a peek inside the fishbowl

This post is about the “One dress, thirty days” challenge. You can readthe kickoff post right here.

So I’ve been on the receiving end of some positive feedback about the challenge so far, which is nice. Some people have asked me if I’m washing the dress during the 30 days. Er, yes! I am definitely washing the dress. As per the label it needs to be hand washed and laid flat to dry. I’ve washed it twice this way (albeit on the delicate cycle in our front loader). Once I laid it out to dry overnight on the bed in the eldest daughter’s former bedroom and the second time (just last night) I lay it flat on a drying rack in the basement. I will admit that it was a teeeeny bit damp when I put it on this morning, but no biggie. Next time I’ll definitely lay it out to dry in the bedroom.

I feel compelled to point out that I wear PJs for sleeping and gym gear for sweating in, whether I’m at the gym or on the treadmill here at home. When I’m dressed, I’m wearing The Dress. Someone also asked me if I’m wearing a layer underneath the dress, and yes, I wear lightweight undershirts and camisoles every day. It goes a long way to keeping the dress clean because it’s not directly on my skin. I’m also reaching for that apron when I’m prepping dinner a little more frequently.

The “are you washing the dress” question makes me wonder if the idea of cleanliness (or lack thereof) is people’s number one issue when they hear about this challenge. Is it the first thing that springs to mind when I tell people that I’m wearing the same dress for 30 days?

The question of whether our clothes are dirty or clean is an interesting one. On one hand, detergent manufacturers would have us washing our clothes every day with additives for every cycle – in addition to regular detergent – such as laundry scent boosters (yes, it’s a thing), bleach, spray n’ wash, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets. It’s in their best interest to instill a fear of dirt, germs, and bad smells. That’s what gets us to buy more products, right? Ahd someone who is germophobic probably washes their clothes more than other people.

In past years, these same manufacturers used shame as a key motivator. Readers of an, ahem, certain age might remember the “ring around the collar” commercials.

I have a feeling that if we did a nationwide survey we’d learn that most people are washing their clothes too frequently. Over washing uses extra water, flushes detergent down the drain (not to mention microfibres along with it) and shortens the lifespan of our clothing.

My current approach to laundering my clothes is this:

• I wash all of my clothing on the delicate cycle and hang most of it to dry on the laundry line in our basement. Even socks! This has made a huge difference, especially in the bra and underwear department. All of my clothing lasts a lot longer now that I’m not throwing everything in the drier. (I can’t tell you how many bras I’ve ruined this way.)
• Clothing items such as sweaters and hoodies are washed on an as-needed basis. In other words, if they’re stained, dingy, or less than fresh. Same goes for jeans. I wear them a lot between washings (and I only have two pairs!).

This article published in the Guardian got me thinking about how often we wash things around the house. It’s interesting to note that different experts have wildly different ideas about cleanliness depending on their angle e.g. whether they approached the question as an expert cleaner or environmentalist. Some people would have us wash our jeans every day because of germs, others say the time to wash is when the item fails the sniff test.

There is no wrong answer (is there?), but I do think it’s important to be just as mindful of our laundry as we are about our recycling or turning off the lights when we’re not using them. What do you think?