Conscious Wardrobe Makeover: 4 Ways to Make Every Day Earth Day
1. Makeover Your Laundry Routine
If you want to get really present to how much laundry you and your family produce, have your washer or dryer break. That’s what happened to me a couple of weeks ago. Our dryer went kaput! Even worse, the part needed to fix it would take 1-2 weeks to arrive and then we could schedule the repair guys to come back and fix it. But, it’s not like I could stop doing laundry. So, here are a few things I did that really made me start thinking differently about my laundry.
- Line Drying – The washer still worked but I had to hang a clothesline in my yard to dry the clothes. Luckily I live in Southern California where it is sunny most days so this was fairly easy. But, it let me only really do like one load of laundry a day. So, that leads me to the next item on this list…
- Scrutinize what “dirty” means – Instead of just throwing everything in the hamper just because it touched my skin, I truly had to think, “Is this dirty or smelly?” “Can I wear it again without washing?” This lead to fewer clothes going into the hamper. Getting my kids to question this was a little more challenging though. 😫
- Always run a full load – Since I could only do one load a day I had to make it count! Running only a full load is more energy-efficient, especially if you are using cold water.
Even though my dryer is now fixed, there are some things I’ll do differently going forward. I think I’ll keep the clothesline use it for some items. Even if it saves just a little energy it will make an impact over time. And…my dryer will hopefully last longer too. Being pickier about what goes in the hamper will mean fewer loads and saving energy.
2. Shop Second Hand First
By now you all know how much I love buying secondhand. Pictured here is my favorite thrift store, The Collection at Casa Teresa in Orange, CA. They have a $2 sale every Thursday and I rarely miss a week. But, if you don’t have time to hit a mid-week sale like this, you can still make secondhand your first choice.
- Shop eCommerce resale sites like Poshmark, Mercari, eBay, Kidizen, Depop, Thredup, etc. You can shop anytime and often negotiate prices.
- Larger thrift chains like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Savers have a larger selection and have good weekend hours so those are great places to shop. In fact, now whenever my daughter asks to go shopping, her first choice is always a thrift store.
This is one of my absolute favorite ways to make every day earth day!
3. Buy Less
Honestly, this is the thing that I probably struggle with the most. Because I LOVE shopping! That’s one of the reasons why I decided to have a reseller business because it’s a way for me to get paid to shop. There…I said it! But, in the last year or so of slowly and consciously working to transform my wardrobe, (see Part 1 and Part 2 of my Conscious Closet Cleanse Blog Posts) I’ve learned something. Now that I have a closet filled almost entirely with things that I love to wear, I don’t feel the need to buy as much. Because I can’t possibly wear it all. And, frankly having too many great clothes causes a bit of decision fatigue for me. I don’t need to spend more time trying to figure out what to wear. Having fewer items to choose from means I can spend less time worrying about what to wear and more time doing the things that I love to do.
4. Go For Quality
Clothes that are made better will last longer. That’s pretty much a no-brainer. Quality doesn’t necessarily mean buying the most expensive thing. But, before buying a new garment, as yourself:
- How often will I wear this? (Think about cost per wear)
- Are the seams sturdy?
- Will this stand up to my lifestyle and activity level?
- Do I see myself keeping this for years to come?
If you fill your closet with quality clothes that you love and wear, that means less clothing being produced by fast fashion brands that pollute the planet and exploit workers. For example, I never used to purchase sweaters made from quality fabrics like wool or cashmere. But, since I started shopping secondhand, I’ve been able to acquire some lovely quality sweaters that I plan on keeping for a very long time.
These are just a few suggestions for ways to make every day earth day in how we can all be better stewards of the planet through a more conscious approach to the garments we buy and wear. For more tips, check out my Checklist for Building a Sustainable Wardrobe On a Budget.