11 reasons to stop doing laundry
Okay friend, I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news is that the fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world, after oil. Ew. The good news is that much of that impact occurs after we buy our clothes—yes, washing and drying over and over again—so we have the opportunity to make a huge dent in the sustainability of our clothes.
Here are 11 ways to cut down on washing, make your laundry day a little greener and help your clothes last and last.
Wear clothes multiple times. Not only will you save money on water and detergent, but you'll also get way more wears out of your clothes. Hello, cost per wear. So, the next time you don’t do laundry for a while, you’re not being lazy you’re just being a really good human. That said, cramming your washer with an extra-full load is actually harmful to your clothing. First, they don't get as clean and secondly, they rub together so much there is actual damage to your clothes' finish.
Only wash a full load. It takes loads of energy (get it??) to get your clothes squeaky clean, so try to avoid partial loads if your washer doesn't have a sensor.
Carry a stain removal pen. This not only helps prevent stains from setting in, but also if you can treat a tiny spot rather than washing the whole garment you can get more wears out of it (see above).
Swap out the iron for a steamer. Use a steamer to refresh your clothes and release wrinkles. This little extra care can go a long way toward helping your wardrobe stay in tip-top shape. Good ol' Martha Stewart taught me that the "steam plumps up fibers rather than flattening them, so it’s gentler than ironing. It’s also faster, can be used on virtually any fabric, and will limit trips to the dry cleaner, which is particularly hard on clothes." Tah-dah!
Freeze denim. Want to be like the super cool raw denim kids? Bag your jeans and put them freezer for a day or two. This will kill bacteria and odors, keep your jeans in better shape and is a super chill way to do laundry.
Turn clothes inside out. Turning clothes inside out, buttoning buttons and zipping zippers will prevent wear and tear on the outer finish, help prevent pilling and limit color fading.
Skip the fabric softener. Fabric softener contains toxic chemicals like benzyl acetate and ethanol. So, not only are these chemicals draining into our waterways with each wash, but also fabric softener is designed to stay on clothes for an extended period of time. Meaning, it has plenty of time to be inhaled by the wearer (i.e. you) and absorbed directly through the skin (i.e. yours). Try adding distilled white vinegar to your detergent instead—it gently removes residue and leaves clothes feeling soft.
Ditto dryer sheets. These tiny little sheets are full of gross things (think neurotoxins and carcinogens) that we are all literally pumping into the air we breathe in our own homes. I know, I was mad too. But there's a really simple fix to keeping your clothes static-free: try wool dryer balls like these. You can pretty much use them forever and they even speed up drying time by 25%.
Line dry. According to Reformation, line drying your clothes for just six months out of the year can eliminate up to 700 pounds of greenhouse gases annually. That’s the same energy as driving a Prius 1,800 miles, which is a super long road trip. Also, hanging your clothes to dry is v French. You can make an indoor clothesline like this one from Apartment Therapy.
Wash clothes on cold. Today's washers and laundry detergents (you can even look for detergents that say "coldwater") are sophisticated enough to give you a great clean on tap-cold water. Energy Star says that almost 90% of the energy consumed by a washing machine goes to heating water. Say what?! Each household that makes the switch to cold-water washing eliminates about 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year, according to the Sierra Club.
Protect synthetic fibers. If you want to be ultra green and make all your vegan friends jealous, you can invest in a GUPPYFRIEND. (No, seriously.) This special mesh bag protects synthetic garments and reduces the amount of microfibers (tiny gross plastic) that may enter rivers and oceans from washing. The clothes in the bag undergo less mechanical stress and less friction with other clothes, which leads to decreased fiber loss and a longer lifetime of the textiles.