Caring For Your Bamboo Clothing

Bamboo fabric is an extremely soft material which provides a very pleasurable feel against the skin. It's moisture wicking feature and tendency to not absorb odours make it a great choice as an against the skin textile. But what can you do to maintain the condition of your bamboo clothing using natural means? These fabric care directions apply for bamboo clothing as well as bamboo/cotton blends.

In this case, when I refer to bamboo clothing, I am referring to the bamboo rayon fabric. Clothing made of bamboo rayon is easy to care for and generally can be machine washed in cold water and tumble dried. If using the dryer, check whether your bamboo clothing item has been garment washed. If it hasn't been, you can expect up to 3% shrinkage in the dryer. Always separate your colors to prevent bleeding, just as you would with your other clothing items. If possible, we recommend you use mild eco-friendly detergent. You can use this simple natural laundry detergent recipe:

Eco-Friendly Powdered Laundry Detergent:

You will need:

1 bar of soap (not antibacterial)

1/2 cup of borax

1/2 cup of baking soda

Grater

Re-sealable container


Directions:

1. Grate bar of soap into container.

2. Pour in borax and baking soda.

3. Mix well.

4. Use 1 tbsp. for small or lightly soiled loads and 2 tbsp. for large or heavily soiled loads.

We also suggest line or rack drying for all your bamboo clothing to help save on the electricity needed to power your dryer. In addition, as with all clothing in general, line drying your bamboo clothing will help extend its life and ensure it holds its shape longer. Hand washing is also a good idea if you want to conserve resources and extend the life of your bamboo clothing further.

If you are short on time and must dry your clothing in the dryer, you will find that bamboo clothing tends to come out with a lot of "static cling". To reduce static cling naturally, all you need to do is add approximately half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse of your wash cycle. This simple step will help reduce static cling during the drying cycle.

Stains can be easily removed from bamboo clothing and in keeping with our eco-friendly philosophy, you might want to try this natural stain remover recipe:

Eco-Friendly Stain Remover:

2 parts hot water

1 part baking soda

1 part hydrogen peroxide

Directions:

Spot treat the stains and allow to soak overnight. Mix only as much as you need for immediate use as this stain remover does not keep long.

Though it's not usually required, bamboo clothing may be ironed with low heat. Keep your iron setting no higher than 'synthetic', as bamboo clothing cannot handle the same heat as cotton clothing. Also, do not steam iron, as spitting may occur and cause water rings that will show until you wash your bamboo clothing item again.

The fabric care directions provided above will also apply to other viscose type fabrics such as soy, tencel and modal clothing.


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Adrian Desbarats started Fashion & Earth to provide eco consumers with organic clothes at affordable prices. With their hassle free returns policy and, extremely popular Rewards Program you really have nothing to lose! Go ahead - check them out and experience the feeling of wearing bamboo clothing