Product Care

GENERAL CARE 

TL;DR: Spot clean first, wash as gently as possible if absolutely necessary. Hang to dry.

Something Different Upcycled uses all sorts of fabrics – natural and synthetic – sometimes in the same item. Best practice is to spot clean first, if possible, and then wash as gently as you can.

Think outside of the washing machine, so to speak, to determine if the ‘cleanliness’ issue you’re trying to solve is really a dirt problem. If it is smelly, put it outside and let it air. If it is wet but not dirty, gently squeeze out the water with your hands and hang it to dry. If it is dusty, take it outside and give it a good shake or vacuum it, then let it air for a while to get rid of that stale smell.

If it really does need to be washed, do it gently. Use a mesh laundry bag if you’re putting it in the washing machine (cold water, with similar colours) and let it hang to dry. If it gets wet for any reason, washing or otherwise, make sure your item is left to air dry promptly to avoid that stinky laundry smell and potential mold growth. 

ITEM-SPECIFIC CARE

Bread Bags, Produce Bags, and Basic Totes

These are all fine to be washed in warm water and tumbled try. Use a mesh laundry bag to prevent tangling of things with ties. Hanging to dry is better but your regular laundry routine is fine for these items. Avoid chlorine bleach, though. That stuff is bad news.

Coasters and Bookmarks

Wash gently, in cold water, in a mesh laundry bag. Air dry. Because many of these contain upholstery fabrics, use a pressing cloth or old pillowcase and a not-too-hot iron if you choose to iron them. 

Reusable Cloth Gift Bags

Important: Before washing, remove ribbons if they are not sewn on! For those gift bags with sewn-on ties, use a mesh laundry bag to prevent tangling. Wash gently in cold water, with like colours or separately.

Although each of these has been washed at least twice, be aware that colour transfer is possible. 

Air dry or tumble dry low and remove promptly. Store in a dry place for use over and over again. 

Napkins and Multipurpose Cloths

TL; DR: Chuck them in with your regular kitchen laundry. Be mindful of colour transfer. Stain treat as soon as possible if needed/wanted. Hang or tumble dry. Avoid bleach. 

All of Something Different Upcycled’s reusable cloth napkins and multipurpose wipes are made from cotton fabrics, which is indicated on an original manufacturer’s care tag, by burn testing, or by using other available information. Fabrics are machine washed in warm water and tumble dried prior to being turned into napkins and are washed again before being made available for sale, in person or online. They’re made to be tossed in with your regular kitchen laundry, though I would caution you against bleach and to wash like colours together if you are concerned about colour transfer.

If you need or want to stain treat, do it as soon as you can after the stain is made, using whatever method is most appropriate for the substance that made the stain (there are A LOT of resources online regarding stain treating. On Instagram, for instance, Clotheshorse Podcast has a highlight section that is very useful). 

Two thoughts for your consideration regarding the care of your reusable cloth napkins and multipurpose wipes:
First, consider if you really need to be concerned with stain treating. Don’t let the fear of stains be the thing that holds you back from using cloth napkins in place of paper disposables. Something Different Upcycled Reusable Cloth Napkins are meant to be useful and easy to care for. They’re not your great-grandma’s wedding linen set so there is no need to be precious and overly careful of them.

By all means, keep a ‘clean’ (stain- free) set if it makes sense for your household’s needs. Something Different Upcycled cloth napkins work for that too!

Second, if/when your napkins or multipurpose wipes get to the end of their lives (too many holes that can’t be repaired, too many stains that you can’t live with, etc.), find another use for them as cleaning cloths, emergency wipes, or whatever else you can think of. Cut out the good bits and use those to patch clothes and other items that need mending. At the very end, remove the thread around the edges (could contain synthetics), cut up the remaining napkin into small pieces and compost them.