Is Handwashing Clothes Better For The Environment?

The debate of machine vs man is age-old. With the added point of sustainability, this one gets a fresh life. In the current age of global warming, any lifestyle decision needs to take the environmental impact into account. Washing clothes is an unavoidable routine for households. Let us understand and make an informed decision on handwashing vs machine wash.

Is hand washing Clothes Better For Environment?

Yes! Hand washing clothes is a more sustainable environmental option. It saves crucial energy, money, releases less toxic chemicals to the earth. Handwashing is also better for clothes. Thus clothes last longer and result in fewer discarded garments in the landfill.

Let us consider the below factors to understand the effect of handwashing vs machine wash on the environment.

Power Usage

This one looks pretty straightforward. The washing machine uses electricity to run. While hand wash does not need any external energy.

However, there is a catch. Do you use warm or hot water to hand wash your clothes? At what temperature do you run the machine wash cycle? It is well known that cold water laundry is better for the environment.

Everyone has different water heating arrangements at home. So, it is difficult to gauge the power usage if you are washing your clothes with warm water.

Also, the energy efficiency of washing machines has increased over the past decade. There are now machines that use as little as 300 watts of electricity per load. On the other hand, the old inefficient machines can hog above 1500 watts.

There are also other things to consider. Front-loading machines are more energy-efficient than top-load ones.

So, if you are using your washing machine efficiently, the energy usage difference is very less.

On the other hand, hand washing clothes at normal water temperature does not use any energy at all. Whereas, if you are using warm water to hand wash, you are probably consuming more energy than an energy-efficient washing machine run in a sustainable way.

So now you can take an informed decision on energy usage while doing your laundry.

Water Usage

You can not make a sustainable decision without considering the water usage. Getting water to every house continues to be an energy-intensive affair, even with the efficiency of the modern system.

It might seem like there is no direct eco-impact of using more water, but if you consider the amount of energy and environmental pollution that goes behind making every gallon of household water, it quickly adds up.

So, let’s see how much water is used in machine vs man!

A single load in an energy-efficient machine typically uses 14 gallons (~50 liters) of water. Compare this to approx 20 liters of water used to handwash the same amount of clothes.

If you have an older model the water requirement goes much higher, On average 19 gallons of water is used per load.

The vast difference is enough for you to consider handwashing your clothes whenever possible.

If you have to use the washing machine, consider these tips on reducing washing machine water usage.

Detergent Usage – Machine vs Hand-wash

This hidden factor is usually overlooked while doing a sustainability comparison of hand wash vs machine wash of clothes. But this consumption needs greater attention since it ends up polluting our waterways and air.

We have seen, machine wash uses a considerable more amount of water. This roughly translates to more detergent for the same load for getting the desired cleaning effect, since the detergent gets more diluted in the machine.

Again, each machine and detergent maker provides a generic instruction on the amount of detergent to be used for doing a full load of clothes. This amount is usually on the generous side.

During hand wash, you can gauge the detergent needed and can easily adjust it next time. But in machine wash, you usually have no way to know if you are using more detergent than needed.

So, even if you are using a more eco-friendly detergent with a higher concentration in your machine, you may still end up using more detergent anyway.

In conclusion, hand washing needs a considerably lesser amount of detergent than machine wash. So less toxic chemicals pollute the earth.

Is Handwashing Better For Fabric?

Definitely yes! Handwashing clothes is much better for the clothes’ lifespan. Even the most gentler machine in delicate cycles cause microtears. This is not the case in the case of hand wash, where the damage is much less.

The washing machine uses agitation to clean the clothes. As clothes turn and toss around, the rub and friction clean the dirt. This ends up causing microscopic tears in clothes.

While in the case of hand wash, you would rub only the stained part of the fiber more, causing no harm to the rest of the garment.

It is for this reason alone, many delicate garments come with the label of ‘hand wash only.

But do consider a gentle way of washing your clothes during a hand wash. A washboard is a big no-no if you want to increase the lifespan of your clothes.

So handwash your garments to keep them new and fresher looking.

Now, how does clothes lifespan connect to sustainably? It does when you consider the energy used and pollution caused by each new piece of clothing manufactured. Add in the fact that your old clothes are ending up in the landfill sooner.

Is Dry Cleaning more environment freindly?

Now you might wonder, given all the above considerations, dry cleaning is probably the more sustainable way of cleaning garments. Nothing is farther than the truth.

Dry cleaning uses perchloroethylene (PERC) etc harmful chemicals. This is way too dangerous for the environment, and definitely not a more eco-friendly option than machine wash.

Disadvantages of Hand washing clothes

No sustainability analysis is ever complete, without checking the viability of the method. The disadvantages of hand-washing clothes, in general, end up discouraging people from truly adopting the practice.

Takes time– In the case of the machine, you can just load, fill, turn the switch and turn away. While handwashing consumes your precious time. Though with planning and practice you can vastly reduce the time taken. It still is a good chunk of time from your day.

Water and electricity usage – one needs to be very mindful about the water usage, and should never use more than needed. The same goes for using power for heating water for washing.

Effect on health and hand – If you are using a strong chemical-based toxic detergent without any gloves, your hands would end up with dry skin. And some people also may be allergic to harsh chemicals. Consider using an eco frinedly\natural detergent that is generally milder.

Large scale washing – Not a viable option if you are doing a very large load and in an industrial setup. Take the load to your local laundromat instead. The machines there are quite energy efficient.

May end up with not-so-clean clothes – Sometimes (though very rarely), you may end up with not-so-clean clothes, if proper handwashing techniques are not used. Check out these easy and efficient handwashing clothes hacks.

Handwash vs machine wash – a quick comparison

	Hand Wash	Machine Wash
Eco Friendly	Sustainable	Not Eco friendly
Better For Clothes	Yes, lesser damages	Considerably more damage even in delicate\hand wash cycle
Time Needed	Needs approx 15 minutes more	Very less involvement
Pocket friendly	Yes	Costlier

Bottom Line

Handwashing in general is a much eco-friendly option for washing clothes. But if you are really taking the extra effort to be sustainable, do consider using cold water and other eco-friendly tips for washing clothes by hand.