I wash, frequently. Jeans get 2 wearing unless dirty, they need the dryer to get fitting again.
However I think the much bigger impact are other plastics. I can care about this, and I can be happy I use reusable bags when shopping and bring water bottles and encourage others. So not at the top of my list
It's not really a priority in my efforts. It's sort of like, you have to pick your battles. I wear jeans every day during the cooler months. I assume they are mostly cotton and they get washed after 3 or 4 days, or if they are grubby from work. I don't think people are going to stop washing their clothes, but it does make a lot of sense to me to buy organic cotton and steer clear of polyester. It's about impossible to get around the elastic materials in underclothes and socks, though. I do hang clothes on a clothesline too dry just about all year, which is a totally different issue. I think I'm about the only one in my immediate vicinity or among acquaintances who hangs clothes to dry.
With my new job I work from home. I've never been a one and done person as far as washing stuff I've worn, but even so our laundry is less than it used to be. But not by a huge amount. I've always worn the same pants all week for work when I went out in public on a daily basis. Shirts on the other hand, I've always put a new one on every day.
On the other hand the dishwasher is getting more of a workout since I'm eating lunch at home every day. Overall I would guess that between clothes and dishes our carbon footprint is a wash. LOL...
Like many of you we wear mostly natural fibres - cotton, linen, silk, wool. We have some rayon which is a man made fiber from wood pulp. Our sheets are cotton or linen and our towels, washcloths, dishcloths and dish towels are all cotton. Socks and underwear are mostly cotton but do have elastic parts.
We work at home so unless something gets dirty our pants are worn several days, shirts two or three times, underwear and socks once. Two adults we generally do 1.5 loads a week but the dog adds an extra load so 2.5 loads a week.
Our washer and dryer are Maytags from 1985 and still working well (knock on wood) although at times they have had repairs. Laundry is dried on the clothesline whenever Mother Nature permits.
I think we will try stretching our jeans out to some extra wears based on this article. Maybe to 10 or more wears?? Has anyone worn theirs that many times?
Like a lot of you are saying, I do wear something (outer wear) a few times before washing. Especially something I have worn out somewhere for only a few hours. I come home and take those clothes off and put on, what a former attorney I used to work for called, my "play clothes". So those "worn few hours" items I know aren't ready to be washed and unless I am doing something really hot and sweaty, other things can wait a couple of wearings or more too. I had a friend who washed everything after one wearing and I always thought "why?". You're sitting in a cool air conditioned office, you're not dirty. So this thread has been really validating to me.
And as thinkgreen said, my washer is over 25 years old, my dryer even older. I do line dry most everything. In Winter when the weather is not cooperating, I use a fold up dryer rack inside.
"Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in the midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free." Leonard Cohen
Maybe not. The dishwasher uses between 3.5 and 10 gallons of water per run (depending on the model and cycle run) while the washing machine will fill with at least 15-30 gallons of water every time it is run (front-loading high efficiency washer; the old top-loaders go through more like 40-45 gallons per wash).Originally Posted by jp1
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington
I've heard that the dishwasher is more environmentally-friendly than hand-washing. Same logic for car washes--they actually use less water than humans do.
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
www.silententry.wordpress.com
I own two pairs of jeans, one for warmer months and one for colder. They each get washed at the end of their wearing season unless there's a messy stain. I wear a uniform for work, so the shirts are washed after each use, the pants at the end of the week. (I have the hardest time finding pants that fit so I want them to last). Undergarments washed after each use. Shirts are worn at least twice if I can get away with it.
Riding clothes get dirty/smelly the minute I get to the barn so I'll wear them a few times before washing. Sadly I euthanized my horse yesterday so I won't be getting use of those until I find another.
Teacher Terry, what kind of washable dog pads do you use? I'd like something like that for my couch when the dog is laying on it. She's elderly and has the occasional accident.
Sorry about your horse. When you have a longtime connection like that it is so hard to euthanize a beloved animal even if it is needed.
As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”
So very sorry about your horse. The pads are made for people in nursing homes. You can buy new or used. They are indestructible as I have had them for 11 years.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote