Product Care

We carefully consider how our garments, bed linen and towels should be cared for and make every effort to pass this information on to you clearly. Caring for your product in the correct way is important to ensure that you get long lasting wear.

General Washing Care

Always read and follow the instructions given on the care label. To avoid colours running, wash dark colours separately to white and lighter coloured items. Try to wash similar fabrics types together.

Do not overload your washing machine as clothes will not be cleaned properly and this can damage your washing machine. To prevent additional wear to the outside surface of your garments, wash them inside out.

Cotton Knitware

Wash your Liv Cotton Knitwear inside out on a gentle cycle and dry flat away from direct sunlight. Always wash dark colours separately to white and lighter coloured items. Do not tumble dry.

Merino Knitwear

Wash your Liv Merino Knitwear inside out on a gentle wool cycle and dry flat away from direct sunlight. Always wash dark colours separately to white and lighter coloured items. Do not tumble dry.

Baby

Liv Baby cotton may shrink up to 5% but we take that into account when we design the cut. When caring for Liv Baby, always try to wash at 30° or 40°, but if you are dealing with a messy moment, you can wash at higher temperatures. If you tumble, tumble on a low setting.

Jerseywear

After washing jersey items the fabric is likely to tighten. This is due to its structure. Your item will therefore need to be reshaped whilst damp so that it dries in its correct size and shape. This will also help it to dry without creases, therefore making ironing much easier!

Towels

Wash all towelling items before use. To avoid colours running, wash light and coloured towels separately. For best results, wash towels in a 40°c wash. If washed at a higher temperature, there is the possibility that they may shrink.

Bed Linen

All our bed linen is made from 100% cotton fabric. For best results, wash the bed linen before using and as the buttons are made from Tagua Nuts we recommend that you wash your bedding items on a gentle 40°c wash. If washed at a higher temperature, there is the possibility that your items may shrink. Our bed linen can be tumble dried on a cool heat setting, or line dried for a fresh outdoor feeling.

Tagua Nuts

Some of our items use buttons made of Tagua Nuts, otherwise known as 'vegetable ivory'. Before the introduction of plastics, Tagua Nuts were widely used for buttons. The Tagua Nut is actually the dried seed pod of the Tagua Palm tree. These seeds are harvested in the rainforests of Ecuador. While it may take many years for them to form, the harvesting does no harm to the trees allowing for many years of productive growth.

We chose to use Tagua buttons as they are harvested from sustainable rainforest sources and are a very environmentally friendly alternative to plastic.

Once the nuts are harvested and dried, they form a very hard material very similar to animal ivory in appearance and workability. However, although Tagua Nut buttons are very hard-wearing, we ask that you treat your garments with care as they are not as tough as plastic buttons.

Bleaching

Our Organic White items are bleached using eco-friendly Hydrogen Peroxide. Chlorine bleaching and the use of optical whiteners give the very white look we are so used to, but these are far more harmful to the environment. Choosing a more eco-friendly bleaching method means that your Organic White garments may appear slightly off-white.

Please do note that if you use a washing detergent that contains optical whiteners, your Organic White garments will become whiter when washed.

Care Symbols

Laundry symbols appearing on our products
  Description
 
Washing
Hand immersed in water Hand wash only
30° submerged in water Wash at 30° (Cool wash)
40° submerged in a tub of water Wash at 40° (Warm wash)
50° submerged in a tub of water Wash at 50° (Hot wash)
60° submerged in a tub of water Wash at 60° (Hot wash)
95° submerged in a tub of water Wash at 95° (Very hot wash)
A tub of water with two short lines beneath it Wool wash (the temperature will be stated on the label)
A tub of water with a single short line beneath it Synthetic wash (the temperature will be stated on the label)
A tub of water with a cross through it Not suitable for washing
Drying
A square containing a circle Can be tumble dried
A square containing a circle; the circle has a single dot in the middle Tumble dry on a low heat setting
A square containing a circle; the circle has two dots in the middle Tumble dry on a high heat setting
A square containing a circle with a cross going through both; the circle has a single dot in the middle Do not tumble dry
A square containing three short, vertical lines Drip dry
A square containing a concave line at the top Hang dry
A square containing a single horizontal line in the middle Lay flat to dry
Ironing
An iron containing a single dot Cool iron
An iron containing two dots Warm iron
An iron containing three dots Hot iron (perfect for cotton and linen)
An iron with a cross through Do not iron
Bleaching
A triangle containing the symbol for chloring (Cl) Can be chlorine bleached
A triangle with a cross through Do not chlorine bleach
Dry cleaning
A circle containing the letter A Can be dry cleaned
A circle containing the letter P May be dry cleaned using Perchloroethylene, solvents R113/R11 and Hydrocarbon
A circle with a cross through Do not dry clean

Stain Removal

Whichever way you choose to remove stains, always follow these simple rules to try to prevent the stain from setting.

  1. In order to treat stains effectively, you must identify the type of stain and what has caused it.
  2. Treat stains as soon as possible, if only by immersing the item in cold water. This will hopefully prevent the stain from setting permanently in the item and will hopefully avoid the requirement of powerful chemical stain removers.
  3. Always wash stained items in a cool wash. Washing in a hot wash, especially without treating a stain first, will set the stain firmly in the item and you will not be able to remove it with further treatment!
  4. To prevent spreading the stain, always work from the edge of the stain in towards the centre.
  5. Stains needs to be taken off the surface of the fabric not driven in, so be gentle.
  6. If the stain is particularly stubborn, treat from the underside of the fabric.
  7. If you require the use of chemical stain removers, test the method that you're going to use on a part of the garment that doesn't normally show, such as an inside seam. This is to check that it doesn't have any adverse effects on the item, such as colour change or bleaching of the fabric. Discolouration caused by bleaching is totally irreversible.
  8. If all else fails, the last resort should be specialist dry cleaning.

Types of stain

Liquid stains that have not been left to dry can generally be removed relatively quickly and easily by soaking the item in cold water and a fabric detergent. If the fabric is washable, rinse in cold water immediately and then soak in a solution of cold water and detergent before washing to help dissolve the stain.

Once the stain has had a chance to dissolve, treat the stained areas directly with either neat liquid detergent or a solvent. Place on an absorbent white cotton cloth to absorb any excess stain remover and to help draw the stain out of the fabric.

Thick stains that are still sitting on top of the fabric (e.g. nail varnish or grease) need to be removed from the surface before they set as later attempts at removal can cause damage to the fabric. These stains will generally need specialist solvent treatment.

For particularly stubborn stains use a special cleaning solution suited to both fabric and the type of stain.

Some common stains

Deodorant Marks
Aluminium salts from deodorant often leave white areas on the underarm area of your clothes. This can result in loss of colour and a build up of matter. To reduce the problem, ensure that your deodorant is dry before dressing.
Alchohol
There are many theories on how to remove alcohol from fabric. Alcohol can strip a garment of colour if the chemical is not released from the fabric prior to washing. Soaking in cold water before and then a solution of luke-warm water and detergent before normal washing should release the stain.