Here are some tips to make your laundry more sustainable (links below).
The basics:
Laundry machines consume a lot of energy. In order to save money on our bills and reduce our emissions, we should run our laundry machines only when they're fully loaded and we should stop using the dryer, going back to the good old drying rack. Moreover, we should prefer low temperatures and short durations.
Microplastic:
The biggest pollution problem facing our ocean is microfiber: trillions of tiny fibers get into the ocean every time we use our washing machines, because our clothing breaks up.
The major factors leading to the release of microplastics are:
- Washing powders: powders exert an abrasive action on the fabrics, thus generating more microplastics. For this reason, it’s crucial to at least switch to liquid detergent.
- High temperatures: the higher the temperature at which we wash our clothes, the higher the risk of damaging the fabrics. It’s better therefore to prefer low temperatures, which also leads to a lower energy consumption.
- Spin speed and duration: the higher the speed and the longer the wash, the higher the risk of damaging the fabrics.
- Entity of the load: leaving too much space inside the washing machine makes it easier for the clothes to freely move around, thus risking to be damaged.
- Number of washes per item: we should only wash clothes when it’s truly necessary.
- Choice of the item based on its fabric: some fabrics generate more microfibers than others. Ideally, we should avoid synthetic materials. However, these might not be stated on the label. Among all synthetic materials, some are worse than others. In particular, acrylic is the worst, polyester is better, and polyester mixed with cotton is even better.
Even without considering the microplastic issue, these also happen to be the best practices to make your laundry more sustainable in general.
However, since it wouldn’t be very sustainable to make you throw away half of your wardrobe, the good news is that there are some tricks for washing your synthetic fabrics anyway. Here are some of them:
- Guppyfriend Washing Bag: it’s a washing bag that filters out even the smallest microfibers. It’s very easy to use: you simply put your most “at risk” clothes inside the bag, throw it in the washing machine, and once it’s done you pull out the clothes and clean the inside of the bag by hand. This washing bag is at least 80% effective.
- Cora Ball: it’s a ball that you toss in your laundry machine and collects microfibers. It’s 30% effective.
- Washing machine filter.
Detergent:
Since I don’t like disposable plastic, here are a few plastic-free alternatives to traditional detergent.
Package-free detergent is available at some organic shops, where you can refill your own bottle.
Soap berries or soap nuts: these “berries” are the fruit of the Sapindus tree. The skins of the fruit contain plant saponin, a totally natural soap that can be used to clean clothes. Soap berries are completely biodegradable and can be used as alternatives to traditional detergent. When these “nuts” come into contact with water, saponin is released and clothes are cleaned.
They're very easy to use: when you purchase these “berries”, you also receive a small bag to put them in. You simply need to put 5 nuts in the bag and toss it in the laundry machine. Then, the “nuts” work their magic, without the need of any detergent. Soap berries can be reused for three or four loads and are compostable. They don’t even require any fabric softener because they leave your laundry super soft.
Last good news: soap berries are perfect for people with sensitive skin because they are hypoallergenic and do not contain any chemical additives.
The only downside is that these “nuts” dissolve into soap only when they come into contact with hot water, which wastes a lot of energy. This flaw can be overcome by melting them in a cup of hot water before using them, creating a kind of liquid soap.
Last but not least, the Ecoegg is an innovative washing tool that uses two types of natural pellets enclosed in a recyclable egg. This is an excellent substitute both for detergent and fabric softener. Moreover, it does not contain any harmful chemicals. The pellets must be replaced approximately every two months (it depends on the number of loads), while the egg can be reused.
Where to purchase all these goodies:
Sources:
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