Laundry. It may not be the sexiest item on your to do list (Does anyone else constantly have a pile of dirty laundry just staring at them?), but it’s important not to overlook this area on your sustainability journey. It’s one of the major reasons why I started my company The Simply Co. in 2014.
Did you know that 39% of a garments’ environmental footprint comes from the “customer use phase”—aka the washing and drying of the garment? With water and electricity use, chemicals found in household detergents, and microplastic shedding, your laundry routine might be creating a larger footprint than you think.
Luckily, there are a few simple switches that go a long way with protecting the planet and your clothing.
Frequency
Only wash clothes when they are actually dirty. The average household washes 400 loads of laundry each year, which uses about 13,500 gallons of water. If you do the math, that equates to more than one load of laundry PER DAY.
By washing less, you save water and energy, prevent the fading, shrinking, and degrading of your clothes, and fewer loads of laundry means fewer microfibers leaching out into our oceans (more on that later).
Before you chuck your clothes into the laundry, check them carefully. Are they actually in need of washing? Are they stained? Do they smell? If the answers are no, take a minute to hang or fold them back up. Once you have a full load worth of dirty clothes, that’s the time to do your laundry. Easy enough and the Earth will thank you!
Psst. I hand wash my delicates and “dry clean only” items. This typically cuts down on my water usage and tends to be more gentle on the fabric. Watch how I do this here!
Water Temperature
A typical washing machine uses 90% of its energy to heat the water, and only 10% to power the motor. An easy (and cheap!) way to reduce your impact is by washing with cold water (and yes, your clothes will still come out sparkly clean!) By washing with cold water, it helps eliminate 1,600 lbs of CO2 per year, per person!
Cold water also keeps fibers from shrinking and fading, which prolongs the lifespan of your items. By taking good care of the clothing you already own, you won’t have to replace items as often (which saves you money!), and you don’t have to contribute to the 25 BILLION pounds of clothing that are thrown away in the US each year.
Synthetic Fabric Sorting
Before washing, sort out any synthetic clothing (Aka check those little tags on the inside of your clothes and look for anything made with polyester, rayon, and spandex).
Anytime synthetic clothing is washed, tiny microscopic plastic particles break off and enter our water streams. Since water treatment plants are not equipped to filter them, these often make their way directly into the marine environments. The ocean is now filled with a smog of microscopic plastic particles, which are endangering marine life, the climate, and human health (read more on that here)!
One way of preventing microplastic shedding into the oceans is by washing your synthetic clothing in a washing bag, like a Guppyfriend. These help catch any fibers that break off in the wash, and then you can then collect them afterward and dispose of them properly).
Detergent
There are over 85,000 industrial chemicals on the market today, including known carcinogens! Despite the EPA’s regulation of commercial usage, most of the chemicals in our detergents are not tested for safety, and companies are not required to list their ingredients because they’re “trade secrets.” Sounds pretty toxic.
In 2014, I created The Simply Co., a Vegan, Organic, natural laundry detergent that is safe for your body, home, and the environment. At the time, I was making my own detergent because it was difficult to find a Zero Waste alternative, and I found that most conventional detergents were made with ingredients I couldn’t even pronounce (like, what is 1,4-Dioxane? (bad, that’s what it is!)). Rather than opting for a toxic liquid, I made The Simply Co. with just three all-natural ingredients: baking soda, washing soda, and castile soap. It’s a powerful, concentrated powder that reduces its’ carbon footprint, gives you more bang for your buck, and it’s packaged in a glass container, which can be recycled or reused afterward!
Some other tricks that are tough on dirt, but gentle on the planet:
Cleaning Sneakers – Whenever my shoes need a little TLC, I dip an old bamboo toothbrush into a little water and The Simply Co. and then scrub a dub dub.
Spot Stains – If you’re like me and spill coffee on yourself by 9 AM most mornings, don’t fret. The all-natural Stain Stick which we sell at Package Free easily removes traces of embarrassing spills. Just wet the stain with water and rub with the stain stick before throwing it into the wash, et voila!
Avoiding Bleach – Instead of toxic bleach, pre-treat stains. For strong yellow stains, white vinegar can do the trick!
Soften Fabrics (Also Naturally) – If you’re not using The Simply Co., add a cup of white vinegar to the washing machine during the rinse cycle. The vinegar naturally balances the pH of the detergent and leaves your clothes soft and free of chemical residue.
Drying
Dryers are one of the most energy-intensive household appliances. In fact, they rank number two on the list of household energy hogs (right after your fridge). By air drying (which can be done with a clothesline, drying rack, or even by laying everything out on your bed!) you can save roughly 2,400lbs of CO2 per year, decrease your utility bill, AND prolong the life of your garments. 
Psst. Drying racks are super easy to find secondhand. I found my 100% bamboo rack on Craigslist. Otherwise, the back of a chair will do the trick!
But I get it—sometimes you just need that snap in your jeans. If you’re going to go the machine drying route, be sure to clean out the lint filter in your machine. This helps increase efficiency and shorten drying time. To reduce drying time even further (plus wrinkles and static cling!), toss in a wool dryer ball.
Check out more Zero Waste laundry solutions here!
