Stella’s happy to air her dirty laundry
The fashion designer to the rich and famous, and Paul McCartney’s little girl, reveals why she’s not a fan of washing her clothes, writes Frankie Graddon.
It might come as a surprise to many that Stella McCartney, the British fashion designer who dresses many of the world’s most stylish women, and who cuts a very polished figure herself, doesn’t like to wash her clothes.
‘‘In life, a rule of thumb is if you don’t absolutely have to clean anything, don’t clean it,’’ she said in a recent interview.
‘‘I don’t just chuck stuff into a washing machine because it’s been worn. I’m not a fan of drycleaning or any cleaning, really.’’
McCartney added that she ‘‘wouldn’t change my bra every day’’ either.
The idea of not changing my own bra daily is enough to make me feel more than a little itchy, and her stance feels at odds with her nation’s love of putting on a wash: the average United Kingdom household does five a week, according to Blanc, an eco-friendly dry-cleaning company.
Yet for 47-year-old McCartney, dodging an unnecessary spin cycle is all part of the move to make fashion more eco-friendly. Every load sees up to 700,000 fibres leeched from the likes of polyester-cotton T-shirts and acrylic jumpers, many of which wash up in our oceans.
Her tactic is to ‘‘let the dirt dry and you brush it off’’, and it’s a view shared by Orsola de Castro, cofounder of sustainable fashion organisation Fashion Revolution, who says ‘‘we need to relearn that there are several steps before washing, such as refreshing, sponging, brushing, airing and steaming’’.
But do they really work better than a quick blast in the machine?
Dirty denim
If you’ve heard the one about sticking your skinny jeans next to the frozen peas instead of the wash basket, sadly it is just an urban myth, as storing it at sub-zero temperatures doesn’t kill bacteria but merely put it to sleep.
Over-cleaning does ruin the support and shape of denim, however. Even Chip Leigh, Levi’s chief executive, admits to never washing his, choosing instead to ‘‘spot clean with a washcloth’’ when needed.
If eschewing machines altogether feels like too big a first step, limit yourself to washing denim only after every five or six wears and make sure to wash them in cold water (which helps to maintain their colour) and turned inside out to minimise any damage from errant zips and buttons in the same load.
Airing is caring
Airing clothes is a great way of getting rid of odours without resorting to washing them. The easiest way to do so is to hang clothes up as soon as they’ve been taken off – no throwing them on a chair – to let air circulate around fibres and keep things fresh.
De Castro also says bringing them into the shower with you (if space allows) can work well, too, acting as a steaming agent and getting rid of unwanted creases.
Water-less washing
Washing doesn’t have to mean gallons of water going to waste. A number of products are seeking to do for our garments what dry shampoo has done for hair: sprays such as Day2 promises to remove deep odours, soften fabric and remove wrinkles (as well as saving the 60 litres of water used with every load) and Mr Black’s Denim Refresh, created to revive well-worn jeans, is a plant-based alternative.
Given research shows 40 per cent of what we throw in the machine could have been worn again, a quick spritz can extend that shelf-life yet further.
Sponge baths
If you have a stain on your favourite top, rather than hoping it’ll fade away in a hot cycle, try a little bit of vinegar or bicarbonate of soda on a natural sponge and dab the stain out.
For grease stains, try talcum powder and leave overnight to soak if stubborn.
Small steps
As the items worn closest to your skin, pants, socks and tights should be washed every time you wear them to get rid of bacteria.
However, there is a trick for keeping your smalls out of the machine; half-fill a salad spinner with water, add a squirt of liquid detergent then put your dedicates in and spin. Pour out the water and repeat the entire process once more and, hey presto: a far less wasteful way of washing your underwear. Squeeze them out to release water rather than wringing them out (this will ruin the fibres) and avoid placing them directly on a heat source. Roll in a towel, then leave flat to finish off.
Keep cool
‘‘Ninety-five per cent of the energy consumed by your washing machine is used to heat water,’’ says Mathilde Blanc, chief executive of Blanc, which ‘‘is very bad for the environment’’.
Plus, ‘‘the hotter the setting, the quicker fibres get worn out’’.
Most of our garments can be washed at 30 degrees – with the exception of towels and bedsheets, which should be washed between 40 and 60 degrees. – The Telegraph, London