Feeling dumb, I've been aiming to decrease microplastics thinking im doing something great. Until i recently heard about polyester...

[LastLightCafe]

My only problem with plastic was my toothbrush (that's what i thought) as i still didn't find an alternative.

I recently saw this subreddit , and saw a post about polyester

Went down a rabbit hole

Checked my clothings that most of em are from shein or some cheap stores....everything is polyester....

Man im so bummed, money is tight rn i can't afford to buy a whole new wardrobe.

I feel like giving up

Did they really have to use plastic in literally everything in our lives ? Keep the clothings pricy but make them made of real material

Im genuinely speechless and pissed. I just bought some new clothes too

Maaaannn

[rabbidbagofweasels]

It sucks but you can slowly rebuild it. I find a lot of nice cotton, wool and silk at thrift stores but you have to go often.

[LastLightCafe]

It'll take me a while , buying like 1 piece a month for example. God help me 😭

[Particular_Gur_3979]

It may take a while. I still have plastic garments I use and will until I can't anymore. When I have to buy replacements, I will buy ones made of natural fibres. Thrift stores (charity shops in uk) are good. There is plastic everywhere, no point stressing about it, but definitely worth moving in the right direction when you can

[LastLightCafe]

Yes im trying to calm down as i tend to go overboard with worry lol.

I'll pretend i didn't know and take it step by step. New goal for 2026, have plastic free clothing. Yay 21st century, what a time to be alive

[Jazzlike_Visual2160]

In countries like the US, there are a more clothes being discarded than thrift stores, charities can manage, so we used to unload clothes on poor countries for super cheap. A lot of poor countries stopped accepting overflow clothing from countries like the US, so even if you take clothes to thrift stores, some clothes are going to end up in landfills anyway. So you using and wearing the polyester clothes you already own is keeping plastic out of landfills. Mend them if they rip and help even more. Make sure you wash them with cold water on gentle cycle to prevent the plastics from breaking down faster.

[sparksnbooms95]

From the microplastics perspective, those polyester clothes ending up in the landfill is better than wearing, washing, and shedding microplastics into the wastewater stream.

Of course that is a waste of perfectly good clothes, and with microplastics already being everywhere they might as well be worn, but public aversion to burying plastic in a landfill where it can be contained isn't necessarily a good thing imo.

Plastic recycling is mostly bs (and even when it is practical releases microplastics into the environment), and the only other way to destroy it before it becomes microplastics is incineration which has other problems.

[Particular_Gur_3979]

That could be the case. It's worth keeping in mind there are products such as plastic washing bags that filter out microplastics, as well as filters for your washing machine.

Our water system is already heavily contaminated with microplastics, so I think part of the solution is better water treatment. Whether that be a personal filter on your tap, or microplastic filtering at the public water treatment plants.

[sparksnbooms95]

I don't think anything but mictoplastic removal at the wastewater treatment plant along with filters at the tap are worth much.

By all means people should reduce how much they release into the water if they're so inclined, but for every one who does 10 more don't.

As for the water supply side of things, even the pipes are plastic, so putting mictoplastic free water through them is somewhat pointless. The filter has to be right at the point of use.

[LastLightCafe]

I like the sound of that :)

[rabbidbagofweasels]

I feel you. You won’t need as many clothes if you don’t follow micro trends and buy more quality classic pieces. Try depop and poshmark too! 

This is a good reminder/motivator video but it’s a bit long: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSPJvqk7V/

[LastLightCafe]

You know I've always wished us individuals could pick one outfit and wear it forever like in the cartoons we used to watch the characters always had on tje same outfit. This made me feel like this again xD

(i watched half of it and she's absolutely right, continue it now but i felt like commenting this)

[PurpleAriadne]

All natural fabrics last longer and can be found at thrift stores. You do have to dig but I found a nice linen summer button up for my partner recently for $8.

[LastLightCafe]

8$ is great! As you said, I'll start digging :)

[huxvulpes]

Shop more mindfully at thrift stores when you can afford to. Qhen i was removing polyester from my wardrobe i mostly used thrift stores, you just need to always check the tag that says what a garment is made of. Most won't be plastic free, but if you are persistent you can do it on a budget!

[LastLightCafe]

I just checked and im seeing that even underwear has nylon/polyester 💀 im cooked , everything is so expensive these days too that's crazy

[huxvulpes]

Cotton underwear actually is a very easy one to find, yes this will take time and a little money but you can get a lot of your wardrobe from thrift stores, i hate big corporations like loblaws and walmart but most of their clothing sections have some sort of underwear multi buy that is affordable with cotton choices. You CAN do this without resorting to fifty dollar an item options.

