To massively reduce how often I wash clothes?

[MyOtherProfile]

I'm always thinking of ways to lessen our impact on the planet and have recently started wearing clothes many more times than I used to. Previously I would wear things probably twice (undies excepted!) before washing but I've been thinking that even that might be too much. I look for dirt and I smell check but now I'm only washing clothes when they fail either of those checks. I'm now on the 5th day of the top I'm wearing (not consecutive so nobody would know). Sid anyone else doing this? I don't really want to hear from people who are just going to say ewww I have to wash clothes after every wear.

You're right but I think it's the bacteria that feed on sweat that are present/absent in some people. I Googled it years ago but too lazy now!

The 'no BO' gene is called ABCC11 and coverage is near 100% in China and Korea. It actually is used to illustrate single allele polymorphisms in genetics courses bc it's such a neat example.

I wear a chefs apron when cooking and that definitely helps save my clothes (I am a bit of a messy cook )

Wow never knew about the no BO gene.

I wash undies after every wear, bras are rotated and probably worn 3-4 times before being washed (unless I'm breastfeeding in which case it's more often). Everything else just goes by whether or not it looks or feels dirty. Jeans might be worn 5 times, a top probably 2-3 times. If I sweat a lot while wearing something I will wash it regardless of how it looks.

I would change pants and socks daily, or wear a fresh pair if going out again in evening. T shirts get checked, usually wear one day and a second if okay but doesn't happen often. Jeans, sweatshirts, cardis get worn for a few weeks

Jeans and trousers get smelly around the crotch or perhaps it is just me.

I was mindful today and am wearing a skirt and cardigan that will definitely be washed after today. Pottering around.

Well thank you everyone! I didn't expect so many responses and have just read them all.

So glad to read so many people doing the same as me. I was half expecting to find that nobody goes more than a day without washing clothes and that somehow I got it wrong but I'm happy to see there are lots of us who are not using the washing machine constantly and still manage not to smell like old ladies!

Fascinating to think about the trend for smelling like chemical products and how that has influenced our society.

Thanks again everyone.

Most people have outdated ideas about how to clean clothes. Washing machines are way better now than they used to be -- the agitation cycle is much stronger and also longer, and you can double rinse. Most of our clothes get clean without any laundry detergent at all. I just use a splash of bleach. Clothes these days are "color fast" and don't bleed or fade.

I also have teen boys. The best thing about this method is how fresh our clothes actually smell. They smell like clean clothes, not like perfumey detergent. I'm so glad I discovered doing laundry like this. (I actually learned it from someone whose friend was in the laundry detergent. He told her that the amounts of detergent recommended on the package were way, way, way more than was necessary because of the way new washing machines work.)

I learned it from someone whose friend was in the "laundry detergent BUSINESS." Sorry....

Nothing, unless it’s really dirty would get washed after one wear, sometimes not even undies

Jeans at least a week’s worth of wear, same with jumpers. T shirts and polo shirts, etc.....at least two wears

Weather is a deciding factor, if it’s hot and sweaty then a bit of Fabreeze and you’re away for another wear

Anything that touches an arm pit or bottom directly is washed daily, trousers and tops worn over tops can go a few days, unless of course stained or smelly.

Anything more than that I wouldn’t stretch it further

Interesting....I use a tablespoon of powder and that seems to do the job just fine. Any more and I need to repeat the rinse cycle because of all the soap bubbles still around at the end of it.

There was a 42-page-long thread on MSE/Which or somewhere like that, that modern machines are really crap at rinsing because they use as little water as possible. Meaning we're all walking around with large traces of detergent on our clothes (hence the laundry smell). That worries me way more than a bit of sweat or skin oils on my clothes.

I wash my clothes are a couple of wears so long as there's no stains.

Towels get washed after each use unless it's a hair towel.

I too am trying to do my bit for the environment by washing less often. I think people who wash every towel and item of clothing after one use only do it because it's so easy. If they had to hand wash everything and then hang it out to dry they would not be so fussy then. YANBU OP.

I can't wear things more than once, I just can't. However, I do one light wash and one dark wash a week on a 30 min cycle. Towels and sheets are hot washed though. I try very hard not to use the tumble dryer during the winter and never in the summer. It would be utterly impossible for DS to wear anything more than once but I have five sets of uniform and then wash them in one go.

Travelling and living out of a rucksack changed my habits. If it is unstained and passes the sniff test, on it goes again!

I totally agree with Lockheart.

I wear tops or t.shirts few hours if not sweaty or stained will re wear.
Jeans can be worn 3,4 or 5 times.
Same jumpers, cardys.
Whenever I've been out, I get home and always take my clothes off and put 'comfy house clothes' on and hang clothes back on their hangers.
Underwear every day, pjs after 2 days and bedding every week.

A neat trick for dresses if you wear them twice is to take it off after wear 1 and hang it inside out on the hanger. It not only airs the inside but when you put it on a 2nd time you remember you’ve worn it once already (because it’s inside out on the hanger) and you chuck it in the wash after the 2nd wash.

I wear clothes several times before washing. I've always done it. Why would you not try to reduce your environmental impact if you can. So long as you're washing daily and not sweating in the clothes I don't see why they need daily washing

Agreed. Pants everyday but everything else I wear between 2 and 5 times depending on if it smells or looks grubby.

Yuk. Thats dirty @MyOtherProfile

I also wash when dirty. I would expect usually to get a number of washes out of everything other than pants.
Kids clothes are generally washed after every wear but they are dirtier.

We use cloth nappies so I need to bulk out washes with normal clothes anyway.

Had a combination washer and tumble dryer but never used the tumble dryer so when it needed replacing I just got a washing machine. Can’t imagine why I would need a tumble dryer.

Have 3 suits for Post 16. They get dry cleaned on a half termly rotation. Shirts washed after each wear. I have 6 so every weekend and a spare if needed for Anything.
Don't do much else outside of Post 16. Come home and get changed. Wear the same clothes 2/3 nights depending on if it is stained and what I am doing. Weekend new clothes each day.
Doing it like this means only wash clothes once a week. Usually 2 loads. Shirts and then others.

Clean knickers every day. I change my top every day after a shower in the morning because I seem to sweat a lot and it feels icky if I try to wear them a second day. Bra changed twice a week. Socks every other day. Skirts and jeans I wear several days without a wash but not consecutively. I wash nighties every two or three days. Bath towels after two uses, hand towels and tea towels are changed daily.