Let's talk about laundry...
Did you know that the greatest environmental impact of a garment over its entire life is from its use by consumers through washing, drying and ironing?! Here are a few tips to help minimise your impact on our environment when it comes to keeping your clothes clean:
Wash your clothes less frequently. It sounds obvious but washing your clothes less frequently not only benefits our environment (by using less energy and resources) but your clothing too (because washing damages material). Try wearing that skirt or top a few times before washing, particularly if it hasn't been a sweaty day. For denim, some say that you should never throw your jeans in the wash! If you're worried about odour and bacteria, a good shake to get rid of dirt and dead skin and hanging clothes outside, under direct sun between washes can help. Try spot cleaning stains with a toothbrush instead too.
Speaking of the sun, ditch the dryer in favour of air drying (yep, even in winter. Gaby from the CEC waits for a sunny day and hangs her clothes out in the early morning so they dry under a full day of sunshine. There's a bit of planning involved but lucky she spends a lot of time looking at the Bureau of Meteorology app and rain radar anyway.)
Hand wash! It's much gentler on your clothing too.
When you do want to put on a load, waiting until you have a full load, washing in cold water and adjusting water levels will all help to minimise energy and resources used in washing your clothing.
If you're thinking of changing your washing machine, consider getting a front loader as they're more energy efficient than top loaders. Synthetic clothing has been found to shed less microfibresin a front loader compared to top loaders.
Avoid harsh laundry detergents and single use plastic packaging by making your own laundry detergent, buying laundry liquid in bulk at your local bulk food shop or why not try using soap nuts containing saponin, a natural detergent?
Minimise ironing. You'd be surprised how effective hanging just-washed, wet clothing on a hanger can be. Another trick is to hang clothing in the bathroom where steam from showers can help de-crinkle clothing.
Let the sun do the hard work for you!