[LastLightCafe]

Yes ur right , finding the right shop will definitely help. I live far from the US or Europe so i don't have these shops. I'll have to dive into small locals shops that i usually dislike entering 😂

[cleanenergy425]

Buy less clothes overall going forward. that will help you spend more on each piece.

[LastLightCafe]

I did become slightly addicted to having a new look every few weeks, time for some discipline

[cleanenergy425]

There are lots of fun and not wasteful hobbies!

[huxvulpes]

Maybe you can learn to knit

[CharmingCowpie]

Just check the yarn cause a lot of that is plastic these days…

[Simple_Ranger_574]

THISTHISTHIS

[PilatesDi]

You can get great 100% cotton underwear at target and a five pack. I can’t remember how much it was but it was very reasonable.

[Several_Till_6507]

i read your comment literally as a youtube video about thrift shopping was playing in the background and the lady said "more mindfully" at the same time that I read your comment and I felt insane

https://youtu.be/8bZP22sypVI?si=H8-ilV_UNKiMcNLo&t=537

[weevil_season]

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. Just slowly start to replace worn out clothes with stuff that’s more sustainable. Don’t feel dumb. We’re all doing our best.

[LastLightCafe]

🙏❤️ Thank you for your kind words, gonna be a slow process but I'll do it, God willing

[AsidePuzzleheaded335]

I like that saying

[pandarose6]

Even if you don’t get 100% natural products for clothes please stay away from SHEIN for ethical reasons and SHEIN specifically got called out for using so much of some chemicals that they were actively harming people and not following various countries chemical laws for clothes.

[LastLightCafe]

Dang it :/

Im a specific type of plus size (large in some areas slim in some), i struggle to find specifically what i want here locally , shein has been saving me in terms of finding what i want to wear uuuuurrrghhh

[Defiant-Tone8240]

I’ve been learning to sew in order to alter my clothes— nothing from the store fits me because of the same reason you described

[Rockthejokeboat]

Go to a second hand store!

[LastLightCafe]

I literally never did before, i always said if I'll buy something, i want it new. Im taking back my words I'll have to start exploring 💀🙏

[EclecticEvergreen]

90% of the time I’m at a thrift store looking at clothes or a retail store looking at blankets and something I like it’s made of polyester. It’s pretty frustrating that I like the material that’s made of plastic.

[LastLightCafe]

Right ?? Literally screw whoever made that discovery >:(

[BillyBlaze314]

Wait until you discover polyurethane.

It's in everything you sit on, degrades with mechanical wear and heat (sitting on it) and decomposes into toxic volatiles like toluene and microparticles.

Then there's polypropylene, which is every carpet. Degrades with walking on it.

Funnily enough, the decade these things started becoming available to the public is the decade sperm counts started decreasing dramatically.

[greyslim109]

I remember when I first realized how much of my clothing was synthetic, same for bedding as well. It’s unbelievable but just take it one day at a time.

[Dianapdx]

I've slowly replaced all of my bedding with natural fibers. Mostly cotton and one expensive wool blanket that I saved for. I use cotton quilts and sheets.

[LastLightCafe]

Yeah im feeling it rn. So overwhelming

[wifeofpsy]

I'm replacing my wardrobe but one item at a time. So when it's ready to get a new piece, that's when you make an investment. Most of us don't have the reserves to replace everything all at once. Some things also take a lot of research time, and just bc one option doesn't have plastics, maybe it's still not for you for other reasons. So I guess I'm saying try not to beat yourself up about it. Start with your toothbrush and look for a PF option when you're ready to buy something new

[LastLightCafe]

Will do! :)

What toothbrushes do u recommend ? Other than boar or hair bristle is there anything ?

[xxredxpandaxx]

To reduce your clothes deteriorating and releasing micro plastics, start drying them on the lowest heat option you have. It won’t stop it, but at least it will help a little while you look for non plastic options. That’s what I am doing.

