17 Tips for Sustainable Laundry and Long-Lasting Clothes

Whether you do your laundry at home or in the laundromat, this regular (and sometimes tedious) activity has a bigger environmental impact than you might realize. Washing and drying clothes not only consumes high amounts of energy and water, but also results in water pollution in the form of microplastics, PFAS chemicals, and other toxic chemicals.

Fortunately, there are a lot of small things you can do that not only reduce the environmental impact of your laundry routine but also make your clothes last longer, from washing full loads to hang-drying whenever possible. Plus, these eco-friendly laundry practices will save you money on electricity and water!

Implementing environmentally friendly strategies in the home can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. In this article, we explore all of the ways in which you can improve your laundry routine to save money and make your clothes last longer. Simply choose the steps that work best for you, and go from there!

Photo by Annie Spratt

17 ways to green your laundry routine

Just as eating a healthy diet is proven to be both good for you and the planet, so is an eco-friendly laundry routine good for the planet, for you, and for your clothes. That’s because these practices – such as air-drying and using cold water – result in less water pollution and tend to be gentler on fabrics. As a result, clothes last longer, keeping polluting textiles out of the waste stream for longer.

But the benefits don’t end there: the below tips for a greener laundry routine also result in less energy/water consumption, which amounts to less greenhouse gas emissions and more cost savings for you!

Wash full loads

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not more effective, nor cost-saving, to wash small- to medium-sized loads of laundry rather than large loads. If you think that a small load half the size of a large load also uses half the amount of water and energy, you’d be wrong. While a single small load uses less water, two small loads (equal to one large load) actually use more water than a single large load.

That isn’t to say that you should fill your washing machine to the brim – a “full” load is usually defined as filling the drum about ¾ full. Overfilling a machine can be just as bad as underfilling, as there needs to be some space in the machine to allow for agitation. Without enough room to move, your clothes won’t clean properly, and the machine may compensate by trying to run extra rinse cycles. In the end, you’ll be using more water and end up with improperly cleaned clothes.

Washing properly full loads not only conserves energy and water, but it effectively cleans clothes, too. In a full load, the clothes rub against each other in the machine, washing out stubborn stains. By contrast, clothes in a small load not only rub against each other, but are tossed around in the empty space, which could damage the fibers more. An additional benefit of doing full loads is that you’ll end up saving time by reducing the total amount of loads.

If you’re worried about running out of clothes to wear or separating materials, do a load when you need to, even if it’s not necessarily full. As far as separating materials goes, most of the time it’s unnecessary to separate colors and different types of fabrics. Exceptions include new towels, linens, or jeans, which could potentially bleed. However, most clothes are designed not to bleed color, and with the exception of delicate materials, they can generally all be washed together.

Air dry as much as possible

Roughly 80% of American households have a clothes dryer. That’s more than any other developed nation. In Germany, for instance, only 42.7% of households have a dryer. Similarly, just over half of Australian households have one. If so many people can live without one, how important is it, really?

Perhaps Americans love the dryer because it was invented by one. Or because it saves a little time. After all, air-drying does involve individually hanging up articles of clothing on a rack or line.

While handy, the electric dryer is extremely energy intensive, relying on a combination of hot air and mechanical tumbling. The high heat and harsh interior environment can also damage your clothes, as evidenced by the lint that gets collected during each load.

By contrast, air-drying is gentle on fabrics and requires no electricity; it simply harnesses the power of the sun and ventilation to dry clothes. A single household air-drying all of its laundry would save roughly $163 in energy costs and prevent 1,594 lbs of carbon emissions. Just imagine if all households started air-drying every once in a while!

Opponents of air-drying argue that doing so indoors can cause mildew. However, in order for this to happen, there would have to be zero air ventilation. Even a small apartment should have enough airflow to air dry clothes within a day. To speed things along, you can add a fan or open up a window (weather permitting).

That said, the best air-drying results happen outside. The sun not only speeds up drying time, but it’s also naturally disinfecting and brightening!

Use cold water

Just as the high heat of an electric dryer damages fibers (especially of synthetic materials), hot water is not always ideal, either. According to Energy Star, heating up the water for a load of laundry accounts for 90% of the machine’s energy consumption. Switching from hot to warm can cut energy consumption in half, while switching to cold water can reduce energy consumption even more.

