Sustainable Washing Habits - Part 1
We know that shopping less, purchasing items is vital for a more sustainable life. But we tend to ignore the harm that what we already have can do to the environment.
Let's talk a little bit about improving our washing habits.
In today's world, where the whole system focuses on consuming more, quantity rather than quality; From time to time, we may feel that we cannot fix things "on our own". Very normal; but there are many things we can do individually to prolong the life of our clothes, save energy, conserve water, protect aquatic life, and most of this includes what we wear.
The life cycle of our clothes is 75-80% affected by washing and drying. It takes a lot of energy to heat the wash water, run the drying cycle. For this reason, just "greening" laundry habits will also reduce our personal energy consumption and water use, and green our future.
While the World Health Organization stated that approximately 22 liters of water per day would be sufficient to meet the basic usage and cleaning needs of people; this rate goes up to 190 liters in Turkey. It is predicted that if we do not take effective steps, we will be among the water-poor countries by 2030.*
What can we do individually?
Wear more than once!
No, we're not talking about your socks! Before sending the clothes to the dirty basket; Wearing more than one is the first step in improving your laundry habits. UN Environment Program 's report; He says that by wearing jeans at least 3 times and washing them in cold water, we can consume up to 5 times less energy when we do not expose them to the dryer or iron.
Choose environmentally friendly detergents!
Conventional detergents may contain ingredients that are not good for aquatic ecosystems, which can cause contaminated water to run off. The phosphates in conventional laundry soap negatively affect the ecosystem and marine life.
When choosing environmentally friendly detergents; Look for products that do not contain phosphates and are made from plant and vegetable-based ingredients instead of petroleum. These mean they are healthier for the planet.
A cup of vinegar can be used during the rinse cycle instead of fabric softeners. Vinegar; By balancing the pH of the soap naturally, it makes the clothes softer and purifies them from chemical residues.
Go for concentrated detergents!
Concentrated detergents have less packaging and a lower carbon footprint. It does more work with less water. It reduces electricity and water consumption. It is economical. Most large companies now only sell this type of detergent, it may soon be the only option we can buy.
The choice of detergent suitable for the machine is important here. Otherwise, unsuitable formulations will create foam and damage the machine.
Make your own laundry detergent!
You can develop your own detergent with a handful of ingredients that can be found in most grocery stores. You don't need to be a chemist for this. You can choose the mix yourself depending on what you care about in the content or want to keep out.
In the second part of this series, we will continue to address and improve our sustainable washing habits from where we left off.
We will talk at the table; There are alternative washing methods, energy savings, the effects of drying and ironing and more.
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>>Meet the washable, waste-free, environmentally and human-friendly Kiklou menstrual panties!