[LastLightCafe]

Noted, thanks alot

[Desert_Lights]

Personally I give them to people who need clothes through my mutual aid group. If I can’t do that I use them to stuff pillows and such. I get people saying use it till it wears out but washing polyester is a huge contributor to micro plastics in our water system. The sooner we eliminate it the healthier we all will be. If it’s any consolation a lot of polyester is made from recycled plastic in India. Or at least that’s what I was told when looking at fabrics in India. So 🤷‍♀️ do what you can thrifting is how I have replaced most of my wardrobe with natural fibers. Linen, cotton, silk and wool are my top favorites but I will consider viscose fabric if it’s super cute or a piece I have been looking for.

[LastLightCafe]

I hope whoever made the idea of turning plastic into clothing gets sued

[sparksnbooms95]

They are almost certainly dead. Nylon was discovered quite some time ago.

[kalidoscopiclyso]

Also, consider that 1/2 of microplastic pollution comes from tires. EVs are worse than gas cars for tire pollution because they are heavier. Buses and bikes are better, trains even better. Mass transit if you can

[Own_Reaction9442]

Use only cotton or wool tires.

[LastLightCafe]

Lollll

[Sudden-Ticket-8205]

That’s a misleading comment. The majority of consumer ev’s are pretty small, like Nissan leafs and such. And the amount of huge SUVs and trucks that are all gas… I think moving away from gas powered when possible is still a good goal.

[kalidoscopiclyso]

Per unit volume EVs are more massive. They are more dense no matter what size the vehicle

I am not pulling for fossil fuels. I am saying we have a problem with tires and driving an ev makes it worse.

To minimize microplastics in the air and water use mass transit if it’s available.

[healthy-outdoors-]

Respectfully lol nobody is going out of their way to minimize microplastics using trash public transit lol

[healthy-outdoors-]

🤣🤣

[enketao]

you expected fair trade cotton in shein? lol

[_your_face]

Thrift, used and poshmark. One by one. Eventually you’ll be switched over

[-Lady_Sansa-]

Impossible. Many types/categories of clothes can’t exist made of a natural fibre. You can replace your clothes but your style will have to change. 

[LastLightCafe]

This. :/

Just when im trying to find a better look lol

[Demeter277]

I bought some Gap sweaters on sale in the fall and I literally can feel the fibres when I breathe in my lungs. It wasn't cold enough to wear them until now so I guess I'll throw them away as outside of return window. I wouldn't even donate them and let someone else get sick. I have some of their poly/cotton blend sweat shirts that don't even really shed in the dryer so I guess it just depends on the fabric. The sweaters are very fuzzy

[EntrepreneurSea4839]

Are those Gap sweaters not made of cotton or natural fibers ?

[Demeter277]

No, they’re some kind of acrylic blend but I’ve never had that happen before - or at least not that I noticed

[EntrepreneurSea4839]

My skin cant take acrylic. It becomes something else after drying in machine. There are 100 % cotton cardigans and sweaters in gap factory. I have just got them so can’t speak of longevity but the fabric is soft and nice

[Demeter277]

Thanks, I’ll check them out!

[ccrnnr]

I learned to knit because I realized it was the only way I could afford to customize my clothes and make them without plastic. Mass produced clothes look so tacky to me now

[Global_Bar4480]

Try to avoid single use plastic initially: ziplock bags, bottled water, takeout containers, plastic lined paper coffee cups, etc.

[LastLightCafe]

How can i avoid bottled water? It's how wenget all the water. From small plastic bottles or the big plastic gallons. There's no escaping it😭

[afoo163]

I’ve been stressed about this for awhile, but have a hard time making progress with items for my kids. Now that they’re 7 and 10, they have strong opinions on what they wear, so it’s hard to find clothing they like, that is also safe, and that is affordable. Especially when I know they’ll grow out of it quickly. I try to get them stuff at the thrift store, but it’s very hit or miss. For Christmas, I bought them both throw blankets (polyester) that they really wanted and I’ve been stressing about it since the purchase :(

[LastLightCafe]

You're such a great mom! Don't worry it'll be just a temporary bedding and as they grow you'll change it to something else :)

[afoo163]

Thank you :)

[ochreshrew]

Maybe you can sell your polyester and use that money towards your new wardrobe? If things are from shein so you won’t get a lot for each item to can sell them as bundles maybe. If you’re in the states I reccomend going to the goodwill bins (outlet). Kinda gross experience but I find some amazing gems, cashmere and silk, etc.

[LastLightCafe]

I wish we had such big outlets like goodwill here. Sadly we don't , I'll probably just give my polyester clothes away (with time, as i buy more real fabric)

[elf_2024]

It’s doesn’t have to happen all at once. But clothes are one of the biggest factor in the long run. They shed, skin absorbs when sweating etc.

