Consumer guide

Tips for new clothing

... and some more tips for washing, drying and airing.

Airing
Hang newly purchased clothing, in the open air and allow to air out and off-gas. This will help remove fumes, and smells trapped in your clothing and will also allow off-gassing of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde used in the garment dyeing or finishing process or of pesticides and fumigates such as methyl bromide used during shipping. Hang the clothing in a breezy (you can use a fan), warm and sunlit room to facilitate the airing-out and off-gassing. Because the off-gassing might contain VOCs, hang the clothes outside or in a room containing fresh air and lots of leafy green plants, such as Boston Ferns, which will absorb and remove VOCs from indoor rooms. The length of time depends upon how saturated the clothing and the sensitivity of the wearer. The hanging length of time can be as little as a few hours to a couple weeks.

Washing
Complete the laundry cycle and wash according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The choice of laundry detergents is very important. Most conventional laundry detergents are made from synthetic petrochemicals and laced with artificial dyes, fragrances and optical brighteners. Besides being hard on the environment, the toxic chemicals in these laundry detergents can also leave a residue on clothing that can irritate the skin and cause a rash. The new generation of ‘green’ laundry detergents is made from vegetable-based cleaning agents, do not contain artificial dyes or fragrances, are more effective at removing dirt, stains and odors from clothing, and are gentler to the environment and to the wearer.

Sunlight will help remove odors and smells

If possible, stop the washing machine when it has filled the basin for the rinse cycle and add a cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle. The vinegar rinse will also brighten fabric colors and remove alkali residues from soaps and detergents. Let soak for an hour before completing the rinse cycle. To insure that all detergent has been rinsed from your clothing, select your washing machine’s extra rinse cycle if it has one and add nothing – just water – to this extra rinse.

Drying and Airing
Dry on a clothes line or clothes rack in the sunlight. Sunlight will help remove odors and smells but bright sunlight can cause dyes to fade. The line drying will also provide a final opportunity for clothes to air out. If you must dry in a clothes dryer, use a low temperature as high temperatures can actually cause any remaining odors to “set” into the fabric by bonding with fibers and dyes.