Smoke free public places law has unexpected environmental benefits for washing machines
I went out for a meal last night. I wore a smart shirt and trousers. Normally they would be thrown straight into the wash basket when I went to bed because they stunk of smoke. This morning I had a good look at them. I’d only worn them for about 3 hours, I had a good sniff and they smelt perfectly fine.
Deciding they could go back in my wardrobe I suddenly realised that an added and unexpected bonus of this new law could be the saving of much wear and tear on millions of washing machines and dryers, which would in turn result in a big reduction of water usage, laundry detergent and electricity.
I’m sure there are people who would want to wash something just because they’d worn it for an hour but there must be many like myself who are happy to put something back in the wardrobe to wear another time as long as they don’t smell of sweat or smoke. At least I hope there are otherwise I might be seen as being odd. I’m sure a substantial percentage of general laundry being washed is totally unnecessary - especially from teenagers.
Here’s a confession, as I work from home I often wear the same trousers for 3 or 4 days and the same t-shirt for a couple of days. Of course I change my undies on the hour - just kidding - but I do change them daily. I wouldn’t go as far as turning them inside out for the next day to save on washing.
Speaking of underpants, I remember seeing Jimmy Saville in a documentary where he said that when he goes away - even for a fortnight - he only ever takes one pair. He travels very light indeed, which isn’t a bad thing. Each evening he washes them in the sink and hangs them up to dry. Next morning he’s got a fresh pair. I can’t argue with that logic.
UPDATE (6/1/08)
There was an item on the news last week showing a dry cleaning company who are struggling after seeing a substantial drop in custom after the smoking in public places ban. People no longer need to freshen up their suits after a luch session in a pub or after an evening out. It just goes to show that every time something changes it affects something else - often in an unexpected way.
Written By Washerhelp on July 5th, 2007 with
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