Environmental Cost of Doing Laundry

Everything we do impacts our environment, and unfortunately, usually not in a particularly positive way. Even how we do our laundry significantly affects nature - a single load of laundry, when washed at 60°C and dried in a combined washer-dryer, results in a 7.2 lb carbon footprint.  

The impact our laundry habits have on our environment and climate change is overwhelming, but to be able to understand just how devastating they are, we've broken them down into a few segments.

Energy Wastage

Washing machines need electricity in order to run and heat the water they use for washing. Even though there are some renewable sources of energy to generate electricity, such as wind or hydro-power, they are being used scarcely,  as they are more costly than fossil fuels, the less sustainable counterparts.

Despite the fact that this option may seem "cheaper", generating electricity from fossil fuels is one of the largest contributors to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, at the same time depleting these finite resources, and causing grave implications for mankind.

Still, 90% of the electricity is used for heating up the water or a dryer, so just by choosing to line-dry your clothes, and washing them with cold or warm water instead of hot water, you can significantly contribute to the reduction of energy required.

Water Waste

Only 1% of Earth's water is usable and drinkable, and on top of it all, 844 million people don't have access to safe water, which means that we can't afford to waste it.

While scientists are doing their best to find ways to create new technologies which could purify the tainted water, old-school washing machines use 40 to 45 gallons of water per load, while new high-efficiency ones reduce the water usage to 14 -25 gallons needed for a single wash.  

Bearing in mind that an average U.S. family has, on average, around 400 loads yearly, it's still a lot of water wasted and polluted for the sake of washing our clothes.

Levi-Strauss& Co. has found that washing an item after every 10 times it's worn, instead of after just 2 times, will reduce the water intake for 80% and lower the impact on climate - and what's best, such a frequency won't be hazardous to your health and hygiene.

Chemical Pollution

Detergents we use when doing laundry kill germs and keep us safe, but they come with a very high price for our environment. Both detergents and fabric softeners are full of perfumes, enzymes, and colorants, and all those toxic materials usually end up in natural bodies of water, jeopardizing the aquatic life.

This toxic waste contributes to the contamination of groundwater, affecting the surrounding plants,  while certain amounts end up in freshwater as well.

To help the environment, consider switching to organic laundry detergents or natural solutions, which have significantly less or no negative impact on the environment, and the health of your family too.

Carbon Footprint         

Humans and their activities release greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere, having a long-term effect on climate changes.

This impact we have on the environment is called a carbon footprint, and the way we do our laundry can influence it significantly.

If your laundry habits include washing and drying a 11lb laundry load every other day, you'll create nearly 970lb of carbon emissions in a year.

Still, when washing at 40°C degrees, 75% of emissions are attributed to a drying phase, so by avoiding hot washing and skipping the drying phase, your carbon footprint will be significantly decreased. 

What Can You Do About It?

We've already mentioned several ways of reducing your impact on the environment by changing some of your habits, such as washing your clothes less frequently and at lower temperatures, using organic detergents or natural solutions and avoiding the use of a dryer.

You can also consider hand-washing some of your clothes instead of starting your washing machine for a few items and staying away from harmful fabric softeners which do nothing but pollute the environment and cause damage to your health. If possible, switching to eco-friendly washing machines, designed specifically to reduce the waste of energy and water, would also be a great step towards a greener way of life.

With the environmental cost of doing laundry being this high, we should do our best to reduce it and save our planet.

Sources:

https://rockay.com/blog/the-true-cost-of-laundry/

https://www.the-sustainable-fashion-collective.com/2015/07/16/environmental-impact-of-the-washing-machine

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2010/nov/25/carbon-footprint-load-laundry