Here at Kalaurie we believe your clothing should last a lifetime. To help you care for your beloved piece we have put together some helpful tips.

Care labels
Before washing your garment make sure you read it's unique care label to learn how to best clean it. Care labels are located on the bottom left hand side seam of each garment.

Spot cleaning
Spot cleaning is a great way to extend your garments life between wash cycles as over time machine washing can wear your garment out. Most of your garments wear and tear happens during washing. The quicker you spot clean after marking your clothing, the more likely it won't leave a permnant mark.
- All you need some cold water, a gentle environmentally friendly washing detergant or spot cleaner ( like Sard ) and a clean cloth. Pro tip * if you have a old worn out tooth brush, you can use that instead of a cloth to gently massage the stain out.
- Simply mix some detergent into a small bowl of cold water and dip your cloth/toothbrush into it or rub your wet cloth/ toothbrush directly onto your Sard bar. Gently massage your cloth or toothbrush over the mark. You may need to repeat this with more of your water & cleaner until you start to see the mark lifting. Be careful not to over rub the area your working on as it could cause pilling on the fabric.
- Rinse the area of your garment that you've just removed the mark from with cold water and hang it outside to dry or use a hairdryer on a low heat setting to ensure not water marks are left.
- If your spot is oil based you can put some talcum powder over the mark while the garment is fully dry and leave it for an hour then brush or shake off the powder. The talcum powder soaks up the oil from the stain.

Sun cleaning
Airing your garments out in the sun is a great way to freshen them up between washes. Sunlight is a natural antibacterial and kills odour.

Handwashing
Handwashing is our favourite way to clean clothing. It's gentle whilst saving water and energy. Most garments and fabrics are suitable for handwashing. All you need is a clean sink, tub or bucket and a gentle environmentally friendly washing detergant.
- Simply fill your bucket with cold water and some detergent, placing your garment inside swish it around and leave to sit for a few minutes. If your garment needs particular spot cleaning attention, you can gently rub Sard on the marks.
- Rinse the garment in cold water to remove all soap residue, and squeeze softly until the water stops dripping. Avoid wringing the garment as this can damage the fibres.
- Hang to dry somewhere out in the sun or lay your garment flat.

Avoid tumble drying
Tumble dryer's are conventient however they consume a lot of energy and can cause heat damage and shrinkage to your clothing. Always opt for hang drying outside or on a clothes rack in a sunny position.

Dry-cleaning
If your garment has specialist care requirements and needs to be dry-cleaned we recommend eco/green dry cleaning where possible. Tailored & lined garments like coats and jackets will need to visit a dry-cleaner so that the inner structures of the garment don't get damaged whilst washing.

Repairs
Over time your beloved clothing will experience natural wear and tear and might need some repairs. Always consider repairing your clothing before discarding or passing it on. For simple repairs like re-sewing a button, if you have a needle and thread you can easily do this yourself at home. Here's a little youtube tutorial that we found to help you. It's actually amazing how many free tutorials & resources are available on the internet!
For more complex repairs, we offer a repair service. If you're outside of Australia, we recommend you visit your local tailor or seamstress.

More resources
Want to learn more about making the best of your clothing? We recommend the new book Loved Clothes Last by Orsola de Castro - "how to love, mend and repair your clothes in the fight against fast fashion".