Sustainable garment care guide
With ColieCo, you can count on us to ensure that your lingerie, underwear and swimwear is designed, crafted and delivered to you with the environment at the very heart of all we do - from fabric sourcing, through our production process, to our sustainable order packaging and carbon offset shipping.
But this is just the start of your garments' lives.
We've put together this care guide to help you make sure that your eco-friendly lingerie and swimwear remains just that, throughout its lifespan and beyond.
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Washing less frequently
Although it’s tempting to wash bras and bralettes after a single wear, there's often no need to do so.
Aim to wear your bras several times before you set them aside to be washed and you can extend their lifespans by months or years compared with washing after every wear.
Shaking and hanging your bras up to air out after each wear can help, as can rotating which bras you wear.
Choose environmentally friendly laundry products
Choosing the right laundry products can directly limit the environmental impact of your laundry cycles, as well as help extend the lifespan of your underwear.
Look for biodegradable detergents made without petroleum-based chemicals which ideally contain no brighteners, dyes or artificial fragrances.
Some larger eco-friendly brands in some countries (like ECOVER in the UK) now offer local refill services, allowing you to return your detergent bottle to be reused rather than recycled.
Machine washing
Although we recommend handwashing (see below), all ColieCo garments are machine washable on a cool, 30 degree wash.
When machine washing, do so mindfully, only running your machine when you have enough garments for a full load to avoid wasting water and electricity. Use a mild, eco-friendly washing detergent and avoid using fabric softeners.
For the most environmentally-friendly machine wash and to keep your lingerie, underwear and swimwear looking its best for as long as possible, we recommend using one of our GUPPYFRIEND washing bags.
Not only does the GUPPYFRIEND washing bag reduce the amount of fibres which break away from synthetic clothing during washing by an amazing 86%, it also captures those fibres which do escape, saving them from being lost in your washing machine waste water and ultimately polluting the water system.
Hand washing
We recommend putting time aside once a week to hand wash your lingerie. This is both the most sustainable way to wash your underwear, and the best way to protect it.
Use warm (and not hot) water with a mild, eco-friendly detergent and your smalls will last longer and look better for it. Remember to fasten bras and bralettes before washing to prevent hooks from snagging fabric.
Rinsing swimwear
Swimwear should be rinsed with cold tap water directly after use to remove any residual salt or chlorine. This will help protect your bikini before it is washed.
Drying
After hand washing, carefully and gently wring out your lingerie and either spread it flat or hang it up on hangers to dry, leaving a window open for ventilation. If drying outside, try to avoid extended periods of direct sunlight.
Tumble drying is terrible for all of your clothing and terrible for the environment, and should only be used as a last resort. We do not recommend tumble drying any ColieCo garments.
As we are committed to ensuring that customers get the very best and longest possible wear from their ColieCo garments, we offer free alterations and repairs services.
Alterations
If you have received an item that doesn't fit your body shape quite as you'd hoped but you are otherwise happy with, we will always offer to adjust the garment to fit you, free of charge where that is possible.
Recognising that our bodies naturally change shape and size over time, there are also circumstances in which we may be able to help with an alteration to an already (even well!) worn ColieCo garment.
Repairs
ColieCo garments are lovingly made-to-order by highly skilled garment technicians and from only the highest quality materials - in short, they are made well, and they are made to last.
In the unlikely event that you might ever need help with an item damaged through wear and tear, however, we also offer a free repairs service.
In the case of both alterations and repairs, all we ask of customers is that they contact us before returning garments so that we can determine how we might best be able to help, and that they pay return shipping costs.
Garments which still have some life in them
If you're ready to part with your sustainable underwear, but feel that your garment still has life to give, there are various options available.
You might want to consider turning your old bras, bodysuits and bikinis into cash by selling them on a second hand marketplace. It’s easy to do, and there are now lots of different domestic and international options for consumers around the world.
Alternatively, you might consider donating your garments to charity. Many local charity shops and larger organisations accept good quality bras and swimwear.
There are also organisations in many countries which work with women and girls who have experienced difficult circumstances - such as poverty, sex trafficking, homelessness or domestic violence - and accept bra donations. These include Free the Girls in the US, Smalls for All in the UK, and Support the Girls in Australia.
Garments which are too worn to wear
When your sustainable lingerie has lived its best life and is decidedly ready for retirement, the best option for the environment is recycling.
Although fabric-to-fabric recycling, whether mechanical or chemical, is not yet a viable and safe option for the vast majority of fibre types, textile recycling companies are able to use mechanical processing techniques to turn end-of-life fashion fabrics into non-woven textiles, insulation materials or upholstery stuffing.