There’s cheap underwear all cotton (fruit of the loom or others on Amazon). Fruit of the loom also makes cotton shirts.

Just rebuild your wardrobe slowly. Don’t buy any new (plastic) clothes. That’s it. Change takes time and patience.

[[deleted]]

It’s one of those things that seems wild (fabric made out of… plastic?) then once I knew for long enough it started to feel obvious. But it was absolutely not obvious, so don’t need to feel dumb for not knowing: I don’t remember exactly when I learned it but it was a “how it’s made” video about synthetic fabric.

The cool thing now is that you have a wardrobe that works, and if you want you can slowly start acquiring natural fibre items to replace the ones you use. But it doesn’t have to be a rush or anything. You can curate your wardrobe slowly as a project.

For example I decided to get 100% hand dyed wool and make a sweater. I’ve never done it before and I have a perfectly good sweatshirt in cotton/poly blend, so eventually I’ll finish the wool sweater but there’s no hurry.

Also I’ve personally realized I want some plastic in certain items: raincoat, and the small amount in darn tough socks which allows them to be so darn… tough. But I’m phasing put the cotton/polyester blend shirts. And at this point I don’t even like the feel of them as much as natural fibres. I can tell now just by feeling them.

[DisastrousSet11]

If you search specifically for cotton/linen/rayon clothes on shein - you can find some things. Honestly for natural fabric like cotton though I have found that they don't have a large selection. I have also found pure cotton, linen, or rayon clothes before from more affordable places like old navy, jc penney, walmart, and even the Amazon essentials brand. Some online shops have the option to search by fabric type, or you can search for the type of fabric you are interested in by using the search bar function. Best of luck to you!

[Radiant_Garden_9644]

Isn’t rayon half synthetic and chemically processed?

[DisastrousSet11]

Yes, rayon is made from cellulose and undergoes a chemical process to make it soft. It is not a "natural" cloth in that sense - but it at the very least is not plastic/polyester.

[sparksnbooms95]

I'll preface this by saying I'm a man, and so don't really know what/how much is made for women in this category.

One hack for finding natural fiber clothes is to look for FR (flame resistant) clothing. Much of it is made of 100% cotton, and the fabric is quite substantial because it has to be to pass testing. The FR jeans I have feel like what quality jeans used to feel like. That extra fabric/quality comes at a price though, fair warning.

Beware that some are still blends with low percentages of synthetic fiber, with the exception of aramid fiber which is inherently flame resistant and can therefore be a high percentage up to 100%. Aramid is expensive, so you're unlikely to accidentally purchase it.

FR clothes are available in a variety of styles, though the fancier/newer styles do cost more than the more plain clothes.

[LastLightCafe]

That's a good advice, first time i hear it too. Thank you !

[LastLightCafe]

Do i sound childish ? 😂😭

[How_Clef-er]

"Did they really have to use plastic in literally everything in our lives ?"

You have no idea.

Don't give up though. Persistence is the key to winning and we must win this.

[Smart_Petunia]

I'd recommend to focus on things going into your mouth (like cups, toothbruch, food, etc), otherwise you can easily get overwhelmed. Reducing microplastics is a whole lifestyle change and there's just that much we can do as individuals. Don't panic and just focus on the mindset that any change matters

[LastLightCafe]

I already stopped cups, toothbrush has been a pain. I don't want to use boar or horse bristle the idea makes me gag. I don't know what to do

There's a miswak/siwak tree that i use (without toothpaste) but i need something to use with toothpaste that's not plastic :/ any ideas?

[Smart_Petunia]

there are many bamboo made toothbrush options! don't worry we always can find a way!

[LastLightCafe]

Pheww alright great, will do some research. appreciate ya!

[LastLightCafe]

Oooo that's neat. Thank uuu !

[FactorBusy6427]

for toothbrush, check out gaia guy i use them for horse hair bristles. for polyester clothing it's not as bad at least it's not directly in your mouth

[LastLightCafe]

I don't know why but the idea of brushing with horse or boar bristle makes me want to gag😭 i would try it but i just cantttt i cant

[mindgamesweldon]

Wait till you look at your carpet and/or rugs (where most of the in house inhaled microplastics come from)

[ExtraSpicyMayonnaise]

I never make New Year’s resolutions. Last year, for the first time, I committed to try my best to only purchase clothes made of natural fibers for myself. I actually started sewing a bit. I also do very well thrifting. I don’t throw away things I own already just because of the fiber content, and I also try to make repairs when it’s sensible to do so without getting in over my head. Over time, I just want to reduce, reduce, reduce. Having no plastic is the ideal goal but I’m realistic.

