CARING FOR YOUR NEW TEE SHIRT
You are now the owner of a custom, couture, limited edition shirt! Care for it using the tips below to save our water, reduce our plastic, and your hard earned money!
PLASTIC CONSIDERATIONS
When we wash these synthetic clothes, the effects of water, friction, and abrasion cause fiber shedding. These microfibers then enter municipal wastewater, releasing microplastics into the ecosystem. Some filters can capture these microfibers and prevent them from entering the municipal wastewater stream. You can add these to your machine’s outflow and it will collect the microfibers. Another option is to use laundry balls or laundry bags that you can throw in the wash along with your clothes and they will capture microfibers.
WASHING CONSIDERATIONS
Statistics show that 20% of an item of clothing’s environmental emissions are generated after its purchase. Thus, as consumers, we are not only responsible for what we buy, but also for how we care for and maintain our clothes. After all, we do have a big influence over the preservation of our clothes with the way we care for them, how often we wash them and how we store them. Wash your clothes less, use cold water, and eco-friendly detergents.
DRYING CONSIDERATIONS
There are upward of 88 million dryers in the U.S., each emitting more than a ton of carbon dioxide per year. Because dryers uses so much energy, skipping it altogether can make a real difference. While some homeowners' associations and municipalities oppose hanging clothes out to dry, the pro-line drying movement, headed up by Right to Dry, is putting up a good defense for your right to harvest free solar energy. Added bonus? Clothes last longer when you line dry because there's less wear and tear than when you use the dryer.
Not only is ironing a tedious chore, it also consumes energy and can deteriorates fabric. So you probably won't mind if we put the kibosh on this boring activity. Still, no self-respecting environmentalist wants to look ruffled, right? To avoid looking haggard, simply hang clothes up immediately after the wash cycle is complete. The water still in them will work with gravity to pull most wrinkles out. For wrinkle-prone clothing such as linen, cut the final spin cycle, which will leave even more water in the garments, creating yet more pull. Then fold dry clothes where you want creases to be, and place them under other clothes in your dresser, which will further help to press them.
Questions? Contact Elizabeth Ellman at eellman@bexley.org or (614) 559-4250.