers and bark can only dye natural fiber items. 

When investing in a conscious closet, I think it's important to think about the longevity of your items and how to extend the life of your belongings through proper care.

1. Using Gentle and Eco-friendly cleaning detergents

First and foremost it is incredibly important for your health and your clothing to use non-toxic and gentle, earth-friendly cleaners. Please ditch the Tide and the like; it is so toxic. The ONLY product I use in my home for detergents is: Branch Basics. They are an amazing brand with so much integrity and are very clean. They rank one on the EWG. I cannot recommend this brand more. You use their concentrate to make all of your cleaning supplies including your laundry detergent.

This brand WORKS. And it is the only brand I can truly stand behind and recommend for washing your Honeydove goods. Their oxygen boost is also amazing or stain removal. 

Purchase your starter kit here and use code MAGIC2020 for 10% off.

2. Learn to hand wash and spot clean. Especially with your silks. 

There is no need to constantly wash items unless they are soiled. Lean into the meditation of hand washing your special items like under garments, silk scarves and other specialty products. I recommend washing in cold water, using a tiny bit of Branch Basics concentrate and then hang drying.

3. Invest in a iron! To restore the sheen of your silks after washing, I recommend getting THIS IRON. This is the exact iron I use when preparing all of your orders to go out. I love it because it has a silk setting. Caring for your items means having the right tools to do so.

4. HANG DRY when possible.

In my opinion, it is SO whimsical and earth-friendly to hang dry your items. I use both a clothing line on my deck as well as a wooden clothing drying rack that I got at an estate sale. Disclaimer: If I were to get a new drying rack I would probably opt for a non-wooden one like this because the wooden one does begin to mold over time. 

Don't put anything with elastic in the dryer! High heat causes elastic to break down over time. Many Honeydove pieces use elastic bands - make sure to hang dry these. If it goes in the dryer a few times, you'll likely be OK. But if you are high heat drying elastic items every time you wash them, they will break down more quickly. 

5. Get to know your local tailor.

When buttons bust off, seams come loose, etc. simply take your items to your local alterations shop and get things taken care of. It's usually $3 to get a new button but on or $5 to get a seam sewn up. 

I hope these tips help you to care for your clothing and special belongings!