First, it was paper and the extinction of trees, now many people forgot paper and the new concern is plastic. Every decade they alarm us with a new environmental concern. While both concerns make sense we should not stop there. Last week while hanging the clothes I thought of writing a blog post listing eco-friendly laundry tips which I am currently following. This post might serve as a guide to you but I will surely use it as a reminder for me the next time that I wash clothes.
Look for plant-derived fabrics
I am banning myself from buying clothes that contain polyester, acrylic or any other plastic fabric material. The reason being is that it was alarming for me to read that these materials release 700K microplastics in the ocean, which eventually get swallowed by fish which are then eaten by humans. As a vegan, I won’t have the chance of eating the fish myself. However, I should still care for other humans who would eat the fish as it could be a relative or a friend of mine. If you don’t care for the human who eats the fish at least care for the ocean or the fish. Or care that to produce such materials it involves a lot of pollution. It is so hard to find plastic-free clothes at a reasonable price, that the last time that I bought clothes was more than a year ago I think.
Opt for liquid rather than powder detergent
While I look for plant-derived fabrics, I still need to wear what I already own. However, there is still the danger of the 700K microplastics. So I was thinking of what ways I can reduce this danger. One of the tips I read was to opt for liquid detergent rather than powder. The reason being that powder is abrasive so it scrubs off microplastics.
Switch to eco-friendly and when possible also natural detergents
I buy as much as possible eco-friendly detergents. However, they are not always natural. It would be great if there were brands that offer both in one.
Use low temperatures
Clothes labels rarely tell us to skip 40 degrees when washing. This is more of an energy saving tip. However, why not. I try not to skip 40 degrees when washing clothes. For underwear, I might go up to 60 degrees. However, I am not sure if this is right.
Use low rotations
This is another energy saving tip. I think I got this tip from my boyfriend’s new non-iron shirts. Since they give this tip so that their shirts last longer and show good quality, why not use it for other clothes. It is an environmentally-friendly tip I think.
Reduce ironing
My boyfriend’s family expect me to iron clothes. As my mum never allowed me to do so as she was afraid that if others ironed her clothes they are more likely to burn them, I didn’t master ironing. However, I saw ironing as a useless task. Unless its a material that wrinkles a lot, such as shirts, I don’t see a reason to iron. Lucky for me no ironing is an eco-friendly tip.
What other eco-friendly laundry tips could you suggest to me?
