Is it being green or being lazy to not wash each and every item of clothing after one wear? According to two recent blog posts that I’ve read, it’s green.
This is a practice I used to do a lot more often — life with an infant and a toddler is a lot messier than life pre-babies. But before babies, I would wear jeans and other pants at least twice between washes. The Sunday best were only washed on an as-needed basis. Socks and undergarments were washed after every use.
If you don’t get anything on the clothes, then they do not need to be washed after every wearing. Many weren’t designed to be washed after every wear — especially those that say “Dry Clean Only.”
The practice of not washing after every use not only saves energy and water, but it also extends the life of your clothes. And it might even give you a little extra time, especially if the clothes need ironing.
There are some exemptions to this rule. I believe underwear and socks should be washed after every use. If you are a sweaty person, your clothes will need more washing. You can wear undershirts to protect your nicer button-downs. Just wash the undershirts after every wearing and not the button-down.
Currently, I am the exception to this rule. I go through at least two shirts a day, thanks to spit-up, sticky fingers, and my own clumsiness. I have to get better with those burp cloths!
Do you wash your clothes after every use? Or do you only wash certain items?
It certainly makes a difference when children are members of the household, however we have always washed intimate clothing after each use.
Dry cleaning involves chemical harmful to fabrics, so we avoid cleaners For many of the daily “dry clean only” items, we find it’s convenient to toss them into a gentle wash without hesitation.
Since we live in a temperate climate we are able to dry everything outdoors.