HAND WASH AND SLIGHTLY WRINKLED T-SHIRTS

Here me back and the journey continues, today I will share with you what else I have experimented with to reduce my energy consumption and whether the methods have been effective.

In our clothing washing frequency, we are influenced more by societal and psychological factors than practical considerations. To test this theory, I tried for two weeks to reduce my washing machine usage to see if I could avoid frequent washing of my clothes. What I did was, after each use, I would hang my clothes outdoors to remove odors. In case of minor stains, I cleaned them by hand to avoid washing the entire garment again. I also tried to wear an apron while doing house cleaning or cooking to prevent my everyday clothes from getting dirty and extend their usability.

As a result of these small adjustments, at the end of the test, I only used the washing machine once a week, compared to the three times I normally do when separating colored, white, and black clothes.

As for ironing clothes, I did some research and found that an iron consumes an average of 1 kWh to operate and, based on last year’s rates, would cost approximately 0.45 euros per hour. Limiting or reducing its usage time can start with how we hang clothes. The first thing I did was to shake the clothes thoroughly before putting them on the drying rack, paying particular attention to those that, after washing, had more wrinkles to “iron.”

I also paid attention to where I placed the clothespins while hanging the garments so that they wouldn’t leave marks. Retrieving them without letting them hang longer than necessary, smoothing them with my hands, and folding them properly as soon as I took them off the line allowed me to avoid using the iron. Although the result is certainly not perfect, and the clothes are not perfectly ironed, I am content with having implemented these measures and have become accustomed to accepting a few extra wrinkles.

Emilia