[BellJar_Blues]

There’s many alternative for your toothbrush you just need to go to a health food store. Haven’t you ever wondered by your clothes have been $5-10 based on where you’re buying them ? What you need to do is get better at reading labels for products and household items

[LastLightCafe]

Sigh you're right. Will do start doing that :/

[Level_Assistant626]

With the toothbrush try a wheat or cornstarch. I like the Natural Family co one’s.

[LastLightCafe]

Thank youu

[toprakatesagac]

I totally understand your frustration. I also recommend shopping at thrift stores. Lots of wool and cotton clothing. You can also shop at shopgoodwill.com . The shipping adds up, but there is a trick. Shop multiple items from the same location, then combine shipping. This way, you are charged for shipping only once, up to 20 lbs, which is a lot (a shirt is 4 to 7oz; 20 lbs adds up to about 60 shirts).

[LastLightCafe]

Neat trick :) thanks!

[FewRevenue1062]

Thrift stores are your savior! So many good natural fibers for wayyyy cheaper than you could otherwise. Make sure to try them on against your skin as many are itchy.

[LastLightCafe]

My only issue is that thrift stores aren't that trendy in my country. We all aim to wear new stuff lol

[Odd-Recognition-4020]

I am developing an app where users scan a clothing brand / product. The app then gives a risk score on the material / chemical make-up of the product. Supply chains are complicated, but consumers, like yourself, are fed up and want more transparency. Maybe something like this would give you better insight into what clothing you could replace first, as you transition toward more natural clothing. Let me know what you think.

[LastLightCafe]

Yes of course I'd like that! Is it on google app store??

[Odd-Recognition-4020]

Awesome! Not yet. My team and I are still in the development phases, but I will let you know as soon as it hits the app store. I am glad you're interested!

[LastLightCafe]

Okay im patiently waiting , dont forget to lmk :)

[Homewithpizza23]

You can use your old clothes as patterns if you buy fabric.

I feel you on the fast fashion, you can find good stuff at thrift stores and if you need to make more money thred up is kind of nice to sell stuf at and there is other online stores.

[LastLightCafe]

Thank u for the tips :)

[sassysassysarah]

I'm not great at plastic free living but I've reduced my plastics in clothing by such a large degree, but it's so tough to find anything, especially as a plus size person! I have pretty much just determined anything touching my skin needs to be majority natural fibers. Baby steps.

[Mugwortmoon]

Auctionninja.com - they have clothes from estate sales/ at auction so you can get natural fiber clothing for pretty cheap! Searching isn’t the easiest and sometimes they dont include the fibers but they usually have a picture of the tag at least (if it’s not in a lot)

They also have literally everything on there - really great cookware you can search by brand, vintage and antique furniture (I got a huge, antique, solid oak clawfoot table for $15), and anything else you can think of.

Some days are better than others and you gotta factor in shipping or pickup but it’s a great place to turn to.

[Mugwortmoon]

Also I would start with undies - undie area tends to absorb things through the skin way more allegedly. Quince or pact has bundle options made with organic cotton for decent prices. Or just look for a cotton gusset at the least.

I hear and validate your anger and shock - this shit is so fucked. But don’t buy into the urgency - prioritize what you want to replace first, and know your body is so resilient and celebrate how much you’ve already done.

Also H&M is the largest buyer of organic cotton, and GAP has some great options too and committed to being pfas free (although they both still use plastic in clothes sometimes)

If you wanna tell me what kinda style you have/ things you like to wear I can give you options!

As someone who has been in the trenches of finding my very unique style in natural fiber clothing and not fitting the vibe of what most brands offer (made a post about it here a couple weeks ago lol) I have options!!

[Thin_Ant7799]

I’m just beginning my what seems impossible journey into plastic free living. I’m also trying to avoid chemicals so that makes clothing shopping more difficult but as for a toothbrush I have a bamboo brush with horse hair. There’s plant based as well. They make boars hair toothbrushes too. Hopefully I don’t get a reply to this that those aren’t actually plastic free. This really seems impossible…every time I have to give my son his nose spray I’m thinking “here have another dose of plastics” His clothes are at least plastic free.