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I use to keep a terry bib at work just for this reason. I eat at my desk and I don't want to stain any of my nice work clothes. As soon as I get home, I change into clothes I don't care about, so if I am eating at home, it doesn't matter. I will re-wear my home clothes if I was just sitting around the house in them, as I'm only in them a couple of hours, but other than that, I mostly only re-wear bras, jeans, and some jackets/cardigans depending on what I was wearing under them. Therefore, doing this doesn't cut down on laundry any, but I have a history of not being the best at removing (or catching) oil-based stains, so that protected my nice work clothes.
A big part of the laundry issue is that our society has *trained us* to wear something Once, and even if only for a few hours, it goes into the laundry.
In some ways it's big business' fault. Doing frequent laundry gives the machine manufacturers, the laundry soap, dryer sheets and any laundry "supplement" companies always in business and making profits.
When I got my first "employee handbook"...the first page was dedicated to "all employees must show up to work on time, freshly showered (or bathed), in clean clothes in good repair...."
When I read that, I thought 'how stupid is that to tell us we need to do that?
Already we have been ingrained with that plan.
That company provided us with 5 uniforms a week for a two week stretch (so I'd pick up 10 uniforms each delivery day...with a tag showing my name and sizes), and drop off the former two weeks uniforms.
But in working my second job, I was given 2 polo type shirts. The theory being you have one to wear clean to work while the other is in the laundry. But, without doing laundry at least once every 2 days to wash both work shirts, a five day week required doing laundry at least two times during the work week.
At home, I go commando in whatever I'm wearing. In winter I wear PJs, in summer just shorts and a T-shirt or polo. If I'm home all day, that's what I put on fresh in the morning, and most likely what I will wear to bed in summer.
The pj's in winter are worn for three nights before they are washed, unless I've spilled or otherwise soiled them (sweating at night). For the 6-8 hours I'm in them, 3 nights would be about the same thing as wearing my summer clothes for 24 hours before washing.
Going out, to work, shopping, or travel I do wear underwear..just bottoms.
I tend to wear only darker colors because I hate fighting to get out stains. Thes could be what I'll tactfully call 'personal stains' as well as slipped food from cooking or eating, or dirt from doing dirty things, like playing in the garden.
I can sweat (not 'perspire') heavily on hot days, so I might shower extra or change what I'm wearing two or three times a day.
When traveling, we all tend to over pack. but in all seriousness ANYTHING not stained, not sweated on, can, in fact, be worn at least twice before it needs to be laundered.
Plastic (as I call any polyester et al) underwear is easy enough to wash in the hotel sink and air dry in the room easily without the need for a washer and dryer. They dry fairly quickly.
But, I HATE plastic clothes because I sweat more in them, I prefer all cotton or at least a majority of cotton in a blend. There are a few blended clothes I can wear easily enough that will also dry fairly quickly.
The basic tennet in wearing UNDERwear is items we wear UNDER our clothes..to keep our presentable outer garments clean and free from those "personal" stains and any body odor or sweat or perspiration.
We, in the US are taught, trained and sold on the idea that there should be no 'unpleasant smells' anywhere around us... including what our homes should smell like.
I am allergic to flowers, grass and trees (via pin prick test) and any (what I call) 'smelling device ' like plug in air fresheners that have a flower derivative or chemical derived 'freshener' not only affects my sinuses, but my asthma too.
In addition, both spouse and I break out in itchy rashes in personal areas if we use such laundry products. We only use 'free and clear' of laundry soap and dryer sheets. Neither of us care to have laundry smelling like something 2 weeks after washing it either..we just want clean clothes, and clean clothes without the "fresh as a daisy smell"...they smell just clean.
To boot, if someone has washed with, say Gain, or a scent booster or unstoppables, and have showered with a different scented bath cleaners (shampoo, soap, etc), and then ads a dab of perfume or cologne...to me and my sinuses allergies and asthma.. frankly they reek to me!
Wearing an apron, either top and bottom or waist apron while cooking..either in kitchen or while BBQ ing is very sensible. Every show from the 50s and 60s shows the lady if the household wearing some type of apron while cooking or cleaning, something that has all but disappeared.
I do have a bit of a belly, and invariably if I'm wearing white or lighter colored clothes I will spill some type of food or sauce on it. I suppose I should wear a bib when eating if I can't directly lean over my plate...and I do often put a napkin in my shirt collar when eating out. Darker colors either I never spill, or have something jump off my fork on the way to my mouth, or at least the darker colors don't show a stain as well.
I really see no point to washing something I had on for an hour or two, unless I've sweated or spilled on it, so it will be set aside in a "wear again before washing ' pile on my dresser.
If I need to fill out a load of laundry, I can put them in too, as I don't like washing a partial or small load.
Our old front loader machine had a short/small load cycle, but the laundry in our new condo is a top loader with a dryer attached on top and while it has a small load feature, it still wastes water, and takes as long as a bigger load to do.
They do now make a front loader washer/dryer set that's designed to fit the smaller footprint of the all in one top loader machine, and we'll replace the existing one with the front loader all in one when the time comes.
When we (collectively as Americans) go on a trip for 7 days, we tend to pack 7 underwear, 7 socks, 7 shirts, 7 pants, then we add a "formal" outfit of some sort, and at least one set of something if the weather changes slightly that the norm of the season in case the weather changes. Add to that an extra pair of shoes, shower flip flops, and personal care stuff. Then we wonder why the suit case either won't hold all of that, or why it's so heavy once packed!
Travel show host Rick Steve's has "how I pack" videos both on his website and on YouTube. Fewr items, mix n match and double duty clothes are his plan..and it works well...even mentioning washing underwear or any clothing in the hotel sink. There are laundry soap sheets in compact case that one can buy online or in a store like Walmart that has a good supply of travel items.