Believe it or not, modern washing machines and detergents are designed to work best in cool or cold water, resulting in clothes that are as clean as if they were washed in hot water. Dark or colorful clothes, as well as delicate fabrics, should only be washed in cold water to prevent color bleeding or unnecessary damage to the fibers.

You should still use hot water when washing items that need to be sanitized, such as towels and sheets, or items with bodily fluids. Blood will actually set into fabric in hot water, so pretreat blood stains in cold water before adding to the washing machine. Switch from using cold water to using warm water if tap water temperature drops below 40℉.

Replace old machines with energy-efficient ones

There’s no point replacing a perfectly good machine, but if a washer or dryer is starting to go, consider replacing it with an energy-efficient one. How do you know if a washing machine or dryer is energy efficient? Look for the yellow EnergyGuide label from Energy Star, which will help you compare energy use between different models.

While the upfront cost of an energy-efficient appliance may be slightly higher, it will save you money in the long run through energy savings. Sometimes you can slash the cost even more by looking for energy rebates. These might be offered by a retailer, your state, or your local municipality.

Use a microplastic filter

An ugly truth about laundry is that it results in water pollution. According to scientists, nearly 35% of all microplastics in the ocean comes from the laundering of synthetic clothes.

You can reduce the amount of microplastics ending up in your laundry’s wastewater by installing a retro-fitted filter such as this one from PlanetCare, which catches up to 90% of fibers, microplastics, and debris. If a retrofit isn’t possible, the Cora Ball is a product that you can throw directly in with the wash. Unlike a filter, however, it only catches about 30% of microplastics. Still, that’s better than nothing!

Dry the right amount of clothing

While it’s best to wash full loads of laundry in the washing machine, the same can’t be said for electric dryers. In a dryer, it’s important that air is allowed to circulate freely in order to draw moisture from wet clothes. Without air flow, clothes simply cook in the heat, resulting in damaged fibers and reduced elasticity in synthetic materials.

In many washing machine/dryer pairs, the dryer drum is larger than the washing machine drum in order to accommodate for a similar load size. That means it’s usually easy to move a load over from one machine to another. However, even if you don’t air dry the majority of your laundry, we recommend that you never put delicates or activewear in the dryer – doing so can shorten their lifespan considerably. Instead, hang these to dry on a rack, a clothesline, or hangers.

As a good rule of thumb, don’t fill your dryer more than ⅔ full.

Dry heavy and light items separately

Another tip for increasing the efficiency of your dryer is to separate materials by their bulkiness. Towels, for example, dry at a very different rate than underwear. While it might seem like an efficient way to do laundry, drying heavy and light items together can result in trapped moisture that prevents heavy items from drying while cooking light items.

Instead, dry heavy items like towels and sheets separately from your clothes. Or better yet, hang-dry the lighter items to free up room in the dryer.

Use dryer balls

If there’s one thing you should start doing to increase the efficiency of your dryer, it’s using wool dryer balls. As the dryer balls tumble around the dryer, they naturally lift and separate items, increasing airflow and preventing tangles. As a result, laundry dries faster with less wrinkles and static cling.

If that’s not enough reason to start using dryer balls, they are also a natural fabric softener. So you can stop using toxic fabric softeners or single-use dryer sheets!

Clean the lint filter every time

It might be annoying, but cleaning the lint filter is a must-do after or before every single load of laundry in the dryer. In most machines, a reminder is printed on the lint filter itself. Some modern machines even display an automatic reminder message after every load to make sure you don’t forget.

The primary reason is that a clogged filter prevents humid air from escaping, thereby trapping moisture inside of the drum and preventing items from drying properly. Additionally, lint is a leading cause of washer and dryer fires, so cleaning the filter can help prevent a fire in your home.

Deep clean your washer and dryer

Lint filters are pretty good at catching the majority of lint, dust, and fibers, but they’re not perfect. Over time, dust and lint build up in other parts of the dryer as well as the ventilation hose that exhausts damp air to the outside. In addition to posing a fire starting risk, this buildup decreases the efficiency of the dryer and may result in loads taking longer to dry.

Similarly, washing machines accrue grime, leftover detergent, and mineral deposits from hard water. If a washing machine isn’t allowed to dry properly between loads, mold can even build up. You may start to notice that clothes aren’t cleaning properly, or coming out with streaks of white or gray, causing you to run more loads just to get your clothes clean.

