Do washing machines damage the environment? How you can minimise impact

Some do it every day, some do it weekly - no matter how often you run your load, washing clothes is a common affair in nearly every household. But this seemingly harmless everyday activity can have a far-reaching impact on the environment.

According to Energy Star, the average household runs its washing machine 300 times a year, using 300-1,500 watts of energy per hour and nearly 51,000 litres of water. And it is possible to release up to 700,000 synthetic microplastic fibres into freshwater with every round of washing, as per a 2016 study in Marine Pollution Bulletin. Add to this the heat, electricity and detergent utilised every time you do use your washing machine. 

All of this calculates towards the carbon impact of doing a load of laundry. This can be as high as 3.3 kg of carbon emissions when washing with 60°C hot water in a combined washer-dryer. As calculated by Mike Berners-Lee, a carbon footprinting expert for The Guardian, the carbon footprint is 0.6 kg when washing with water at 30°C temperature and drying the clothes on the line. 

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If you want to reduce the environmental cost of your laundry, here are some handy tips:  

• Use the cold setting: Heating the water makes up a large part of your washing machine’s energy consumption. Most modern detergents work fine with cold water and it may even make your clothes last longer.
  
  
• Wear it again: Save for intimates or socks, you don’t need to wash most things after a single wear. Items like jeans, trousers, jackets or dressier tops can be worn more than once without washing.
  
  
• Avoid plastic fibres: The only way to reduce microplastic pollution is by buying fewer products that create it. Avoid petroleum-based synthetics like nylon or polyester that are known to shed thousands of fibres while washing.
  
  
• Hang drying: Dryers use up a huge amount of energy and save for rainy or super chilly days, you can actually avoid them altogether. So, hang your clothes to dry when you can and this will even lessen the wear and tear caused by machine dryers.
  
  
• Combine loads: Many households have a habit of running a load every day no matter what. But if you’ve only got a small number of things, save it for the next load and handwash if you need something urgently. 

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