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Rewearing is Caring Jina Wu
Rewearing is Caring
By Jina Wu
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When I was younger I was told that if I did not sweat, I should wear clothing items such as sweaters and pants several times before washing them. I did not understand why it was important to do so, and I remember feeling self-conscious about it. “Is it nasty to rewear clothes without washing them?” and “Won’t others judge me if they notice that I wore the same thing two days in a row?” were questions I kept asking myself.
Man teaching child about doing laundry by RODNAE productions
However, I discovered that rewearing clothes between washes had numerous environmental benefits, including prolonging the life cycle of our clothes, saving energy, conserving water and protecting aquatic life. According to the Consumer Energy Center, the average American home washes 400 loads of laundry each year, consuming up to 40 gallons of water per load with a washing machine and 770 kilowatts of energy per hour using a dryer. The huge amount of water used can lead to water shortages in the near future.
In addition, about 60 percent of the clothes worldwide are made of synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon and acrylic — which are forms of plastic. As a result, when we wash and dry these clothes with detergents and dryer sheets, we release chemicals and microplastics into the world’s waterways — where they are consumed by marine wildlife and accumulate throughout the food chain.
Illustration of sea turtle eating plastic by Painter06
Given how damaging doing laundry can be to the environment, perhaps we should all develop new habits to reduce our impact. Air-drying your clothes on arid, sunny day with a rack or clothesline is a great way to avoid using the dryer. If feasible, increase the time between washes by rewearing outfits. Remember that washing your clothes less frequently is recommended by dermatologists and will extend the life of your clothes — saving you money on shopping trips.
sources: pexels.com pixabay.com
