Fun fact about me: I have a *small* cardigan obsession… 😶
Which is why, during my recent visit to the Re-Fashion store at Leamington Spa, it was love at first sight with this gorgeous cardigan I’d spotted on display. BUT, as Re-Fashion sells preloved clothing that sometimes comes with imperfections, there was a button missing.
The good news? The cardigan had a spare button!
The bad news? I'm a novice sewer…
However, I decided that day that I wouldn’t let my novice sewing skills stop me from going home with the new (knitted) love of my life. Thankfully, I was able to sew on the button at home and give this cardigan a brand new life within my expanding cardigan collection!
The only problem with knitted cardigans (and knitwear in general) is that they need a little extra love and care to make them last. And as a sustainable fashion influencer, I’m all about finding as many ways as I can to keep my clothes in good condition so that I can re-wear my favourites again and again.
So, here are my top tips for looking after your favourite knitwear pieces to keep them looking brand new (and keep you warm and cosy) for as long as possible.
1) Avoid the tumble dryer, air dry only
Ideally, it’s best to avoid throwing your jumpers/cardigans into the washing machine and hand-wash them instead. Even though the luxury knitwear brand labels will often say ‘dry clean only’, your knits are most likely safe if you simply hand-wash them in cold water using a non-bio detergent and leave them to air-dry.
The spinning from washing machines and tumble dryers can cause shrinkage and there’s nothing more painful than pulling your favourite cardigan from the washing machine to discover it’s shrunk by about two sizes!
Want some tips on incorporating a more sustainable laundry routine into your life? Click here.
2) Wash your knitwear as little as possible
For those of you who audibly groaned at having to hand-wash your knitted clothes (honestly, same!), the good news is that, with knitwear, you shouldn’t need to do this too often.
According to Vogue, most of us are actually over-washing our knitwear by a significant amount. This actually causes your knits to get worn down more quickly, reducing their lifespan, and consequently ending up in another charity shop donation pile. So, unless your cardigan is filthy, you can probably get away with spot-cleaning when required - meaning you can get way more wear out of your knits before having to commit to the chore of washing them.
3) Don't hang your knitwear - keep folded away
You don’t need to throw all of your hangers away, but be warned: hanging your knitwear can reduce its lifespan by a lot!
When air-drying your knits, lay them flat on a clean towel instead of hanging them from a drying rack. Apparently, hanging your clothes whilst drying can cause the material to stretch from the weight of the water, causing your beautiful knitwear to lose its shape. Once they’re dry, you can then iron them to keep them perfect (or simply skip straight to folding them neatly away - no judgement from me!).
4) Use an electric ‘debobbler’ (not scissors!) to remove fluff
We’ve all been there - you spot a ‘bobble’ on your lovely jumper and decide to try to remove it, only to make the situation ten times worse!
Although bobbling is usually just a tell-tale sign that a piece of knitwear is well-loved and you’ve definitely gotten your money’s worth out of wearing it, there is a magic tool that can help to remove these bits and keep your knits looking fresh. If knitwear is a staple in your wardrobe like it is in mine, it’s worth investing in a good debobbler.
Just stay away from the scissors! ✂️
So let this be a lesson to you and me both - don't let a missing button stop you from supporting sustainable, circular fashion 😉
Send me a DM over on the @AllThingsGreen Instagram with your favourite sustainable clothing item/your tips for prolonging the life of your clothes and make sure also to give us a follow for more sustainable fashion tips and unfiltered, imperfect posts about living sustainably on a budget!
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Thanks for reading - and happy de-bobbling!
Naomi 💚
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