How to Make Your Closet Eco Friendly
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Sustainability is a hot topic, and you may have implemented more eco-friendly products and practices into your everyday life. If you want to make more areas of your home and life environmentally friendly, look no further than your closet.
From choosing more sustainable wardrobe items to green organization ideas, here are our favorite tips for creating an eco-friendly closet.
Creating a Sustainable Wardrobe
What goes in your closet is just as important as your storage solutions.
Change Your Shopping Habits
While it’s tempting to buy new clothes to keep up with trends, that doesn’t always make for a sustainable closet. One of the best ways to make your wardrobe more environmentally friendly is by simply reducing the amount of clothing that you buy. Try doing a no-buy week or month where you don’t purchase new clothes. The planet and your wallet will thank you!
When doing a closet cleanout, donate items to thrift stores or shelters in your area. This gives a second life to clothes, shoes and accessories by allowing someone else to enjoy them.
Choose Eco-Friendly Fabrics
When you do buy new clothes, skip synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon. Instead, choose natural fabrics like organic cotton, linen and hemp. Production of these fibers uses less of the Earth’s resources and they’re durable, meaning you can wear your favorite pieces longer.
Learn to Mend
Learning basic sewing skills like reattaching a button and patching holes can go a long way in prolonging the life of clothes that have minor damage. You can even get creative and design a one-of-a-kind piece with techniques like visible mending and patchwork.
Rethink Your Laundry Routine
If laundry day is wearing your clothes out, you’re probably replacing your clothes sooner than you’d like. This is disappointing for you, and distressing for the planet. Not to mention the water and electricity used in the average wash and dry cycle, which increase your carbon footprint and drive up your utility bill. But there are some ways to avoid these issues!
First, you don’t always need to wash your clothes after wearing them. Jeans and slacks can typically go 2-4 times between wears, while sweaters and tees can usually be worn twice before washing. Of course, we recommend washing clothes after one wear if they get stained or particularly sweaty, like your workout clothes.
Hanging your clothes to dry instead of throwing them in the dryer is another way to prolong their lifespan. And you’ll also save on your electric bill! Learn how to incorporate a customizable closet system with hanging space from our friends at The Handmade Home.
Making Your Closet More Eco-Friendly
Now that you know some steps to make your clothes more environmentally friendly, here are a few ways to make your storage greener.
1. Avoid Plastic
It’s no secret that plastic isn’t an eco-friendly material. If you already have plastic hangers or storage bins in your closet, we recommend continuing to use them until they’re worn out. There’s nothing more sustainable than using what you already have!
When it’s time to purchase new items, opt for eco-friendly organization products like wood hangers and bamboo drawer dividers. Baskets in materials like linen, cotton rope or wicker are great eco-friendly storage options. As a bonus, they’re neutral in color, making them ideal for any decor style!
For whole-closet storage, look for wood and metal closet systems like those from Closets by Liberty™. In addition to being extremely durable, our systems are customizable and designed to change with your needs. That means simply reconfiguring your closet, rather than searching for new storage solutions.
2. Utilize Wardrobe Storage Bags
Wardrobe storage bags aren’t the garment bags you might hang formal dresses or tuxedos in. They’re large, airtight bags that allow you to store a lot of items in one container. These are available in eco-friendly materials like cotton or recycled polyester, and many can even be vacuum sealed so they take up less space than traditional plastic storage bins.
3. Consider Proper Lighting
You may not give a lot of thought to your closet’s lighting, but now is a great time to explore ways to make it more eco-friendly and efficient. First, check out our guide on choosing the right lighting for your closet. That will help you determine how much lighting you need, and give you plenty of options.
Next, take stock of your current lighting and think about which swaps or upgrades you can make. Can you replace your current light bulbs with eco-friendly LED bulbs? Maybe motion sensors can help you avoid accidentally leaving the light on all day. (We’re all guilty of leaving the light on, right?) LED puck lights are great for closets that get a lot of natural light and don’t always need overhead lighting.
Organize Your Coat Closet With Closets by Liberty™
Closets by Liberty™ offers a range of storage solutions for your closet and every other room in your home. No matter your storage needs, there’s a Closets by Liberty™ system for you. Explore our systems and start your eco-friendly closet transformation today.