Aloha fam! We get asked all the time the best ways to care for your Love Fitness activewear pieces and given that it is Earth Month and nearing Earth Day, we wanted to share with you our favorite cleaning practices to best care for your Love Fitness pieces, while also keeping sustainability in mind!

The average household does as many as 8 loads of laundry each week so making even slight adjustments to your current routine can drastically reduce your ecological footprint.

1. Use an energy efficient washing machine

I know what you're thinking - "do I have to buy some new expensive energy efficient washing machine?" The answer is "no". Energy efficient machines are actually pretty common and easy to come by. The best machines for sustainability are the front loading ones and they come with lots of perks when it comes to conservation of water and energy.

On average, these machines have 30% more space inside for more items so loads can be bigger and in turn, you can have less loads of laundry. Front loading machines also have high speed extraction so at the end of each cycle, the clothing is a little more dry than it would be from a top loading washer. Therefore, if using a dryer, it'll help decrease the amount of time you'll need to be using it for. When it comes to natural energy conservation, front load washers on average use 1/2 the amount of water, requiring up to 68% less electricity to heat the water.

These types of washers also clean clothing stains better and are gentler in each cycle, aiding in keeping your favorite Love Fitness items as clean as possible, while also retaining their high quality.

2. Wash less often

Yes, it really is that easy. Your clothes do not necessarily get dirty every time you wear them, so you don't have to wash them after every wear either. Also avoid washing single items - save the washing for a full load!

Most of the wear and tear on your clothing comes from wash cycles, so the less often you wash your clothes, the longer you'll maintain their 'brand new' look.

3. Use Cold Water

A not so fun fact - Up to 90% of the energy used to clean your laundry goes to heating the water. 

We 100% recommend washing your favorite Love Fitness items with a gentle wash cycle using cold water. Cold water washing has not only perks when it comes to an ecological standpoint, but also will better help keep your favorites looking new! Cold washing can keep colors from fading, items from shrinking, and also can reduce wrinkles!

4. Air Dry!

Avoid using your Clothes Dryer and cut out that energy consumption entirely! Hang dry solutions using hangers, a rack, or clothesline helps avoid additional wear and tear to your clothing, while also helping reduce your carbon footprint. We recommend air drying all of your Love Fitness pieces to keep them feeling and looking as beautiful as their first wear.

5. Clean your lint screen regularly.

Ever throw your washed laundry in the dryer to find it still a little wet after a cycle? It could be that your lint screen is full, constricting air flow.

While we recommend air-drying your LFA faves, you can save some energy drying your usual laundry by using this little pointer and keeping the drying to 1 cycle.

6. Be mindful of microfiber pollution.

Did you know that most fabrics shed tiny pieces of plastic called microfibers in the wash? These tiny plastics and fibers can often be missed by any filter or drain and in turn, pollute our water and environment. Solutions mentioned above are helpful options towards lowering our microfiber pollution from our laundry on a personal level. There are also lots of other approaches that can be taken, including investing in a microfiber collection bags and devices. I'd recommend doing some research on this and investing in an option that works best for you! Either way, skipping the dryer and washing on a cold, gentle setting alone can go a long way towards preserving clothing quality and limiting additional microfiber pollution.

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Thanks for checking out this blog post and taking an interest in limiting your ecological footprint! We hope you have an amazing Earth Week and take some time to enjoy nature.

We'd love to hear your tips and tricks to washing your Love Fitness activewear and to conserving energy! Share with us in the comments!