25% of your clothing’s carbon footprint comes from the way that you care for it
Let’s be honest, laundry can be a tedious task. The reason why so many of our washing and drying habits are routine is because we naturally want to spend the least amount of time thinking about them so that we can get back to doing what we enjoy. But did you know, 25% of your clothing’s carbon footprint comes from the way that you care for it. Plus, your favourite threads will also last up to six times longer when laundered the right way. So, we think it’s time we ditched what we were taught when we first learnt to clean our clothes all those years ago and incorporate one or all of these five sustainable laundry tips.
Tip #1: Microfibre catching washing bags
According to this study from the University of Plymouth, on average, each cycle of a washing machine releases up to 700,000 microscopic plastic fibers into the environment. With each wash, fibres from synthetic textiles are making their way from our washing machines into rivers and oceans. These microfibres are microscopic and can easily pass through sewage and wastewater treatment plants, but because they do not biodegrade, they represent a serious threat to aquatic and human life. The Guppyfriend Washing Bag is an innovative solution to preventing these microfibres from ever making it to our waterways. Its soft surface results in less fibre loss and extends the lifetime of our clothing. Those fibres that do break during washing are captured inside the bag. Once fibres begin to build up in the bag, these can be removed and put into a closed jar before going to landfill (we will let you know if we here a better way to recycle these).
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Tip #2: use a cold water temperature setting
90% of the energy used for washing our clothes goes towards heating the water. Whenever you can, opt to use cold water. Most detergents work just as well with cold water as they do in warm. For heavily soiled or white laundry loads, choose warm over hot.
Tip 3: Switch to powdered detergent
There can be a lot of unnecessary plastic in the laundry process, but thankfully there are other ways to get your clothes just as clean without all the waste. Try using powdered detergents in cardboard containers instead of liquids which come in plastic. There are also pod options out there like dropps that will conveniently arrive to your doorstep in unlined cardboard.
Tip 4: Use distilled white vinegar instead of liquid softeners
Distilled white vinegar is a great replacement for liquid softeners which often contain harsh chemicals that are nasty on both your clothes and the environment. Not only do they soften your clothes in the final rinse, vinegar contains acetic acid that will brighten, whiten and kill odours in your laundry.
Tip 5: use wool dryer balls
Dryer balls like the wooly mates from our friends at eco mates are an awesome solution to help speed up your tumble drying, soften clothing and bedding and reduce static and wrinkles. For an even more luxurious result, try adding your favourite organic essential oil to lightly scent your clothing.
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