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Wash your clothes less often!
By Alex Lam | July 10, 2007
What, are you nuts? That’s probably one of the most common reactions I’ll get from the average human.
Well… it’s true. Do you REALLY have to send your clothes for washing after every time you wear them (with the exception of your underwear, of course!) The point I’m making relates to saving water and energy. Each time you wash your clothes, you use a LOT of water, not to mention electricity.
I’m not trying to save a few cents, really. I’m just trying to save Mother Earth. Your suds are making her tear everytime you run that machine.
What you can do, is to air-out or air-dry your clothes more often after wearing them. Of course I don’t expect you to walk around with chocolate ice-cream on your tee! Nor do I expect you to turn your shirt inside out and wear it for twice as long! Generally, it’s true… frugalforlife says “the regular day to day wearing of clothes would not justify washing clothes as often as the detergent/washing machine commercials would have us believe.”
Benefits for washing less often
(as compiled from frugalforlife and idealbite.com)
- Your clothes look newer and brighter longer
- You save money on electricity and water
- You save on the wear and tear of the large appliances
- Chemical “surfactants� in laundry detergents can harm fish and human health long after they go down the drain, so less is best
- With less laundry to do, you’ll have more time and money for the activities you actually enjoy!
How do you wash clothes less often?
(as compiled from frugalforlife and idealbite.com)
- Hang up your work clothes right when you get home
- Put away “clean-enough” clothes right after wearing to keep them from rumpling and mixing with the truly un-wearable stuff
- Hang already-worn items outside or near a window to air out, or in the bathroom while you shower to steam out light wrinkles
My wife Grace, and I, do generally try to reuse clothes as much as we can, with the exception of sportswear and stinky stuff. We try to rotate wearing my clothes, rather than wearing the same thing for several days in a row – let them have time to breathe in between (and it’s more fashionable, she’ll say)! Wash less frequently, and only when you’ve got full loads.
Someone actually commented once that they only wash SIX TIMES A YEAR! I was shocked. She obviously has heaps of clothes (or she takes reusing clothes really seriously…). What she does is to send her clothes to a commercial laundrette where there are bigger machines, thereby saving water and electricity. That’s rather extreme though – I can’t imagine waiting 6 months before I get to wear my favourite Superman T-shirt again!
(Photos are courtesy of sxc.hu)
Topics: Green Without Envy, Tips, Tricks and Howtos | 1 Comment »
August 30th, 2007 at 1:04 am
[...] Re-wear your clothes. Unless you’re out sweating in the sun, don’t wash your clothes after every wear. Try to do laundry just twice a [...]