Taking care of your GOTS certified organic products
GOTS certified organic cotton has not been treated with harsh and weakening chemicals and can therefore last for many years, if treated properly.
General to all textiles, whether it be dish cloths, kitchen towel, bed sheets or clothing items, is to look at the care label before washing.
All Humdakin textiles are made from 100% GOTS certified organic cotton.
How to take care of your GOTS certified organic cotton products:
Mild detergent:
When washing your GOTS certified organic cotton textiles, use a mild laundry detergent. This is more for the sake of your skin rather than the textiles. Washing with mild and allergy-friendly detergents means that when you use this textiles after washing them, your skin won’t come in contact with any leftover harsh chemicals or chemical perfumes.
Don’t mix darks and lights:
Because our organic cotton has not been added different chemicals such as dye fixture, there are some things to consider when washing. Although natural dyes are just as long-lasting as chemical dyes, our organic cotton has not been treated with specific chemicals usually used on cotton. This means that GOTS certified organic cotton products may bleed the first few washes and may also shrink if washed at high heat. Therefore, for the first few washes we recommend not mixing dark and light colors.
That being said, all of our textiles can be washed at up to 60 degrees celsius in the washing machine.
Before use:
Although the organic textiles have not been treated with harsh chemicals throughout the production, the garment has still been through many hands. For this reason, and in order to permit maximum absorbency, the textiles should be washed before use. Especially for our organic textiles for the kitchen, like our dishcloth and tea towels, washing before use greatly increases their ability to absorb water and makes them even more efficient in the kitchen!
With GOTS certified organic cotton it is not necessary to soak the item in cold water for 24 hours prior to use.
How often:
Camilla, founder and owner of Humdakin, strongly suggest swap out kitchen textiles once a day. For products such as dishcloths, swapping them out every day means that you avoid the bacteria build-up that is almost inevitable. All types of dishcloths collect bacteria and knitted dishcloths, that absorb greater amounts of water, are no exception. Tea towels and kitchen towels for hands can, if need be, be swapped less often.
How to take care of your GOTS certified organic cotton knitted textiles:
All of the above tips of course apply to the knitted dishcloth and knitted kitchen towels from Humdakin. However, due to the structure of these items, there are other tips in order to ensure optimal care of your knitted textiles.
Wash before use:
With the knitted products it is also important to wash before use, but not only due to the absorbency. When washed, knitted cotton shrinks and therefore becomes more tightly woven. This minimizes the risk of unraveling greatly and creates a far more durable textile. When purchasing any knitted dishcloth or other textile, despite brand, do not pick at any loose threads before washing. Sometimes you may notice a loose thread on the corner of the textile, but unless the item has already been naturally unraveled, do not worry. After washing the item for the first time the “endings” of the knitted structure will be closed.
Holes in your knitted textiles:
Although GOTS certified organic cotton is very durable, the knitted nature of the product means it is not indestructible. With any knitted textiles, be it dishcloths, towels or clothing items, the knitted cotton can be snagged. Especially textiles used in the kitchen receive rough use and are susceptible to snags. Holes in your kitchen textile can be due to these snags, and never happen on their own. The knitted cotton is tightly woven and does not start to unravel unless it has been torn. Therefore, take care of your knitted products - snags will not be accepted as claims.
However, it is relatively easy to fix holes in your knitted products, and there are many DIY guides online.
To tumble dry or not to tumble dry:
To make it simple, our GOTS certified organic cotton items can be tumble dried, even those that are knitted. Tumble drying makes the cotton softer and the products can easily stand to be tumble dried.
However, there are some things to take into consideration before tumble drying. If you want to make sure your knitted textiles keep their shape perfectly, it is a good idea to reshape them while wet and lay them flat to dry, instead of tumble drying them. This is because there is a chance that they miss their shape when going directly from the washing machine to the tumble drier.
Another consideration is the environmental factor. If you can avoid tumble trying and have the option to use a drying rack, this is a huge energy saver and will do good things for your wallet and the environment.
