there are approximately 24 trillion pieces of microplastics in the ocean. it’s everywhere. snow. rain. the atmosphere. an entity of our creation that we cannot get rid of. we cannot completely stop it but we can reduce our contribution.

almost 60% of all clothes are made of synthetic fibres and when we wash them, these fibres break down and tiny microfibres get washed into our waterways; contaminating and poisoning our planet.

recently, we talked about what microplastics are how they are harmful to us and the environment. quickly go back and give a read. meanwhile, we are here to share some tips on how to avoid leaching microplastics when you are washing your synthetic clothes.

we will start with the most difficult one because why not. try and buy more natural fibres like hemp, linen, cotton, and linen instead of synthetic ones. the natural fibres do not shed microplastics into the wash. why do we say it’s difficult? it takes time to change your buying preferences but even one step in the right direction will make all the difference.

dry your clothes by hanging them naturally on a line but if that doesn’t work for you because of space constraints, then change your dry settings to low. less friction can reduce the amount of microplastics leach into the water.

do not wash your clothes so frequently. wear it a few more times before you throw it into the washing machine.

fill your washing machine to the brim. this also creates less friction between the clothes and well the fibres won’t break as easily.

use cold water instead of hot to wash your clothes, mainly because heat can easily damage fabrics and release microfibres.

liquid detergent is better than powder ones. powdered detergents can scrub off the fibres and increase the number of microfibres that will release in the wash. you can also install an external lint filter.

if nothing else is working, then a cora ball can come to the rescue. it’s a ball made from 100% recyclable plastic that traps threads in its spindles which can be easily cleaned.

hope these tips will work out for you and we will be able to do our part in creating a better world. 

live sustainable. live aastey.