You don’t need to become a textile chemist to make better clothing choices. What you need is a repeatable process — a set of questions you ask every time you’re considering a purchase. This guide gives you that checklist, layered by how much time you have and how much a given item matters.
What to Check Before You Buy
Fiber Content
The care label (or product page online) lists fiber content by percentage. This is your starting point.
What to look for:
- Natural fibers (cotton, wool, linen, silk, hemp) as the primary or sole content
- A specific natural fiber origin like “GOTS organic cotton” or “merino wool” rather than just “cotton” or “wool”
- Synthetic percentages — understand what purpose each synthetic addition serves
Quick judgment:
- 100% natural fiber: lower concern by default, check certification
- Mostly natural (70%+): reasonable starting point, still check for finishes
- Mostly synthetic: higher concern for microplastic shedding; check for certification and PFAS-free claims
- Acrylic-heavy: highest microplastic shedding concern
Fiber Content, Finishes, and Claims
The label tells you what the fabric is made of. It doesn’t tell you what’s been applied to it. Finishes are the second layer of the checklist.
Red flag phrases (investigate further):
- “Water-resistant” or “DWR treated” without specifying fluorocarbon-free
- “Stain-resistant” — highest PFAS likelihood signal
- “Wrinkle-free” or “no-iron” — signals formaldehyde-based resin
- “Easy care” without certification
Green flag phrases:
- “PFC-free” or “PFAS-free” DWR
- “Fluorocarbon-free water repellency”
- “OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified”
- “GOTS certified”
- “bluesign® approved”
Neutral — dig deeper:
- “Water-resistant” without further detail
- “Sustainable” or “eco” labeling without certification
- “Natural fiber” without certification
Questions to Ask Brands
For higher-value items — a rain jacket, a pair of everyday leggings you’ll wear 3x a week, anything for kids — it’s worth a quick contact to the brand. Most with honest answers will give them.
For any garment:
- What fiber certifications does this product carry? (GOTS, OEKO-TEX®, bluesign®?)
- Are there any chemical finishes applied to this fabric?
For outerwear and performance gear:
- Is the DWR on this product fluorocarbon-free?
- Has this item been tested for PFAS?
For kids’ clothing:
- Does this item use any flame retardant treatments?
- What’s the dye chemistry used?
Brands with strong material practices tend to be proud of it and answer directly. Brands that deflect or can’t answer are telling you something too.
How to Use Wove in the Process
Wove is designed to sit inside your shopping workflow — not as an extra step, but as the step that does the decoding for you.
When you’re in a store or shopping online:
1. Open Wove
2. Enter the garment’s fiber content and any available details
3. Get an instant grade: A+ through F, covering fiber quality, microplastic shedding risk, and chemical concern indicators
4. Decide with the full picture in front of you
Wove doesn’t replace checking for certification — GOTS and OEKO-TEX® verification is still worth doing for high-value purchases. But it makes the fiber-content and shedding-risk assessment instant, which removes the biggest friction point in shopping more intentionally.
The 80/20 of Safer Clothing
You don’t need to apply the full checklist to every purchase. Here’s where it matters most:
Highest-leverage items (use the full checklist):
- Underwear, bras, and base layers — worn daily against skin
- Children’s clothing — developing bodies are more sensitive to chemical exposure
- Items worn during pregnancy
- Any item worn daily and washed frequently (leggings, workout tops, daily t-shirts)
Moderate priority:
- Casual shirts, pants, and everyday dresses
- Everyday outerwear (jackets for daily commute use)
Lower priority:
- Formal or occasion wear (infrequently worn and washed)
- Outerwear worn only in extreme weather
The goal isn’t perfection — it’s directing your attention to the purchases that have the highest exposure frequency.
FAQ
Do I need to check every piece of clothing I own?
No. Focus on what you buy next. Work through your wardrobe gradually at natural replacement points — when something wears out, replace it with a better choice.
Is it enough to just choose natural fibers?
Natural fibers are a meaningful step, but “organic cotton” without GOTS certification still leaves the processing and finishing layer unchecked. Certification is what closes the gap.
What if a brand I like doesn’t have any certifications?
Ask them about it — many brands have transparency on their material pages even without formal certification. And note that the absence of certification doesn’t guarantee problems; it means you have less information. For daily-wear items, that uncertainty is worth resolving.
Is Wove grading the same as GOTS or OEKO-TEX® certification?
No. Wove grades based on fiber content, shedding risk, and chemical concern indicators from available information. Third-party certification involves lab testing, supply chain audits, and independent verification. Both are valuable; they answer different questions.
Related reading: How to Read Clothing Labels · Non-Toxic Basics: A Guide to Underwear, Bras & Base Layers
Keep Wove open while shopping. Download Wove for iPhone or Android and get an instant grade on any clothing item — right when you need it.
Sources
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): Certification Database
- OEKO-TEX®: STANDARD 100 Overview
- Environmental Working Group: Toxic Chemicals in Clothing
- Bluesign Technologies: Certified Product Database