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.

I don't wear tops more than 3 times but each to their own. I can happily wear jeans 5 times though.

My way and yours are both better for the planet than very frequent washing so well done

I thought that only washing things when they are dirty is normal? Things like underwear and t-shirts I normally wash after one day but I usually sniff other things before wearing again.

I remember as a kid stuff often was "spot cleaned".

Mum had a twin tub which was harder work/more of a faff to use.

I think that quite a bit of stuff might have been hand wash only, so was worn as much as possible!

I would often wear something then hang it to air for a coupl of days then wear again!

I try to get 2 or 3 wears out of jeans. Every thing else gets washed after each wear. Towels and sheets once a week. I definitely wouldn't wear a top three days in a row. I'm not a particularly sweaty person but I'd feel manky.

I’ve got a shelf in my bathroom for leggings and smallish items that have been worn but are good to go again, typically the stuff I change into when I get home from work. Comfy jumpers worn for a few hours hang on the back of the bathroom door. If a dress has only been worn once with a vest, code is to hang it inside out in the wardrobe so I know it’s been worn before and won’t then put it back in the wardrobe another time.

Dry clean skirts come off as soon as I get in and as they are worn with tights just don’t get whiffy and can be worn multiple times before needing to be cleaned.

I have a sheet between the duvet and the bed that gets done weekly, more if the menopause sweats demand it but no need to do the duvet cover as frequently.

DH does the washing so I am conscious that making more washing is making more work for him on top of a couple of part time jobs he has so I try to strike a balance between being practical and considerate.

Utterly delusional, you stink, not washing and wearing filthy clothes won't make a dent in the bloody environment. Life is far too short to go round honking in dirty clothes. Boak

Do you lack comprehension ability? Is there one single post that advocates wearing filthy clothes?

Anything like dresses, tops etc gets washed after one wear but I don’t wash jeans or cardigans as regularly. I couldn’t imagine wearing a top 4-5 times. My husband would stink if he didn’t have a fresh shirt every day and my children would never rewear. I remember being shocked on here of someone being picked up for sending their child in the same clothes to nursery they’d been wearing the day before. Mine have always needed a bloody good scrub after coming home from nursery so couldn’t imagine sending them back in the same stuff.

I wash the kids clothes after one wear, they get filthy. I wash mine once every 5 wears or so, except underwear and socks.

I feel uncomfortable not washing things after wearing them. The only exception is coats as they are the second or third layer. Otherwise, there's a distinct possibility that it might have sweat on it. Definitely any layer against the skin and possibly even the layer above.

And I've no idea how you'd keep track if you did wear a top or jeans again. Do you just stick it back in the drawer or keep it in a special place for 'half used clothes'. If you put them back in the drawer, how do you keep track of how many times you've worn it before you wash it especially if you wear the item again weeks apart.

YANBU OP. I do the sniff test as well, and some items can go up to 4-5 wears without needing a wash.

I also hand wash some of my clothes in wool detergent (especially silk) to keep them looking new for as soon as possible.

I feel sorry for the people who have to wash their clothes after every wear, so unnecessary.

You've already created the vast majority of emissions your washing will create by buying the machine - its manufacture forms the vast majority of the carbon footprint of clothes washing!

Washing at 30 and not using a washer dryer are the most important things. Also factor in whether your washing habits are likely to lead to clothes having a shorter life - buying new clothes is worse for the environment than doing extra loads to make sure everything is taken care of properly. Carbon emissions is a stupidly complex web of things!

Sniff test and washed if it smells worn. I find it depends on the material, synthetic tops I find smell worn straight away whereas cotton stuff lasts a lot longer. I find it bizarre that people wash things that don't need it just so they smell 'clean' (ie of synthetic washing powders etc)

Crystal I don’t get what you mean by I try to get 2 or 3 wears out of jeans . You just put them on again. Unless you’ve made a massive stain on them what are you doing that this doesn’t work?
ouch you don’t need to ‘keep track’. Clothes are clean unless they are stained or smell stale. It doesn’t matter whether that’s after one wear, 2 wears or 5 or 6.

I used to rewear things a lot more before I had DS - now I find that not only is he constantly grubby (often mysteriously so - where does it all come from?!) I've always got finger marks/a mark where a snotty nose was rubbed on my shoulder/some kind of food on me by the end of the day so things I would ideally rewear need washing - like last night I was going to put my jeans away but then realised they had a smear of sudocreme on them, so in the wash they went. I was expecting to do more laundry with DC, but I didn't realise it would include doing more washing of my own clothes!

@Nomorepies

If you don't want to hear from people with a different viewpoint where are you posting in AIBU? We need a Yes board. hmm

OP wants to hear from other people who also don’t wash clothes after every wear. That’s perfectly fine to request.

She’s not going to be convinced by the ‘eww’ brigade and her OP makes that clear. Nothing wrong with that. You can still give her your unwanted opinion though, nothing’s stopping you.

I've been hanging my weeks worth of work clothes back up this afternoon I'm a lazy arse and just chuck them over a chair after use

There's a pair of trousers that I bought last October, wear probably once every other week.

I realised I have never washed them so can I win the dirtiest MNetter award?

I wash anything that directly touches my armpits after one full day's wear - tops, dresses - except bras, which now I ponder it makes no sense but if I washed my bras after each wear I'd end up with no bra for half the week.

We also happily buy second hand school uniform (the school has a shop) and we pass on clothes that the DC have grown out of to DH’s family in N Africa. The reality is that we all have to change how we consume.

Undies including bra, socks or tights, t shirts, shirts and kind of top really once. Trousers couple of times. Bedding weekly towels twice a week.
That’s only about 3/4 loads a week. None of this 30 degree malarkey either.
When my four kids all loved at home I was doing 2/3 a day🤷‍♀️

I also can’t remember the last time I tumble dried anything....

I came home from holiday this morning and have done two loads of washing which are now on the big airing frames. The underwear will be dry by this evening and all but the thickest sweatshirts will be dry tomorrow morning. If it wasn’t drizzling outside it would all be getting a good blow on the line.

People who only wear everything once must take a lot if clothes on holiday. We were away for a week and each had one pair pyjamas (DH and I don’t actually wear them IN bed), fresh underwear and socks for each day, fresh t shirt each day, and one more jumper and pair of jeans as well as those we were wearing.

Underwear etc is a one wear only. Jeans a few times and same for jumpers. Anything that touches skin- so school shirts/tights are a one wash. I’ve also switched to washing at 30 for things that aren’t grubby.

I tend to wear things 2 or 3 days before washing, but I find they do just get dirty or smell of cooking smells, so 3 days is probably my limit.

In the summer when I sweat a lot, I tend to only wear things once before washing.

@MyOtherProfile YANBU at all. I only wash items of clothing when they need washing. Washing an item of clothing after wearing it once is a waste of detergent, water, and electric, and does the planet/environment no good at ALL.

(I do put a clean pair of underpants on every day though.)