I'm not even thinking about how washing might effect the durability of the clothing. I just think it is gross to get up in the morning and and put on dirty clothing.
My clothing does last a long time, but it never occurred to me that laundry had anything to do with it In fact, I assume that washing fades the colors.
I've always assumed that the dryer wears out more than the washer. The lint on the lint trap isn't from the atmosphere, that's your clothes. So I do have some stuff that I hang to dry for that reason.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke
My clothing (and shoes) have life cycles. When they are new, they go to town. When they start to show a little age, they get worn around the house. If they start to show wear, they get demoted to gardening.
This made me chuckle...my wife admonished me for wearing a pair of (formerly) expensive loafers in the garden. I pointed out that I had worn them heavily for several years, to the point that the pinky toe had a hole worn in it. Therefore, they weren't nice enough for work, or much of anything aside from runs to home depot, wearing around the house, in the yard...She just couldn't square what they had been with what they had become.
Quote:
Originally Posted by galaxyhi
A big part of the laundry issue is that our society has *trained us* to wear something Once, and even if only for a few hours, it goes into the laundry.
In some ways it's big business' fault. Doing frequent laundry gives the machine manufacturers, the laundry soap, dryer sheets and any laundry "supplement" companies always in business and making profits.
That's my opinions and I'm sticking to it.
IDK...I'm of split opinions on this one. I was taught from an early age "go hang up your church clothes" or clothes we had worn for a short time to a nice occasion.
I still do the same with my work clothes. Other stuff gets gross in a hurry, especially in the summer here. During a heat wave I can sweat through a shirt in the course of a 15 minute task outdoors.
A washer (especially a top load with agitator) is more likely to physically damage clothes than a dryer. A dryer can shrink and distort clothes, but a lot of the lint you see in it is leftover from damage in the washer. There is no screen on the drain outlet of a washer, so you don't see the lint and dirt that goes down the drain. However, a big cause of plumbing clogs is lint from washers (worse if it leads into a line where there is kitchen grease).
The wet clothes have more mass than when they are dry, so the fibers are more likely to get dislodged or damaged than in a dryer, which uses a slow lift and drop action, compared to the agitation needed to clean.
"A big part of the laundry issue is that our society has *trained us* to wear something Once, and even if only for a few hours, it goes into the laundry."
Even if this is a factor, it is a "flaw" I fully embrace. I hate wearing dirty clothes. They don't feel good on the body, and have odors and stains from past adventures. I remember the days of walking into any place of public assembly and being overpowered by the reek and stench of unwashed clothes and people, women wearing tons of cheap perfume to cover the smell, and men whose clothes smelled of stale tobacco. There were places where I would walk in the door, take one or two breaths and turn right around and leave.
The complaint of "wear" on clothes from washing is misguided. The wear from washing that I see is mostly from towels and washcloths that have poorly finished edges that fray, and the thinning of cheap "fluffed" fabrics that use bonded linters and the current term for tiny scrap that used to be tossed as unusable - "microfibers." Put toilet paper in a washer and it will fall apart. Put cheap fabric in a washer and it will also fall apart.
People cram clothes into a washer until it is packed and heavy, then wonder why their wash isn't clean and the clothes are damaged. Cut the load size in half, cut the amount of detergent used even more, and clothes will actually be washed instead of having the dirt and schmutz rearranged.
Laundry seems like such a minor expense but people cheap out on it anyway. I know one who does it late at night because electricity is cheaper. Line drying [where it is allowed] saves a bit more. My means is washing it in one load instead of separating by color. No ill effect so far.
Laundry seems like such a minor expense but people cheap out on it anyway. I know one who does it late at night because electricity is cheaper. Line drying [where it is allowed] saves a bit more. My means is washing it in one load instead of separating by color. No ill effect so far.
My sister in law did that and all her whites became greys.
Laundry seems like such a minor expense but people cheap out on it anyway. I know one who does it late at night because electricity is cheaper. Line drying [where it is allowed] saves a bit more. My means is washing it in one load instead of separating by color. No ill effect so far.
Many, many people- especially apartment dwellers don't have the luxury of washer/dryer/line drying. And that can be a large monthly nut.
I recently took my laundry out to do when our machine gave up the ghost. One week's laundry of work clothes, "home clothes", bedding, and towels for 2 adults cost me nearly $50 to wash and dry (myself).
I'm not even thinking about how washing might effect the durability of the clothing. I just think it is gross to get up in the morning and and put on dirty clothing.
My clothing does last a long time, but it never occurred to me that laundry had anything to do with it In fact, I assume that washing fades the colors.
My clothing (and shoes) have life cycles. When they are new, they go to town. When they start to show a little age, they get worn around the house. If they start to show wear, they get demoted to gardening.
Life of the clothing is helped by buying basic styles that won't go out of fashion before fall is over. Also, for things that I really want to last, like my ski jacket, I buy quality. Perhaps find it on sale, but top quality brands, known to be durable and functional.
Couldn't agree more. Also, quality clothing typically isn't damaged by laundry machines if you're using them right.
I just bought about 10 new pre-shrunk cotton T-shirts for summer, made in the USA. Probably paid twice as much as their counterparts made in China or who knows where, but I'll have them 10 years from now.
I think (and I practice it myself) that people should change their street clothes to house clothes.
This! I've adopted the European habit of changing to casual, older clothes when I"m at home. This achieves a number of things: 1. Avoid stains when preparing meals, as well as the occasional drip, or whatever, when eating, 2. Keeps my nicer clothes fresh for longer, and 3. My away-from-home clothes will last longer, so I can go years without having to buy new replacements. Less wrinkling, less wear-and-tear if I don't use them at home.
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