And while you’re at it, don’t wash them so much.
Washing “can be the most significant thing that you do” to your clothes, says Mark Sumner, a lecturer focusing on sustainability within the textile, clothing and fashion industry at the University of Leeds’ School of Design. Washing clothes could make them shrink or become misshapen. It can also cause pilling (small balls of fuzz that form on the clothing’s surface).
“It can be really quite harmful to the clothes itself,” The garment’s life expectancy is reduced, which can lead to increased costs for clothing. Sumner says. “And of course, let’s not forget about energy and water and detergents used in the washing process,” which can also release microfibers into waterways and exacerbate the problem of microplastic pollution. “It’s a double whammy.”
Simple changes can be made to your laundry routine According to him and other experts, this information can make a big difference in your ability to reduce carbon emissions, save money, and take better care and maintenance of clothes.
While many people focus on manufacturing when calculating their clothes’ environmental impact, machine washing and drying clothes can often be a major source of pollution and emissions.
In fact, the impacts of laundry can be “on the same order of magnitude” as the production phase of clothing, says Roland Geyer, a life cycle assessment expert and professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
“People are washing their clothes more frequently than they ever did before,” Sumner says. Energy Star estimates that the average American household does 300 loads per year of laundry.
According to Energy Star, a washing machine can use approximately 20 gallons water per load. Electric dryers consume anywhere from 1 800 to 5,000 watts or about 1.8 to 5 Kilowatt hours of electricity each cycle.
Energy-efficient washers and dryers are better for your environment and wallet. Energy Star washing machines are 25 percent more efficient than regular washers and use 33 percent less water. Certified dryers, on the other hand, are 20% more efficient than standard dryers.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a household using washers and dryers that are Energy Star certified could cut their carbon footprint by over 400 pounds annually. This is equivalent to planting one quarter of an acre.
The impact of every American family switching to more energy-efficient appliances would be greater if they did. According to the EPA, this would result in a combined savings of $4.8 billion annually and a reduction of more than 41 million pounds per year in greenhouse gas emissions. That’s equivalent to the emissions from nearly 4 million cars.
But even if you have high-efficiency machines, experts say it’s still important to cut down on the loads of laundry you’re doing.
“Every time we put that garment in the washing machine, part of it is gone down the drain,” says Cosette Joyner Martinez, an associate professor in the department of design, housing and merchandising at Oklahoma State University. “Then we lose another piece of it in the dryer in the lint trap, so we’re disintegrating our garments.”
What should be washed and when?
Except for visible stains or odors that are obvious, the time it takes to wash clothes will vary depending on their use and material. You should wash clothes you sweat and exercise in more often than you would wear for work.
“Lots of people just have a T-shirt worn once and then they put in the laundry basket without thinking whether it’s clean or not,” Karpova says. “People don’t think about, ‘Is it clean? Does it need to be laundered?’ It’s just you go through the motions.”
Experts agree that what your clothes are made of will also impact how long they can be washed.
Polyester is more difficult to wash than natural fibers such as wool and cotton. While polyester works well for activewear because of its moisture wicking properties, the material is “oleophilic,” or oil-loving, attracting oil from skin that can contribute to body odor. Researchers have found that sweaty-smelling chemicals can stick to polyester fibers without being washed away completely. This causes a buildup in odors.
The chemical structure and “fiber morphology” of natural fabrics are very different from synthetics, says Preeti Arya, an assistant professor of textile development and marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. For example, wool is naturally resistant to odors. Wool fibers are able to absorb large quantities of water, which keeps skin drier and helps prevent bacteria and sweat from causing body odor. Another unique feature of wool fibers is their ability to capture odor molecules, and release them only when they are washed.
Arya says that perspiration, oils, and odorous compounds are all kept in wool fibers’ center. Even if you’ve been sweating, you likely won’t see sweat stains or smell.
On the other hand, she says, if you wear polyester for a few hours, “You have to wash it because polyester loves our body oils and odors.”
Energy Star reports that washing machines require about 90% less energy to heat water than they do to run. Changing your washer’s temperature setting from hot to warm can cut energy use in half. Cold water is a great way to reduce your footprint on the environment. According to American Cleaning Institute, washing 4 out 5 loads in cold water could reduce your CO2 emissions by 864 pounds per year. This is equivalent to planting 0.37 acres U.S. forests.
Experts advise using the cold cycle whenever possible. “The temperature that we’re washing with is often way too warm,” Joyner Martinez says, adding that hot water settings are only really necessary for sanitizing. Modern laundry detergents, even those that aren’t marked for cold-water use, are typically formulated to clean just as well at lower temperatures. Single-dose detergent pods are becoming more popular. However, there is some debate about whether or not they contribute to plastic pollution that could pose a threat to human health.
Keep in mind that washers use about the same amount of energy regardless of the size of the load, so try to only run your machine when it’s full. Consider using higher spin settings, if possible. This can help reduce drying time.
Experts warn that dry cleaning should not be done too often. Experts warn against dry cleaning too often. Traditional operations also use toxic chemicals which could cause damage to both the environment and human health. Research has shown that chemicals may remain on clothes dry-cleaned.
In January, the Environmental Protection Agency added 1-bromopropane, a powerful dry-cleaning solvent and airborne pollutant that has been linked to cancer and neurological damage, to its list of hazardous air pollutants — a designation that allows the agency to limit its emissions.
Some clothes are more prone to embellishment or heavy beading. require dry cleaning. Some delicate fabrics, such as wool or silk, can still be washed gently by hand. Katrina Caspelich is the director of marketing and partnerships at Remake. Remake is a non-profit organization that advocates for climate justice and fair wages in the apparel industry. Test a small section of your garment to make sure it’s suitable for hand-washing — any color bleeding, warping or shrinkage is a bad sign — and use cold water and mild soap.
Caspelich states that dry cleaning is possible if the item needs to be dried. Some cleaners provide professional wet cleaning. In this case, clothes are washed in dryers with gentle drying and computer control. Liquid carbon dioxide cleaning is another option that uses CO2 and other cleaning agents.
You also don’t always need water and energy guzzling machines and detergent to keep your clothes fresh. “Really what people are trying to do when they launder is to make [their clothes] smell good,” Joyner Martinez says.
Sumner suggests hanging clothing outside where the UV rays can reach them, if possible. Another way to refresh and de-wrinkle your clothes is steam. Hang up your clothes in the bathroom while you’re showering or use an at-home steamer.
Experts recommend that you air-dry your clothing whenever possible. “If you’re air drying, that’s saving the most energy,” says Joe Vukovich, a staff attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council who works on energy efficiency.
For dryers to be efficient, you should clean out the dryer screen, dryer vent, and moisture sensors. You can choose to use automatic drying instead of timed drying. This uses moisture sensors that determine the dryness of your clothes and decreases the likelihood of the dryer being run for too long. It is possible to dry multiple loads of laundry at once and still make use of the residual heat.
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economics reports that dryers made in recent years use less energy for drying typical loads at low heat than high heat. But it will take longer, and may dry the clothes faster.
But if you want to increase your clothes’ life span, experts recommend avoiding the dryer. Air drying clothes that need to be washed more frequently, such as workout gear, can make a “huge difference,” Joyner Martinez says. “The life extension that we get in the product is very dramatic.”