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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters wash one less load per week, in a year we'll save enough water to fill 31 Olympic-size swimming pools.
COCKTAIL FACT
Space stinks: To conserve resources, astronauts on the International Space Station may change their underwear only every 3-4 days.
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home › tip library › Washing Clothes Less
Are you a-wear that you're sporting a distressed look?
The Bite
Try washing your clothes less often. Unless you're a dirty, dirty Biter, tossing your duds in the machine every time you change (underwear not included) just beats them up.The Benefits
- More freedom from fraying. Washing and drying less often keeps your duds looking newer, longer.
- Less natural deterioration. Petrochems in conventional laundry detergents can harm fish and human health after they go down the drain, so the less we use, the better.
- Less wear on your wallet. A load of laundry costs about $1.50 to do at home - with the price of gas these days, it all adds up.
- More time for anything else. Less time spent doing your laundry means more time for activities you actually like...such as reading past tips.
Personally Speaking
Jen recommends giving your clothes a quick look-see for stains before you hang them up after a day of wear - especially if you're like she is and tend to wear a lot of what you ate that day.Wanna Try?
- Put away "clean-enough" clothes right after wearing to keep them from rumpling and mixing with the truly unwearable stuff.
- Hang already-worn items outside or near a window to air out, or in the bathroom while you shower to steam out light wrinkles.
- Laundress Fabric Fresh - four freshening fragrances, including a nice, woodsy Cedar. Also: Crease Release de-wrinkler ($6/2 ounces).
- DIY Bite: Pack some potpourri into envelopes or fabric sachets, and put them in your closet, dresser, or suitcase to up the freshness quotient.
Jul 23,2008
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
The Smell Test
I don't have a washer-dryer in my apartment, or even my building for that matter, so doing laundry can be a pain. As noted in the tip, stuff like Skivvies and socks don’t get reworn, but for pretty much everything else, I employ this highly precise technique to minimize hamper fillage:
1. Smell item.
2. Ask self, "Does said clothing item smell like a meadow breeze, tropical rain, or any other air freshener scent?"
3a. If Yes, hang up in closet or put back in dresser.
3b. If No, ask self, "Would you sit next to someone on the bus who smelled like this?"
3b-a. If Yes, hang up or put back in dresser.
3b-b. If No, place in hamper.
(Disclaimer: Results and frequency of dates may vary.)
-SF Editor Mike…off to do anything but laundry…
1. Smell item.
2. Ask self, "Does said clothing item smell like a meadow breeze, tropical rain, or any other air freshener scent?"
3a. If Yes, hang up in closet or put back in dresser.
3b. If No, ask self, "Would you sit next to someone on the bus who smelled like this?"
3b-a. If Yes, hang up or put back in dresser.
3b-b. If No, place in hamper.
(Disclaimer: Results and frequency of dates may vary.)
-SF Editor Mike…off to do anything but laundry…
Biter Comments...
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who does this.
Our communal machines are expensive and really hard on our clothes. Besides, I'm a telecommuting, stay-at-home mom who isn't being seen by many people anyway.
But even when I did have an office job, I would hang clothes back up for a couple of wears. Pants can go for ages. I just didn't know we were allowed to admit it.
I found this tip repulsive!! Body oil will stay in the garments and eventually cause more harm than washing them. the part about astronauts changing their underwear every three days made me gag!!
Does anyone have any experience using soap nuts instead of regular, chemical-filled detergent? Does it decrease any of the wear and tear? I know that simply washing clothes causes wear but I'm just curious if fewer chems when you do have to wash might help also.
Or in general, if you've tried soap nuts do you recommend them?
Thanks.
great tip- I've been doing this since I was a kid. As far as the repulsiveness of this, if you go in any designer jeans store- they will tell you the same thing: wear your jeans 2-3 times before washing to extend the life of the fabric." If you've never tried this out- just try it once. I swear you'll get hooked after seeing no difference in your clothes and having extra time (& money)- not to mention the benefit of helping to save the planet. ;)
I do this with my pants, sweaters, and jackets. Sweaters & jackets usually go right back in the closet (I don't wear these outside the office on warm days). Pants get a quck spray down with a squirt bottle and are hung to dry (freshen)before I put them away. Clean and "slightly worn" are separated by a colorful hanger in my closet.
If you think about it, most days you are wearing several layers and only one touches your body.
The Laundress Stain Solution is fabulous, but I found the Crease Release to be a waste of money. It smells like a clean baby diaper, and doesn't release wrinkles just by spraying, patting, and hanging to dry, as the bottle indicates.
I always rewear my clothes as much as possible! I mean honestly they are really not 'dirty'. Undies and socks etc. are the exception of course. I normally wear my pants until they get a stain on them. (which happens often). and how do you even get your jeans comfy w/o wearing them at least 2 or 3 times. By the 5th time they are usually too stretched out to wear.
My other comment was about the wrinkle releaser. i have an awesome awesome trick that my friend taught me. In a spray bottle just mix water with a tiny bit of fabric softener! I'm talking a tiny bit. Like a tablespoon maybe? It might take some trial and error b/c i dont actually know the ratio. If you have too much fabric softener it will make spots on the clothes (which jsut come out in the wash of course). But otherwise it gets out wrinkles great on cotton items! Def dont use it on sweat wicking type items. It does take a little bit of time to dry but a lot of times i will spray and smooth the fabric and then hang it over the heater vent or a fan and its dry in minutes. It is great for things like t-shirts. Cause who wants to iron a t-shirt but the it looks dumb when its wrinkly. And throwing it in the dryer just wastes energy. I recommend you try it!
I love the fab softener spray bottle tip for cotton! Thanks for passing it on, Mearph.
Washing clothes after each wear is way overrated and just a waste of time, money, and mostly water. I will wear something until it smells, has a stain, or is just to stretched out to look decent anymore. And no, I'm not even a dirty hippie! As a culture we are so obsessed with everything being clean, and it's just a total waste of time and resources. There are so many things we can be more lax on - selective laundry, selective flushing, selective showering, etc. I seem to have an obsession with conserving water!
This is an interesting concept along my kids were helping the environment who knew...and I thought they were just lazy
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Lynn | July 23, 2008 at 07:04 AM