Less laundry less often: how to lighten the washday load on the environment

The clothes we wash and wear each week might seem unconnected to the growing plastic pollution crisis in our oceans but a sobering truth is emerging.

With each wash, synthetic fabrics shed thousands of plastic particles, leading to broad-scale contamination of waterways. Now itappears we’re drinking that plastic, with a study of tap water in various countries finding 83% of samples were contaminated with plastic fibres.

Doing the laundry has other environmental implications, too, from the water and power used to the harmful substances hidden in common detergents. A more natural approach to laundry is crucial for the health of humans and the planet, so consider our practical steps on how to make the switch.

Buy clothes that won’t shed plastic microfibres

When buying new clothing, avoid petroleum-based synthetics including polyester and nylon, which are plastics that shed thousands of microfibres when washed. Too small to be trapped by wastewater treatment plants, these microfibres pollute rivers and oceans – as the University of New South Wales ecologist Mark Browne discovered in a landmark 2011 report. He estimated that about 1,900 individual fibres can be rinsed off one synthetic garment each wash, all of which ends up in our waterways.

“Government and industry have been unwilling for many years to support research,” Browne says. “To address this problem, my Benign by Design program is testing some of the solutions, but progress has been slowed by a lack of support. Serious questions need to be asked of the government as to why products that cause pollution and contamination are put on the market with little to no safety testing.”

Guppy Friend filter bags, developed in Germany, are an emerging solution to trapping microfibres in laundry loads, but opting for natural fabrics and fibres wherever possible appears to be the best solution for now.

Wash less and use natural detergents

Up to 25% of each garment’s carbon footprint comes from the way we wash and care for it, according to Fashion Revolution. And nine out of 10 pieces of clothing end up in landfill long before they should, often because over-washing has caused irreparable colour fading, shrinkage and misshaping.

One easy solution is doing less laundry less often. Obviously, items such as undies and socks need washing after each wear, but clothes that don’t sit directly on our skin – such as jackets, coats and jeans – can be worn five or more times before needing a wash.

Laundry detergents, bleaches and softeners need careful selection, too. Many products contain sodium laurel sulphate and optical brighteners, both skin irritants, as well as artificial fragrances, usually derived from petrochemicals – all of which act as toxins once flushed into our waterways.

Most supermarkets now stock more eco-friendly brands. Among the best are Ecostore, Ecover, Seventh Generation and Sonett. Or go completely natural with SoapNuts, the fruit of a wild Nepalese tree. Its shells contain a natural soap called saponin and, after use, the lot can be thrown into compost.

But beware of greenwashing, warns the Ecostore founder, Malcolm Rands, who now heads up Fairground in New Zealand. “A massive problem is consumers don’t know who is telling the truth, and claims are not verified by anyone,” he says. “Read the labels, challenge companies to be more transparent and dig deeper to differentiate between the dark- and light-green brands.”

Use a low-water washing machine and avoid dry cleaning

Gravity is your friend when it comes to low-impact laundry. Front-loading washing machines, which continually tumble clothing upwards before gravity pulls the lot back down into wash water, use far less energy and water while more effectively cleaning clothes. Front-loaders are generally more expensive and have longer wash cycles than top-loading machines, but the investment is worth it. (See this Choice buyers’ guide for more.) Washing in cold water can also reduce energy costs by as much as 80%.

Don’t let all that water run straight down the drain. The average Australian household can reuse around 1,500 litres of greywater each week, a boon for gardeners and those keen to save on water bills (though using natural detergents is crucial). Manually bucketing water outside is the cheapest and most DIY option available. Or you can set up a simple diversion system with hoses – but check the federal government’s “your energy savings” website for council guidelines first. Western Australia’s Water Wally has some off-the-shelf options.

For heavily soiled or delicate clothes, think twice about dry cleaning. The usual process involves soaking clothes in a harsh perchloroethylene solvent, a probable carcinogen also used as a metal degreaser. And clothes will be returned to you wrapped in plastic. GreenEarth is an alternative non-toxic solvent, made of liquid silicone (essentially liquid sand) and used by eco-friendly dry cleaners, including Brisbane’s Green Dry Cleaners, KC Dry Cleaners in South Australia and Queensland, and Dry Green in Sydney. Even better? DIY with gentle hand washing in cold water using a mild detergent before laying flat on a towel to air dry.

Dry your garments the old-fashioned way

Australia’s Hills Hoist rotary clothesline remains one of the cheapest and most effective ways to dry clothes. Even when outdoor drying isn’t possible, hanging garments on a clothes horse inside, placed in the sunniest or breeziest room, proves effective.

“Drying your clothes on a clothes line is free but if you need a clothes dryer to dry lots of clothes, buy a heat-pump dryer,” says the DoSomething founder, Jon Dee, who began the successful campaign to eliminate phosphates from Australia’s laundry detergents. “Heat-pump dryers cost more upfront but, compared to normal clothes dryers, they save a lot more energy and can save you lots of money on your energy bills.”

Federal government figures back that up, suggesting a standard 5kg electric dryer costs about $350 a year when used daily, whereas a heat-pump dryer costs just one-third of that to run.

So next time the washing beckons, consider making small steps to help reduce the load on our planet.

• Additional research and reporting by Nicole Lutze