New research, published in the fourth edition of The Truth About Laundry report, proves that choosing lower temperatures and shorter cycles can lengthen the lifespan of clothes by more than 50%.

Conducted by the Stockholm-headquartered  Electrolux Group, the study is part of a seven-year, science-led research programme focused on extending clothing life.

Through extensive laboratory testing, different washing methods were tested on various fabrics selected to represent common clothing types, including denim jeans and cotton T-shirts. Colour degradation was regularly monitored and over 600 panelists determined the point at which clothes would be disposed of.

The outcome is a new metric, the Electrolux Care Index, a new methodology that can measure the impact of different washing treatments on the durability of clothes. A cotton T-shirt washed at 30°C for 59 minutes, for example, will last over 50% longer than when it’s washed on a regular 40°C cycle, which can last up to 120 minutes. The outcome was similar for denim jeans.

“In 2021, we published a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on Electrolux machines that revealed a 20-25% reduction in Global Warming Potential by shifting from 40°C to 30°C washes,” says the study’s lead, Elisa Stabon, head of product experience at Electrolux. “We have now gone further with this new research. To reduce the significant environmental footprint of clothing, we need to keep garments in use for longer. The two simplest ways of achieving that are to firstly wear clothes more times in between washes and secondly, wash them in gentler conditions. Namely, lower temperatures and shorter cycles.”

The average European throws away over 6.5kg of clothes each year, 87% of which are either incinerated or end up in landfill. It’s the equivalent of nearly 13.5 tons of clothes being discarded every day, long before the majority needs to be. According to WRAP, a UK based climate action NGO, extending clothing life presents the single largest opportunity to reduce the carbon, water and waste footprints of clothes.

Encouraging people to choose gentler washing programmes, however, continues to be a challenge. The study, which has been surveying up to 14,000 people across fourteen European countries since 2020, highlights that most households continue to wash at higher temperatures even though millions of households have experienced laundry accidents as a result.

Only 12% of Europeans think that cycle duration has an impact on clothing life when it can have a substantial influence and two thirds of Europeans have experienced the sinking feeling of opening the washing machine to find an item of clothing shrunk or misshapen. Nearly three quarters have also experienced colour fading.

Electrolux Group’s own data indicates that the 40°C cottons setting is the most frequently used on washing machines, with cycle durations typically ranging from 90 to 120 minutes. Ideally, appliances should default to the lowest optimal setting. For instance, over 70% of programmes in three of Electrolux’s latest ranges default to 30°C or 20°C.

www.electroluxgroup.com