Laundry Myths and Facts

There are many conversations about laundry regarding whether or not sustainable habits can help reduce its impact on the environment. While the occasional arguments can arise between families about washing with hot instead of cold water, here are some myths and facts that can clear the room. 

Myth: Washing clothes in full loads doesn't clean them as well. 

Fact: Modern washing machines can handle full loads efficiently. Indeed, that’s one of their purposes.

MYTH: Cold water doesn’t get rid of dirt from clothes. 

FACT: Modern washing machines are designed to clean well even with water at lower temperatures.

MYTH: Eco-friendly detergents are more expensive.

FACT: Most environmentally safe laundry detergents are of similar or same price points to conventional laundry detergent brands.

MYTH: Hot water used by washing machines is not as damaging to the environment. 

FACT: 90% of the energy spent by washing machines is used to heat the water alone. Only 10% is used to power the motor.

MYTH: Washing clothes less often doesn’t make a difference. 

FACT: Reducing the amount of loads can cut the energy intake and subsequently pollution by 70% according to the American Cleaning Institute. 

MYTH: Front-loading machines aka modern washing machines work the same as their older versions. 

FACT: One front-loader machine typically saves around 6,000 gallons of water per year compared to a top-loading machine.

MYTH: Using cold water doesn't make a difference in water pollution.

FACT: 34 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions would be saved if every U.S. household used only cold water for washing clothes--that's nearly 8 percent of the Kyoto target for the U.S.