One of the best ways to stop microfibers (including plastic) from going down the drain when you do the laundry is by tossing a Cora Ball into your washing machine, which collects our microfibers into fuzz we can see, so we can dispose of them right away. With that said, there’s another way to reduce the amount of microplastic fibers that your laundry sheds in the first place.
According to new research, short, cool washing cycles are best for minimizing the generation fo those fibers. In fact, shorter, cooler cycles cause 52 percent fewer microfibers as well as 74 percent less dye. That means that short washes even help to keep your clothes more colorful. On top of that, the research found that washing clothes at a temperature of 20 ºC (68 ºF) instead of 40 ºC (104 ºF) saved about 66 percent of the energy used per load.Â
With benefits to the planet, your energy bill, and your clothes, washing your clothes at lower temperatures for shorter amounts of time seems like a no-brainer.
