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Here at Movement Matters Co we want you to enjoy your vintage clothes for generations to come.
Knowing how to care for your garments will keep them in your wardrobe and out of the landfill, helping to support our vision for a sustainable and eco-friendly world.
Check out our care guide below to keep your amazing vintage pieces in prime condition.
This is what we've found works best from our experience, but each garment is unique and may need special care no matter the fabric type. We cannot guarantee these guidelines will lead to success. If you're ever unsure, always take your garment to a professional cleaner.
You can also email us at Contact@MovementMattersCo.com if you have any questions about the garments you've purchased.
Find Out If It’s Washable
Vintage clothing can be delicate so it's important to wash your items correctly to keep their condition.
With the right cleaner, you can wash most items.
Not all materials can be washed in the washing machine, so we suggest determining what your fabric is and how to care for it before cleaning it.
The following fabrics are usually machine washable:
Cotton
Polyester
Nylon
Synthetics
Spandex
The following fabrics should be hand-washed:
Rayon
Satin
Silk
Velvet
Wool
We recommend taking the following garments to a professional dry cleaner:
Leather
Plastics
Vinyl
Fur
*Linen requires specific steps if you’re washing it at home. Check out the "Cleaning Special Items" section below for more information.
Use Gentle Detergent
Use gentle detergent on your vintage clothes.
Traditional detergents may have ingredients that can damage vintage garments.
We recommend using Laundress detergent because it contains minimal ingredients that could cause harm.
Laundress is an eco-friendly company using 100% post-consumer recycled material (PCR), which gives the plastic you recycled multiple lives so we can rely less on virgin plastic. And their products are highly concentrated!
Hang Dry
We recommend hang drying your Vintage Clothing. This will help to keep their shape and condition, and allow them to air out.
It's best to hang your Vintage Clothing on wooden hangers, rather than metal hangers, to prevent rust transferring from the metal to your clothes.
You can also use a padded cloth hanger for an added layer of protection for your Vintage Garments to help keep their shape.
Wools, knits, and silks would benefit from being dried flat to keep their shape, and to prevent silk from ripping if it's fragile.
Cleaning Special Items
There are certain types of material that need special care and cleaning.
Leather
Caring for your leather items at least once a year will help to protect them and make them last.
Use a dry brush to wipe off dust and dirt.
Add leather cleaner to a sponge and spread it all over your item.
Then allow it to air dry on a hanger.
Linens
Linens are delicate and can become brittle, so we recommend putting them in lukewarm water the night before washing them to give them a little bit of moisture.
The following day, you can spot clean any dark areas on your white linens with oxygen bleach.
Then if you wash your linens in the washing machine, steam them immediately afterwards and hang dry them on wooden or padded cloth hangers.
Wool
Having special fabric cleaner is important. The Laundress brand has a good one! We also recommend hand-washing your wool!
Silk
Silk needs a very gentle detergent. We suggest Laundress.
Storing Your Clothing
Properly storing your Vintage Clothing can protect them from damage.
We recommend laying your Vintage Items flat and keeping them separate to help maintain their shape.
You can store your Vintage Clothing in wooden boxes in a dry and cool area. We suggest using a layer of acid-free paper to prevent the acid in wood and/or cardboard boxes from staining your garments.