Washed Up

Our washing machine gave up the ghost last weekend. I was away when it happened, probably at the same time that I was doing my mother’s washing in her apartment building’s laundry.

We tried to get the washer and dryer (it’s been busted for over a year but we mostly hang our clothes out to dry), but the repair person said it was too far gone. So now we are in the market for new machines which means thinking a lot about laundry.

We try to limit the environmental impact of laundry as much as possible. In my case, it makes me feel less guilty about the stress clothing manufacturing puts on the planet — especially when one buys as much clothing as I do. We wash in cold water and at off-peak power usage hours. Our laundry soap comes in strips to avoid using single use plastic packaging. And we are careful to use the delicate cycle and hang things out to dry in order to prolong the life of our clothing.

(Even though we can live without a dryer, we’re still getting a new one because if we ever move, having a matching set will help the resale value…or something like that).

In our old place we didn’t even have a washer or dryer. In fact, before we bought this place I always took my clothes to the local laundromat. I have becoming spoiled. Now, the only time I frequent a laundromat is when I travel (that’s me doing laundry in Los Angeles because I didn’t pack enough clothing).

After spending three hours doing four big loads of my mom’s laundry made me realize that I don’t want to go back to laundromat life. Until we get new machines, I am learning some lessons on new ways to be more eco-conscious. If you don’t want to haul dirty clothes to the laundromat (the closest one is one kilometre away), then wash the less often. Usually in the warm months I’ll change three times a day (summer foods are messy and I hate the feeling of sweaty garments against my skin). This week, I’ve learned to wear an outfit (socks and undies excluded) more than once. And I’m trying to be more mindful when I bite into a juicy peach or a cob of corn slathered in butter.

We are also researching appliances that use less resources and that are built to last (I’m sure the landfills are overflowing with the unrecoverable bits and pieces of scrapped machinery.

What I’m trying to say is that even if you are trying to be good, there’s always room for improvement.