The fourth edition of AEG’s Truth About Laundry Report has revealed that choosing lower temperatures and shorter washing cycles can lengthen the lifespan of clothes by more than 50 per cent.
Through extensive laboratory testing, AEG measured various washing methods on different fabrics, developing the AEG Care Index. This methodology indicates that temperature and cycle duration significantly influence clothing longevity, revealing that cooler and shorter washes extend the life of clothing.
The study’s lead, Elisa Stabon, Head of Product Experience and Product Line Care at Electrolux Group, said: “In 2021, we published a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on AEG washing machines that revealed a 20-25 per cent reduction in Global Warming Potential by shifting from 40 degrees C to 30 degrees C washes.
“We have now gone further with this new research. To reduce the significant environmental footprint of clothing, we need to keep garments in use for longer. The two simplest ways of achieving that are to firstly, wear clothes more times in between washes and, secondly, wash them in gentler conditions. Namely, lower temperatures and shorter cycles.”
The study highlights that 83 per cent of people admit to caring about looking after their clothes, and want to extend clothing life, yet there are still challenges when it comes to encouraging people to choose gentler washing programs. For example, nearly three quarters (74 per cent) of people admit to sticking to the default washing temperature, even though the same percentage (74 per cent) has experienced clothing colour fading.
Additional research from AEG reveals that 69 per cent of people wash their clothes even when they haven’t been worn. To further encourage people to drop these habits and subsequently extend the lifespan of their items, AEG wants people to cut down on these wasted washes.
Electrolux, parent company of AEG, is a headline Sustainability Partner of this year’s ERT Awards, which will be another certified carbon neutral event. You’ll be able to meet the team at the Awards on the day.
AEG’s 9000 AbsoluteCare 9kg Washing Machine.
AEG recommends the following five steps to extend clothing life:
- Think before you wash: choose the correct setting that will protect your clothing and help you avoid common laundry blunders like shrinkage, colour run, and fading.
- Be smart(er) with technology: with less than half (46 per cent) rarely consulting the appliance instructions, understanding the appliance can lead to better choices.
- Default to 30 degrees C: always check what your appliance’s default settings are. Most can be changed, making it easy to lower the temperature to suit more washing. AEG’s most recent Care range, has set the defaults of nearly 70 per cent of its programs to 30 degrees C or 20 degrees C.
- Reduce time: be mindful to reduce time settings, per the AEG Care Index, shorter cycles extend clothing life. The AEG PowerClean 59min can remove stains in under an hour, using low temperatures, saving energy and therefore money.
- Wear. Refresh: frequent washing wears out clothes and increases the chances for laundry blunders. Choose an appliance with a steam function, like the AEG Steam Refresh cycle, which can refresh clothes in 25 minutes and uses up to 96 per cent less water than washing.
To further this, AEG research highlighted the benefits of using a steam function for homeowners. This function uses less water per cycle and diminishes wrinkles, minimizing the need for ironing.
Over half (57 per cent) of people expressed an interest in purchasing a washing machine that hosts a steam function, like the AEG 7000, 8000 and 9000 Series Washing Machines that feature the Steam Refresh function, which saves time, energy, and money as it uses 96 per cent less water per cycle.
