No, we’re not in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Surprisingly, there are a couple of rational reasons to give your washing machine some snooze time. Take a trip down the laundry-lane with us, and learn why:
1) Friction isn’t a fiber friend:
Washing machines are not the most gentle creatures. Unfortunately, this can spell doom for some garments, especially the loosely woven ones. Since they clean clothes by rubbing them together i.e. with the help of friction, washing machines encourage fiber shedding. So you’re not just losing the dirt and grime in the wash, but also compromising the weave of your fabrics.
While hand washing clothes sounds stone age-ish, it allows you to exercise agitated control. This means that you can opt to be gentle with your clothes. Hold up, we’re not advocating the impossible.. Don’t ditch the machine entirely. Just be picky about which ones to throw in the wash. For example, maybe that vintage cotton vest you dug up from Dadi’s closet shouldn’t take a tumble in the machine. Although it has stood the test of fashion and time, it may not be able to survive the machine.
Pro tip: If you can’t imagine ditching the machine, but want to prevent fraying of your garments, opt to use a fabric softener or fabric conditioner. They reduce the friction between the fibers.
2) The need for a “delicate” touch
We understand that washing machines are huge time-savers! Let’s face it, they’re the reason you’re not stinking up your offices. But, some garments require the TLC which only hand washing can provide. If you’re confused about picking those garments, flip them over and read their care tags. As a thumb rule, your lace, silk and thin cotton garments don’t belong in the washing machine. They will snag on crevices in the drum and tear. Ladies, you know those underwires are poking you wrong because of a rough tumble in the machine right? Save yourself the ouchies, and rinse your lingerie gently by hand.
3) All stains are not equal
When it comes to stains, you must discriminate. So, if you’ve dropped ketchup on your favourite white tee, you need to spot treat it. We know it’s tempting to just throw it in the wash and assume that the machine will get to it, but chances are it won’t. Spot treating allows you to directly scrub the concerned area and get the stain out efficiently. Wet the stained area and dab it with a smidge of our plant based liquid detergent. Gently rub out the stain between your hands, or with the help of a small brush. You still need to launder it in the washing machine to get it squeaky clean and pristine.
4) Two birds, one stone - save your planet & your pants!
Arguably, handwashing is a more eco-friendly medium of cleaning your clothes than machine washing. First, you use less laundry detergent. A capful of Born Good’s eco-friendly liquid detergent is enough to get all the dirt and grime out of almost a dozen garments. clothes. This reduces the collective impact on the environment in terms of your product restocking.
Furthermore, if you choose to use a tub or sink to wash your clothes, rather than running them under a tap, the overall consumption of water is also docked by half in comparison to machine washing.
Lastly, your consumption of electricity is restricted to the lights of your bathroom. You’re only consuming the mechanical energy created by your own body. (Get that cardio work-out in bro!)
However, if you don’t have the time to spare, and are still worried about your environmental impact, we’ve got your back. Here are a few things you can do to make sure your machines don’t harm the environment:
- Opt for natural detergent so that you’re not flushing down any toxins into the oceans. (cough.. cough cart from here)
- Use cold water to save on the electricity used for heating the water used to launder your clothes.
- Run your machines at 100% load capacity. If you just have two shirts to wash, feel free to give into the laziness and skip the laundry that day. You’re actually being eco-friendly by not running the machine for a small load.
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What’s the verdict?
Yes, hand washing is definitely gentler on your garments. But, laundering all your garments by hand while juggling all the other work demanded by adulthood is impractical. While we still recommend hand washing those special few, for the rest you can definitely let them tumble clean in the washer. So feel free to dump your jammies, regular wear clothes and linen in the washing machine.
What’s the catch?
Watch out for MILDEWWWWW!
Just because it’s supposed to wash your clothes, doesn’t mean that your washing machine is self-cleaning. It could be filled with mold and fungus. We don’t want your clothes to tumble green and grey! When your nose sniffs a sulphur-y odor coming from your washing machine, please clean your machine before you wash your clothes.
How?
- Opt to use an antifungal laundry detergent and unload your garments as soon as they’re clean.
- Wipe down the damp portions of your washing machine and keep the lid open when not in use so that moisture doesn’t get trapped and fester.
- Don’t let your machine snooze too long. Just like your car or bike’s engine, washing machines can get cranky too. If you don’t run it often enough its pipes can get rusty.
- Use an anti-scaling agent. Since the water which runs in our pipes is filled with impurities, minerals and other particles, it tends to leave behind deposits. Especially, if you use heated water to run your laundry loads. Anti-scaling agents contain organic compounds which help break down these deposits.
