9 Plus Tips to Reduce Environmental Impact and Save Money by Washing Clothes Different

Did you know that washing machines are one of the biggest energy hogs in the home? The average family does over 400 loads of laundry per year, which takes a serious toll on both the environment and your wallet.

Challenges With Current Washing Machine Routines
One of the biggest issues with traditional washing is the release of microfibers and microplastics with every load. Synthetic fabrics like polyester are made of plastics that break apart in the washing machine and wash down the drain. These tiny plastic pieces then make their way into waterways and are mistaken as food by fish and other aquatic life. To minimize microfiber pollution, choose lower temperature washes when possible. Hot water causes more friction that breaks fibers down into microplastics. Using the warmest acceptable temperature for the items can help reduce this impact. Washing machines use around 19 billion cubic meters of water annually worldwide. Even more significantly, clothes washing contributes an estimated 62 million tonnes of CO2-eq greenhouse gases to the atmosphere each year through energy use. That’s equivalent to taking over 13 million cars off the road for a year. However, it's important to note that washing machines, have become much more efficient in recent years in terms of both water and energy use.

Choice of Temperature
Speaking of temperature, did you know most clothes don't actually need to be washed in hot water to get clean? Adjusting your machine to "warm" instead of "hot" can save energy. Over a year, that small switch could cut off your utility bills, reduce water consuption, wastewaters, and CO2 emissions. Even better, if the clothes are not too soiled, many loads can be washed on the "cold" setting with the same results. Only reserve "hot" for heavy stains and odors.

Time
Beyond temperature, use shorter cycle times when you can. A quick 30-minute wash will clean most lightly worn clothes just as well as a lengthy cycle. This trims both water and power usage compared to extra long washes. Line drying is also a great option to skip the dryer entirely whenever weather permits.

Air Dry and Reuse Certain Clothes
Rather than mindlessly tossing clothes into the laundry basket at the end of the day, stop to consider if items are truly soiled or can be reworn. Underwear, exercise clothing, or items exposed to dirt will need washing. However, items like sweatshirts or jeans kept out of dirt's way may only need an airing out rather than a full wash. Make an effort to gauge how long certain items can last before washing to cut down on unnecessary loads.

For clothes that can use an extra wear before washing, hang them to air rather than leaving them on the floor. Hanging allows circulated air to freshen fabrics naturally. The floor risks trapping in dirt and causing wrinkles, leading to extra laundering. A quick sniff test after hanging can determine if airing sufficed or a wash is actually necessary.

Choose Clothes Depending on The Occasion
Designate casual "play clothes" for lounging at home if you have children or a laidback lifestyle. These clothes will get dirtier faster from indoor play versus nice clothes worn outside. Wash play clothes once or twice a week to keep them fresh enough for indoor use, extending the life of nicer garments worn outdoors before washing.

Implement A Bit Of Hand But Rinse Well
For lightweight exercise wear only sweat-stained, take items straight from your post-workout shower to hand rinse with cool water. Wring tightly then hang to dry - they'll be fresh enough to wear again tomorrow. This cuts down mid-week activewear washes. This a bit old school but it used to be very normal before the washing machine was invented. Our parents still apply this occasionally, and we learned to do this after working out and even on vaccation it can be an option too.

Air Dry After Washing And Have a 'Backup'

If you implement the advice above air drying will be much easier since you should have some clothes that you can reuse. Trying to avoid using a dryer is also best since you'll be using less energy, therefore saving more money by air drying your clothes. Moreover, dryers are usually heavy, allthough lasting for many years, they are very heavy and have used a good amount of resources to make and high energy demands as well. Even though it can be difficult some times to air dry since it's not instantly dry, having some backup clothes for an extra day at work or school should be enough to air dry. Another alternative could be to use a common dryer in your neighborhood, but perhaps not always desirable due to pricing.

Aim to wash every 10 - 14 days

Make the consious decision to reduce your washing by having the goal in mind that you will not wash every saturday/sunday as you used to do. More than 7 days is a start, and gradually work your way up to 14 days. Imagine only washing twice a month (with a few hand washes) instead of twice a week (washing machine only), there are huge savings to be made in your pockets and for the environmental impact. Since you would be using your washing machine less often, it would result in less tear and probably extending the lifespan of your washing machine.

Summary
With some thoughtful adjustments like these, you could likely cut your annual loads down by 25-50%. How? Simply by air drying more items and letting them go an extra few days between washes when they're not too soiled. Washing less frequently, even by just one or two extra days per load, can save money and signficantly reduce the environmental impact over time.

By making small but conscious choices in your laundry routine, you can significantly reduce its carbon footprint while also keeping more money in your wallet each month. Implementing some of these tips is an easy way to be kinder to the planet and your budget. If you're interesting in learning more about reducing waste or waste in general, we've made our own updated analysis on the countries with the most food waste and least food waste, that's more accurate than most popular statisitc websites.

Sources:
National Geographics