People have different thoughts about laundry. Some find peace in doing laundry, while others consider it the most boring of all everyday chores. Something I realize is that regardless of our feelings about laundry, many do it automatically. People pour detergent with the help of their eyesight, often resulting in overdosing. Perhaps you sometimes use extra detergent to make it cleaner? Or out of habit, do you toss your sweater into the laundry basket at the end of the day instead of hanging it in the wardrobe? You are not alone in this, but have you thought about what happens to clothes when we wash them as much as we do?
Excessive washing
For a long period now, we have engaged in excessive washing, cleaning, and rinsing that is not necessary and is harmful to the environment. There is a current trend for people to wash multiple times a day, negatively affecting the skin's natural bacterial flora and causing a drying effect on the skin. Just think about the past when people washed themselves once a week. Not to mention how much clothing is washed after just one use! We run washing machines with shirts, sweaters, and jeans several times a week, as much as we don't necessarily need to. Washing too often wears out the clothes, pulls up the fibers, and thus shortens the lifespan of your wardrobe. The laundry pile grows at a rate it simply doesn't need to. Of course, one needs to wash their underwear, bed linens, and more, but I will give examples of items you don't need to wash as frequently.
I live with my boyfriend who can toss cashmere sweaters, pants, and shirts into the laundry basket that he's worn for just a few hours; it drives me crazy! Especially delicate fabrics like cashmere and wool should definitely not be washed frequently, especially not in a machine. Instead, what you can do is hang the sweater on a hanger and spray it with our Textile Mist, especially under the arms and areas where odors occur on the garment. With the help of good bacteria, the sweater becomes clean, odors are eliminated, and many stains disappear. You save so much time, water, and also extend the life of the garment by skipping the laundry. How great is that?
More detergent = cleaner clothes?
Another common misconception people may have about laundry is that overdosing on detergent equals cleaner clothes. I have been in the laundry room myself, trying to stick to the recommended dosage and thinking, "No, let's add a little more, it's supposed to be CLEAN!" But in reality, this reasoning is wrong and only unnecessary for the environment and my own wallet. The recommended dosage is more than enough for a full load, ensuring that the clothes come out clean. Our Laundry Wash is highly concentrated and only requires 25 ml (2 caps) per full load, and it performs well at low temperatures, 30-40 °C, to protect the garments from wear and tear. So, remember to dose correctly for clean laundry, your wallet, and minimal environmental impact. It turns out that "the more" is not "the merrier" in this case.
So now you know that too much detergent is completely unnecessary since it doesn't make the garment any cleaner, and that we actually don't need to wash as often as we do. But did you know that the washing machine is actually a big culprit when it comes to damaging your clothes?
Click here to read more.
Written by Mikaela Gunnarsson.