At age 16, I left the U.S. for the first time, visiting Ireland with my family. We stayed with relatives on the Western coast who line-dried their clothes and wore the same pants, skirts, and sweaters for several days in a row before adding them to the laundry heap. It made us realize that we tend to overdo it with laundry here in America. Recommendations for lightening up your laundry load below the jump...
posted originally from: AT:Chicago
• Underwear and socks should always be washed after one use.
• Use the "smell test" to see if clothes are rewearable or not.
• As long as your body stays clean, your clothes generally won't smell after one wear.
• Clothes get dirty more quickly in summer (from sweat) and more slowly in winter.
• Heavier clothes like pants or jeans can be worn several times before washing.
• Washing clothes less frequently extends their longevity and saves money.
• Doing one big load of laundry uses less resources than multiple small loads.
• After wearing clothes, check for stains, then fold or hang to keep them neat.
• Mist clothes with ironing water or fabric conditioner to keep them smelling fresh.
• Use sachets in your drawers or closets to keep clothes smelling good longer.
For more green laundry tips, see this post and this post from Re-Nest.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Wow, this was a totally useless post.
Hopefully everybody out there was not rewearing dirty undies over and over again...
view cmu's profile
Who knew doing laundry like a bachelor was 'being green'...
view ronzorelli's profile
I actually found this a useful reminder. I tend to take my clothes off into the hamper. It'd be greener and cheaper (I use coin laundry) if I'd re-wear clothes that aren't really dirty.
Though with a 3 year old in the house most of my clothes don't make it through the day. I'm more likely to have to wear several shirts in one day as he grabs me with gunk of some kind on his hands.
Still a useful reminder to check clothes before chucking in the hamper.
view Ariel's profile