To keep both machines running smoothly for years to come – and to make sure clothes wash and dry properly every time – it’s important to deep clean your washer and dryer regularly, about once a year. This is most important for your dryer, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore your washing machine.

Start by vacuuming and washing the lint filter, letting it dry before replacing it. Next, vacuum and/or wash the hose connecting your dryer to the vent in the wall. If possible, remove the back panel of the machine and vacuum around the motor. You might even find a few missing socks there! Use an upholstery attachment to get into the nooks and crannies.

For the washing machine, wipe down all surfaces, laundry detergent compartments, and gaskets, as well as the inside of the drum. You might be surprised at the amount of gunk you find! With some machines, you can remove and clean the filter. For more help, check out this guide to deep cleaning your washing machine.

Use the high-speed spin setting

For most loads of laundry, you should use the high-speed spin setting (the spin cycle comes at the end of the wash). This helps wring out as much moisture as possible, leaving clothes less damp and reducing the time it takes to dry them. Use the low-speed setting when drying delicate fabrics.

Use lower heat in the dryer

While it might seem like more heat is better, that’s not always true. Not only can high heat damage fabrics, but it’s incredibly energy-intensive. Most things will dry efficiently in a dryer as long as there is enough room for air to circulate and the items to tumble freely.

The result? Longer lasting clothes!

Be mindful of peak energy hours

There’s a good chance that you can save money by doing laundry at off-peak energy hours. Increasingly, energy companies are offering non-standard rate plans that fluctuate based on the time of day. For instance, doing the laundry during the day or later at night (not when everyone comes home from work) could save you money.

Check with your energy provider to see if they offer peak vs. off-peak energy prices.

Avoid toxic laundry detergents and fabric softeners

Laundry detergents and fabric softeners contain a lot of ingredients that are great at fighting stains, but not always so great for the environment or our health. The problem is that companies aren’t required to list ingredients on their laundry products, so it’s hard to know as a consumer what to avoid – and what to look for.

Both laundry detergents and fabric softeners rely on the power of surfactants – surface-active agents – to lift stains and help wash them away in the water. While not all surfactants are dangerous, some are known to irritate the skin and harm aquatic life.

Meanwhile, fabric softeners, though great in theory, can also adversely affect human health and wildlife. On top of fragrances, many fabric softeners contain preservatives and artificial colors.

If you were to change only one thing about your laundry products, it should be this: avoid products with fragrances. Many people react adversely to chemical fragrances, which means they have an allergic reaction to the chemicals in fragrances and other scents. Symptoms can include headaches, nausea, sneezing, asthma, and even skin irritation. When released into the water supply, these chemicals are toxic to aquatic life.

In addition to avoiding fragrances, look for detergents that are hypoallergenic, non-toxic, and biodegradable. These claims should be backed by third-party certifications in the form of ecolabels.

Pay attention to care labels

How often do you read the care labels on the inside of your clothes? Those labels, it turns out, are important when it comes to properly caring for your clothes and making them last as long as possible. This is particularly important for delicate fabrics such as silk and wool, which are best washed by hand in cold water.

While it might seem tedious, following these instructions allows those items to last longer, preventing them from ending up in the landfill prematurely.

Wash clothing inside-out

Did you know that washing clothes inside-out is a great way to make them last longer? That’s because it prevents snags, reduces color fading, and protects fabrics from the high-friction environments of the washer and dryer. It’s just as effective as washing clothes right-side-out, so don’t worry, they’ll still come out clean!

Wash clothes less often

In the Western world, we’re obsessed with cleanliness. While personal hygiene is important for our health, it’s possible that our overly-sanitized world is leading to an increase in other issues, such as autoimmune and allergic diseases. This is known as the hygiene hypothesis.

When it comes to doing the laundry, it’s important to keep clothes clean. But how clean, exactly? Turns out, you can still maintain great personal hygiene without washing all clothing items after a single wear. As a result, your clothes will last longer, and you’ll save precious time, energy, and money by doing less laundry.

A few things to bear in mind:

• Do wash if it’s smelly, or if you sweat in it.

• Wash outer layers only as needed.

• Jeans can be worn up to 10 times before they need to be washed – but wash them earlier if they start to get smelly.

• Undergarments such as underwear and socks should be washed after every wear.

• Keep “worn by not dirty” clothes separate from your clean clothes by designating a separate section in your closet or using a simple towel rack to hang them on.

How do you do the laundry? Share your personal tips for sustainable laundry in the comments below!