It’s summer and a million degrees out. Obvi, it's time to get nautical! …Well, kind of. Today, we are talking about washing our synthetics fabrics (including polyester, rayon, nylon, acrylic and so on.) Clearly, washing is a major point in garment care for hygiene purposes. However, it's also a major point in sustainability because how we wash our synthetics directly impacts their lifespan and our waterways. Why? Because every time clothes get washed, they shed fibers.
Speaking to a garment’s lifespan: this shedding wears down the fabric. Makes sense right? Fibers are shed from the fabric during a wash, and as a result, the fabric is a little thinner and less durable than it was before. Eventually, this wear leads to holes or rips.
Speaking to the environment: these shed fibers leave the washing machine and ultimately end up in our waterways and ocean. This might seem pretty minor since fibers are so tiny, but remember that polyester (the most popular fabric in fashion right now) and other synthetics are plastic. Their fibers are plastic. When we considered all of the people in the world washing their synthetics, this impact adds up. According to The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, washing our clothes releases half a million tons of plastic microfibers into the ocean every year. (Yikes!) So every time these fabrics get washed, the more plastic waste ends up in our environment.
This all sounds super creepy, but there’s good news. You can mitigate this by giving your synthetics more love. Here’s how:
#1 Reduce washes when possible
Do you need to wash those nylon pants after just one wear? Is that polyester top actually dirty when you only wore it out for coffee? Ask yourself these questions before you throw your clothes in the hamper. Sometimes, we wash clothes that aren’t actually dirty. Now obvi, if your clothes are filthy or sweaty, then yes - please wash them. However, if you just gave something a quick wear, consider hanging it up when you get home instead.
#2 Handwash or machine wash on low heat and slower spin cycle
If you’ve been reading my other Consciously Considered articles, then you’ve probably caught onto the pattern. Friction and heat = bad for clothes. It gives them unnecessary wear by releasing more microfibers out of the fabric and into the water. Ironically, this makes the washing machine a somewhat hostile environment for clothes because it often over-washes them.
The ideal alternative is handwashing your synthetics with cool water and a tablespoon of detergent. However. if you have a lot of synthetics in your closet, I know this isn’t really practical. I still have a lot of old fast fashion in my wardrobe and don’t hand-wash it all either. Instead, I compromise by machine washing these garments on cold with slow spin cycle. This reduces the friction and wear put on the clothes and in turn reduces the amount of microfibers that are released into the water.
#3 Use a Guppyfriend or Cora Ball
This is a great way to up your environmental game at little cost or effort. Use a Guppyfriend or Cora Ball when you’re using your washing machine. They stop microfibers from getting into our waterways, and they’re not that pricey. It’s a simple addition to your laundry game that can be reused again and again.
#4 Fill up the washing machine
Remember, the more friction on your clothes, the more they shed. So simply fill up the washing machine when you run it. This reduces friction in between items and the amount of microfibers that are released into the water.
#5 Skip the dryer
This doesn’t do much to impact microfibers ending up in our waterways, but it’s major in increasing your clothes’ lifespan. Between the heat and tumble, the dryer is rough on clothes. Think of all the lint you have to clear out after each dry cycle. That lint IS shed fibers from your clothes. It’s a lot of unnecessary wear. So instead, skip the dryer when possible and let your clothes air dry. Hanging them up or laying them over a foldable clothing rack are great, space-efficient ways to do so.
These may seem like minor steps, but as I mentioned at the start: this sh*t adds up. The longer your clothes last and the less plastic microfibers they shed, the better. Shout out in the comments if you’re here of it!
xKristine of Declarative