Hygiene, sustainability, ecology… What if our habits were deceiving us? Pascal Allaert, France’s top laundry worker, gives us the keys to effective laundry that won’t change our wardrobe. Corrected from the laundry tub.
4 million tons is the amount of clothes Europeans throw away every year, according to ADEME (2022). This huge volume is explained by the phenomenon of overconsumption, but also by the premature aging of our clothes. Wear, loss or change of shine, many scars associated with rough maintenance, which, in addition to damaging the textile, can be ineffective. However, how everyone uses their clothes plays a key role in the environmental impact of the fashion industry New economy of textiles. Reshaping the future of fashion According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017), doubling the wear and tear of cloth would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its production by 44%.
The fact remains that taking care of your wardrobe is a skill in itself, and that too on the way out. “These skills were once learned in home economics schools, and their transmission was broken, particularly due to lack of time,” recalls Pascal Allaert, linen and textile service consultant and France’s best worker, cleaner, wardrobe, dyer. An expert sheds light on all these established habits for quick removal from harm.
Trust the care label
The first reflex before loading the washing machine drum is to familiarize yourself with the label sewn inside the garment. However, the washing instructions that appear there are not always reliable. Only the code of the French Labeling Committee for Textile Care (or GINETEX™ internationally) guarantees its authenticity. A registered trademark, its label is recognizable by the ® symbol and its 5 logos. In order to use it, the company that manufactures the garment must conduct tests that confirm that each indication is valid. This labeling process is optional and some brands are happy to avoid it. There is no guarantee that the instructions on the label have been verified.
Even when they are designed according to the rules of the art, these maintenance instructions only take into account the main material of the garment, Pascale Allaert teaches us. This can lead to unpleasant surprises, the fibers sometimes require the opposite treatment. “The best way to know how to do this is to refer to the composition, which should be marked on the garment,” advises the best worker in France.
Wash too cold
For less energy consuming and more responsible clothing care, government authorities widely recommend cold washing. However, it is not ideal for affecting blemishes; “Efficient washing is based on the Sinnar frame, explains the service expert. You have to imagine Camembert divided into four parameters: chemical (detergent), mechanical (drum), time and… Thermal. “Depending on whether you want to wash a cotton T-shirt or a cashmere sweater, you modulate these four actions.” For example, to disinfect linen with a classic detergent, it will be necessary to wash it at 90 degrees. To avoid exposure to such heat, it will be necessary to add chemical exposure by using a disinfectant.
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Recommended for delicate fibers but less effective on stains, systematic low-temperature washing has another drawback, according to Pascale Allaert: it promotes the spread of germs in the washing machine. His advice. “Clean your machine at least once a month by pouring 1 liter of white vinegar into the tank before running the very hot, empty cycle.” More environmentally responsible than using a car cleaner, this gesture also gets rid of limescale, which allows the machine to warm up faster and improve the quality of the wash.
Put everything in one basket
“Each type of linen has its own problem,” insists Pascal Allaert. In terms of maintenance, therefore, it is impossible to avoid case by case. there is no question of simply separating your dirty laundry into light and dark or household linen and clothing. Splitting your sorting as much as possible, while preferring a few short cycles to a quantitative wash, saves the fibers from temperature shocks and the friction responsible for their erosion. And thus prevent soiling of white linen or shrinking of sweaters.
Making more cars, however, goes against the recommendations of the Environmental Transition Agency. In response, the expert raises another question: “Is washing several times less ecological, or do you need to wash multiple times to catch a bad gesture?” The debate is open.
Stick to one wash…
To be relevant, sorting must necessarily be combined with the use of the relevant product. “I have three detergents for my household use,” explains Pascal Allaert. One for white, which contains oxygenated products and aggressive optical azura. Second, liquid, for colors. The third, special wool with a neutral pH, is dedicated to black and all delicate fibers such as silk. What about a homemade alternative? “It should be used in larger quantities to be really effective,” the specialist says. He recommends giving preference to commercial products that are more effective and have more environmentally friendly formulations.
…too much
Pascale Allaert also warns to respect the dosages indicated on the packaging of the detergent. In 2020, an OpinionWay study by L’Arbre Vert showed that 72% of French people did not know that liquid detergents are more concentrated than in the past. And therefore used more product than necessary to wash the clothes.
To combat blemishes, France’s best worker also offers sobriety; “In most cases, applying dishwashing liquid and brushing the area before washing in the machine is more than enough.” And finally. “Especially never a salt that hardens the molecules, nor hot water that boils them.” What to question his own habits?
Source: Le Figaro
