Doing laundry more sustainably: disrupting everydaypractices through media conversations

摘要

This research experiments with a video pro- totype created to activate user participation in ideas for washing clothes less. Washing clothes can be an extremely resource-inten- sive process, and only 7.5% of the clothes that we wash are considered ‘heavily soiled,’ suggesting many clothes are washed unnec- essarily. Clothes laundering is referred to as a form of inconspicuous consumption because this routinised activity often goes unnoticed as it melds inconspicuously into everyday life. This is problematic because the routine of the activity can play a greater role in the clothes being washed than the actual need to clean the garments. This research recog- nises the significant environmental gains that could be met by reducing unnecessary habit- ual washing. A reduction in washing could be accomplished if clothes users simply ques- tioned whether a garment was ‘dirty’ enough to be put through a washing machine. If the garment is not, the wearer may implement a less resource-intensive cleansing method, such as airing the garment on a hanger.