Most towns and cities now have networks of clothing and fabric recycle banks. We recommend exploring the recycle bank management company's website to check exactly how they handle donations.
Read more: How ColieCo puts sustainability at the very heart of all we do
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Washing less frequently
Although it’s tempting to wash bras and bralettes after a single wear, there's often no need to do so.
Aim to wear your bras several times before you set them aside to be washed and you can extend their lifespans by months or years compared with washing after every wear.
Shaking and hanging your bras up to air out after each wear can help, as can rotating which bras you wear.
Choose environmentally friendly laundry products
Choosing the right laundry products can directly limit the environmental impact of your laundry cycles, as well as help extend the lifespan of your underwear.
Look for biodegradable detergents made without petroleum-based chemicals which ideally contain no brighteners, dyes or artificial fragrances.
Some larger eco-friendly brands in some countries (like ECOVER in the UK) now offer local refill services, allowing you to return your detergent bottle to be reused rather than recycled.
Machine washing
Although we recommend handwashing (see below), all ColieCo garments are machine washable on a cool, 30 degree wash.
When machine washing, do so mindfully, only running your machine when you have enough garments for a full load to avoid wasting water and electricity. Use a mild, eco-friendly washing detergent and avoid using fabric softeners.
To keep your lingerie, underwear and swimwear looking its best for as long as possible, we recommend using one of our GUPPYFRIEND washing bags.
Not only does the GUPPYFRIEND washing bag reduce the amount of fibres which break away from synthetic clothing during washing by an amazing 86%, it also captures those fibres which do escape, saving them from being lost in your washing machine waste water and ultimately polluting the water system.
Hand washing
We recommend putting time aside once a week to hand wash your lingerie. This is both the most sustainable way to wash your underwear, and the best way to protect it.
Use warm (and not hot) water with a mild, eco-friendly detergent and your smalls will last longer and look better for it. Remember to fasten bras and bralettes before washing to prevent hooks from snagging fabric.
Rinsing swimwear
Swimwear should be rinsed with cold tap water directly after use to remove any residual salt or chlorine. This will help protect your bikini before it is washed.
Drying
After hand washing, carefully and gently wring out your lingerie and either spread it flat or hang it up on hangers to dry, leaving a window open for ventilation. If drying outside, try to avoid extended periods of direct sunlight.
Tumble drying is terrible for all of your clothing and terrible for the environment, and should only be used as a last resort. We do not recommend tumble drying any ColieCo garments.
As we are committed to ensuring that customers get the very best and longest possible wear from their ColieCo garments, we offer free alterations and repairs services.
Alterations
If you have received an item that doesn't fit your body shape quite as you'd hoped but you are otherwise happy with, we will always offer to adjust the garment to fit you, free of charge where that is possible.
Recognising that our bodies naturally change shape and size over time, there are also circumstances in which we may be able to help with an alteration to an already (even well!) worn ColieCo garment.
Repairs
ColieCo garments are lovingly made-to-order by highly skilled garment technicians and from only the highest quality materials - in short, they are made well, and they are made to last.
In the unlikely event that you might ever need help with an item damaged through wear and tear, however, we also offer a free repairs service.
In the case of both alterations and repairs, all we ask of customers is that they contact us before returning garments so that we can determine how we might best be able to help, and that they pay return shipping costs.
Garments which still have some life in them
If you're ready to part with your sustainable underwear, but feel that your garment still has life to give, there are various options available.
You might want to consider turning your old bras, bodysuits and bikinis into cash by selling them on a second hand marketplace. It’s easy to do, and there are now lots of different domestic and international options for consumers around the world.
Alternatively, you might consider donating your garments to charity. Many local charity shops and larger organisations accept good quality bras and swimwear.
There are also organisations in many countries which work with women and girls who have experienced difficult circumstances - such as poverty, sex trafficking, homelessness or domestic violence - and accept bra donations. These include Free the Girls in the US, Smalls for All in the UK, and Support the Girls in Australia.
Garments which are too worn to wear
When your sustainable lingerie has lived its best life and is decidedly ready for retirement, the best option for the environment is recycling.
Although fabric-to-fabric recycling, whether mechanical or chemical, is not yet a viable and safe option for the vast majority of fibre types, textile recycling companies are able to use mechanical processing techniques to turn end-of-life fashion fabrics into non-woven textiles, insulation materials or upholstery stuffing.
Most towns and cities now have networks of clothing and fabric recycle banks. We recommend exploring the recycle bank management company's website to check exactly how they handle donations.
Read more: How ColieCo puts sustainability at the very heart of all we do