The "in-use" stage of a garment's lifespan represents one-fourth of the total impact of our clothing. How long we keep our clothes and actively wear them can reduce the impact they have on the environment. It's estimated that a garment in the United Kingdom lasts about 2.2 years before being discarded. The 2012 Wrap rapport showed that if we extend the time we use our clothing by 33% (9 months, based on the average use being 2.2 years) it is possible to reduce the total carbon footprint of our clothing by 27%. How often we wash and tumble dry, the fiber content, temperature, and detergents used are important values making out the total impact. To make this into practical solutions, I collected a handful of ways to do laundry that prioritizes its lastingness and impact on the environment.
HOW TO CLEAN MORE GENTLY
Spot clean & air-freshen. Often, clothes don't need to go straight into the washing machine. Instead, it can be enough to spot clean or air-freshen a garment so you can use them more before you wash them. Most people wash their clothes too often, or unnecessarily, something that reduces the lifespan of the garment, removes dye faster, and lowers the fiber quality.
Hang to dry. Tumble drying is energy-intensive and can be substituted for air-drying clothes on a rack. Washing and drying our clothing makes up about 10% of the total CO₂ emission of cars in the UK. Air-drying can be done outside all year round, or inside. For people not used to this practice, drying time is normally between 1-3 days indoors, possibly more during the winter months and shorter during summer. Some textiles benefit from being air-dried or laid out flat to dry. It helps preserve their shape and can reduce wrinkles. Hanging to dry saves both money and electricity.
Change your washing detergent to a non-toxic, "eco-friendly" alternative. Washing detergents can directly affect marine life as many include harmful or toxic components that accumulate in the water bodies or living organisms. These components can have a negative effect on our bodies and health when they absorb into our skin through the wear of our garments. Phosphorus is one ingredient to look out for that is known to cause water pollution and is linked to heart disease. In water, Phosphorus can create algae bloom and suffocate small water bodies or rivers. You also want to avoid 1,4-Dioxane and phthalates.They are known to be endocrine disruptive and human carcinogenic. They can cause serious illness with long-term air exposure or consumption.
Some will avoid a variety of other chemicals (the list of options are long) for different reasons. Some are oil derivatives, fragrances, or other chemicals linked to disrupting or harming organisms. A handful of examples of these are ammonia, nonylphenol ethoxylate, phenols, and Sodium Laurel Sulfates (SLS). Avoiding all of them is a rather large task, and settling for a trade-off is oftenmost the reality.
Some natural alternatives to conventional detergents are: Bio-D laundry powder, laundry washing strips or sheets (e.g.TruEarth or kind lauder), CleanCult, and the EcoEgg. Some people use soapnuts or DIY\old recipes. The positive about eco-friendly detergents is that they are gentler with your garment by using less harsh ingredients. That may however fire back if you have deep stains or smells set into the garment long before wash. That's a consideration you have to make for yourself and your lifestyle.
Wash at lower temperatures. Heating the water in the washing machine uses up to 90% of all the energy in a washing cycle. Lowering the temperatures on most washes to 30-40 degrees helps reduce energy usage and CO₂ emissions. Some items you may want to wash at higher temperatures (bedsheets, underwear, and towels). Activewear is also an option, however, one should be aware that the higher the temperature used on synthetic fibers, the more microplastic it sheds in the wash. It is understandable that 30-40 degrees may be too low for some, and we got to do what works for our lifestyle and equipment. However, before the idea gets disregarded, try it out with certain types of clothes and maybe you find a way to wash some of your clothes at a lower temperature.
Read the label. Read the label so you know what temperature and sort of wash each garment are suited for. There's no problem mixing clothes at lower temperatures than what the label says, just be aware to not go higher than the lowest one in the batch. Preferably, wash similar colors together, at least separate out white to keep the white looking white, and to not wash brand clothes with light-colored clothes when they are a darker color. They are likely going to color the lighter pieces.
If you're unsure of what some labels mean, Love Your Clothes have a guide to understanding care labels.
Use a guppy bag or filter to reduce the microplastics from a wash. Everything from a few thousand to several million microfibers may be released in one wash. If you use a washing bag or install a microfiber filter you can reduce the impact of your synthetic clothing by keeping what you reasonably can out of the wastewater and the sea. If you concurrently limit your purchase of new synthetic clothing you're taking it a step further. However, don't look blindly at this statement. Just because textile is made of natural fibers, it's not necessarily better for the planet. Conventional cotton, for example, has a massive environmental impact that should not be overlooked. As well does denim and leather.
FURTHER RESOURCES
- Love Your Clothes is a British campaign aiming to help reduce the impact our clothing has on the environment. It is full of advice on how better to take care of our clothing through wash, repair and reuse.
- The website, Scandinavian Standard, has an article titled "The Ultimate Guide to Sustainably Caring For Your Clothes(2019)." It's a good place to start to explore more alternatives to promote the longevity of your garments.
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