Do you want to make your washing machine more eco-friendly? In this article, we discuss natural detergents and eco-friendly soaps for washing clothes, as well as good practices that include using cold water or reducing the number of washes while clothes are still clean. In addition to reducing the number of washes, choosing eco-friendly cleaning products is another way to protect the planet in our daily routines. Find out how!
Consequences of washing clothes for the environment
Washing machines with a 7-kilogram capacity consume between 42 and 62 liters, while those with a 5-liter capacity range from 39 to 52 liters, assuming the Eco or low-consumption program is used. According to this article , this represents 10% of total household water consumption.
Therefore, it is important to fill the washing machine well (leaving about 4 fingers between the pile of clothes and the drum) and use the clothes until they are dirty.
But if we look at the data on the impact on the planet of washing clothes, a gesture we perform every week, we find that synthetic textiles are responsible for 35% of the microplastics released into the oceans . That's why it's also important to produce and try to wear sustainable clothing that doesn't easily unravel at the seams and that sheds a minimal amount of these microfibers when washed. According to this summary by the Ministry for Ecological Transition of a study by Engineering Out Fashion Waste, the fashion industry contributes significantly to water pollution worldwide, consumes a large amount of energy, and in 2015 produced more emissions than international flights and maritime transport combined (1.2 billion tons of CO2).
Pros and cons of doing laundry ecologically
And what do we get by applying good laundry practices? These are some of the most notable benefits:
Advantages of washing clothes in an ecological way
More environmentally friendly
Although washing our clothes in the washing machine is impossible without leaving a mark, using eco-friendly products and following certain recommendations aimed at making our laundry more environmentally friendly contributes to preserving the planet. We mustn't forget that this is a household chore we do very frequently.
More respectful of your health
Eco-friendly laundry products should be chemical-free, which means most are hypoallergenic, meaning they're designed to cause minimal skin allergy reactions. Products like saponin are recommended for people with skin conditions, are vegan, and usually come in zero-plastic formats, reducing plastic waste is another area of concern for conventional detergents.
Disadvantages of cleaning clothes ecologically
The only "disadvantage" for some consumers associated with using more eco-friendly cleaning products is that they are fragrance-free, so their scent will be that of the product itself: Marseille soap or saponin. However, they won't have the scent of conventional products to which perfume is added, or that of fabric softener. In fact, they will have a neutral scent, or more similar to the smell of "traditional" soap.
Another barrier we often hear about not washing with more environmentally friendly products is that they're more expensive. According to this OCU analysis , the average price of the eco-friendly detergents analyzed was €0.30 per dose, slightly higher than the average for conventional detergents at €0.24 per dose. However, they warn that there are products with the eco-friendly seal that are considerably cheaper.
How to wash clothes in an ecological way?
When it comes to washing clothes in the washing machine in the most sustainable way possible, we'll consider both the laundry product and other factors:
1. Fill the washing machine well
Fill the washing machine well, but not too much, to avoid straining the motor. A space of four fingers at the top is sufficient. For best results, whatever product you use, separate black, colored, and white clothes.
2. Select a cold program
A large part of the energy used is for heating the water, so if you wash with cold water you will use less and your clothes will last longer.
3. Introduce your ecological detergent
Follow the manufacturer's instructions: for example, laundry soap nuts should be placed directly into the drum inside a cotton bag, while powders made with the same product can be placed in the washing machine's detergent compartment.
4. Hang the clothes
Take advantage of the Spanish climate by hanging your clothes in the sun. If you avoid using a dryer, your clothes will also last much longer. Shake your clothes well before hanging them to avoid ironing items that don't need ironing, saving you the energy (and time) that this task entails.
Ecological detergents and soaps for washing clothes
Currently, there are several labels, such as the Ecolabel, that ensure that eco-friendly laundry detergents meet a set of ecological criteria and help you make more informed decisions and support sustainable consumption patterns. These are some of the criteria required to obtain the label and that you should keep in mind when purchasing a product that claims to be eco-friendly:
- No substances harmful to the environment.
- Free from non-degradable, bioaccumulative or environmentally toxic substances.
- Fragrance-free and with limited preservative content.
- With effective cleaning, similar to existing products with the same function.
- Whenever possible, effective washing at low wash temperatures should be ensured, without compromising chemistry or wash time.
But there are also some natural detergents for washing our clothes by hand or in the washing machine, such as Marseille soap (a traditional product based on vegetable oils) or laundry nuts (which contain saponin, a detergent naturally present in these nuts), also available in the multipurpose vegetable detergent version.
Furthermore, a more sustainable relationship with what we wear also involves wearing quality clothing from projects committed to sustainability.
Want to get to know us? At Elisa Muresan, we make planet-friendly clothing from our Zaragoza workshop, made to last and designed so you'll be as comfortable wearing it for years to come as the first day you saw it ;)
