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I wonder how many times I should wash my clothes. I do not want them to wear out, but of course I do not want them to be dirty. What is the average wear rate? Travis, Toronto
I have two little kids who can get dirty from one hat to another in a nanosecond. (Unfortunately, in my house, joint choirs: How did the mud on your back fill you? Take your socks out of your mouth! Do not wipe your nose with your pants!) As such, my husband and I were trapped in a seemingly endless laundry cycle and I got used to putting my own lightly worn clothes in the underwear with piles of underpants and mismatched socks.
But as the climate change debate worsens, I feel guilty every time I press the button on the washing machine. The question we should all start with is relatively simple: how clean is it?
I turned to Peter Ross, a highly respected research scientist and vice president of research at Ocean Wise in Vancouver, who thoroughly studied the effects of clothing. "At the time, we want perfectly clean clothes by default," he agrees. "Although they are not really dirty, we often throw clothes into the washing machine to organize the house, it's easier than thinking about it, so should we wash our clothes less?" It will help you in two ways: your clothing will last longer and stay in better shape, and most of all, less microplastic fibers will be released. "
Although we often view clothing as a frustrating task and loss of water in electricity and water, there is another important problem to solve: small plastic fibers made from synthetic materials (polyester, nylon, acrylic, etc.). ) and enter the ecosystem at an alarming rate.
"In our study, we study seawater and freshwater, from zooplankton to belugas in the Arctic," says Ross. They used the best available forensic technologies, advanced microscopes used by CSI for the determination of the user and location of microplastic fibers in nature. The results were alarming: "We found microplastic in every sample we observe, and in every species we observe," he says. "The same goes for research groups in other parts of the world." But where do these plastic fragments come from? "The weapon indicates that textiles in waters release large amounts of microfibers."
It's hard to think of your favorite polar pullover as an impurity, but the biggest problem is our "romance with plastic," as Ross says. "It is estimated that the average Canadian applications every year three to four times its weight plastic There are clever applications. Some plastics traveling cheaper and cleaner, and there are stupid applications such as microspheres polyethylene in the implementation paste of teeth , the last year in Canada was finally banned. "
Letting synthetic fibers accumulate in our oceans falls into the category of fools. "The average load of clothing could easily have contained millions of fibers in the water," says Ross. "The numbers are significant."
To be honest, I find this kind of information almost paralyzing: I do not like standing in front of my washing machine, holding my dirty pants and feeling confused. But Ross has no doubt about the role of personal responsibility in this matter: it's important, but the same goes for radical actions that come from above. "We should all roll up our sleeves and join the team," said Ross, who works with government agencies and companies to brief them on the benefits of the "blue design" that could allow the design of non-plastic garments. , "Until then, it would of course be good if everyone recycles a bit better, taking the time to clean a beach and do anything we sometimes annoy, because" it will not save the world, "albeit at the same time Time they start to do something, so at least we're going in the right direction. "
So do not answer this question: wear a yoga pants and buy a new natural fiber wardrobe: cotton is a water-thirsty crop, and giving up high quality clothing is just a problem. Consumption that consists in increasing consumption . Throw the sweater with a boat neckline so to speak with the bathwater. Instead, your first step should be considered before washing. There is no magic number, but ask yourself the following question: Is your shirt the snoop test? Could it only be broadcast? Do you need to wash your cardigan as often as a sweater if you almost never wash your fall coats? (And advice: Some items, like dark Japanese denim, should never be washed . )
If you use the washing machine, you consume less soap (we also consume almost everything that wastes money and resources) and choose the setting that uses the least amount of water. If you only have a few synthetic garments, put them together with a wash bag to collect the fibers before they get into the sewage. Or if you're like me and have a lot of clothes, connect a Canadian brand washing machine filter like Lint LUV-R or The Filtrol to install it as an accessory for your washing machine and for you. Then clean regularly. as you would with the lint filter in your dryer. "It eliminates about 90% of microfiber rejections, making them effective," says Ross. "If we want industry and governments to be smart, it's up to the consumer to do it."
Well, I do not know about you, but after years of simple conflicts, here's my new plan for simple games: Stop, think, and finally act wisely.
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