Though washing your clothes may seem like a pedestrian task, performing laundry has a way more significant impact on the planet than you might imagine. Studies have found that our laundry efforts cause 75% to 80% of our clothing's life cycle impact, as washing and drying clothes require a lot of water and energy.
There's a vast potential for all of us to limit our personal energy and water usage while cleaning clothes. This post will guide you to tap this potential. Follow the below tips to make your laundry habits greener and reduce your environmental footprint.
Switch Your Existing Detergent with a Natural Alternative
Many detergents we buy from the market contain several potentially harmful ingredients which are detrimental to the environment. Such elements include synthetic dyes, phosphates, and other types of toxic chemicals. These chemicals significantly harm marine life and the environment when released into waterways. Along with the detergent, its packaging also is a great deal of concern. Most detergent packets contain plastics or other equivalent materials that neither decompose fully nor are recycle-friendly.
The best way to counter this problem is to use store-bought eco-friendly detergents. Meanwhile, you can also make your own homemade laundry solution using nontoxic compounds like baking soda and vinegar. Combining borax, washing soda, and soap flakes in a ratio of 2:2:1 can also do wonders in cleaning your clothes. Such homemade products are considered a cheaper and environmentally friendly alternative to packet detergent powder.
Wear the Same Clothes More Than Once (Whenever Possible) Without Washing
We recommend wearing clothes more than once to cut back laundry impact. Kindly note that you can't apply this notion to everything you wear, like underwear, socks, etc. You should also toss your garments in the dirty pile if there's a spill involved. But for everything else, consider wearing them at least 2-3 times.
The United Nations Environment Programme once crunched the numbers and found that individuals can reduce their energy consumption five times for laundry by wearing the same jeans thrice, avoiding washing it in hot water and skipping the iron or the dryer. Even globally renowned clothing companies like Levi's recommend customers wash jeans once in two weeks instead of daily or weekly washing. You can make your laundry practice greener by following this simple advice.
Hand-Wash Your Clothes
Hand washing your clothes can be time-consuming but critical for sustainable laundry. You can use cost-effective tools like laundry plungers to ease your hand-washing efforts. Investing in a pedal-powered washing machine can also help you with the same.
Use Drying Racks Instead of Clothes Dryers
Clothes dryers are one of the top energy-consuming appliances in many houses. A BC Hydro report found that this appliance can account for around 12% of a household's energy consumption. You can avoid using clothes dryers if you hang your laundry to dry. Drying racks can help you with this. Hang drying your laundry is not just eco-friendly but also a cheaper solution and gentler on clothes.
We hope these DIY tips will help you make your laundry efforts sustainable. Though these techniques are environmentally friendly, performing your laundry will still be time-consuming and repetitive. However, outsourcing your laundry requirements to the best laundry cleaners near me or you can help. It will also free you from investing in expensive equipment like washing machines and dryers and their maintenance. It is also likely to free up space and increase the living area in your home. The biggest question now is which laundry service in Dubai you should choose. Laundrybox is the answer.
We are a 4.7-star rated, widely trusted, responsible laundry and dry-cleaning provider. Our best practices mean the best for all of us. No wonder why media houses like CNN, Forbes, Arabian Business, etc. have already featured us.
You can deal with the best laundry in Dubai through our comprehensive app. It allows time slot selection for laundry and dry cleaning, digital payment methods, and online order management. We also provide door service and chat support. Download our app now to enjoy faster, easier, and more convenient laundry services.
