What a wild read. I had to check a few times to make sure it wasn't an Onion article ๐คฃ
this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2023
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Environment
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[They have] an aroma... It's not an unpleasant smell, per se, but it's a smell
My knee-jerk reaction was that I don't want to have "an aroma", but I think it's a valid question whether our current society is a bit too overhygienic. Eg. washing clothes too often is going to just wear them out faster, meaning more resources wasted on new clothes
I wash my pants after 4-5 uses and unless I spill something on them or use them for a workout, there is no smell.
That's not true of under shirts, socks, underwear, etc though.
Yeah pretty much the same. Washing pants after every one or two uses seems like madness.
If you're working out in those pants and they don't smell like vinegar after 4-5 uses without washing it means your sweat salt concentration is high enough to keep odor-causing bacteria at bay. Which is basically normal ๐
If you get headaches after working out though or experience vertigo then you're losing too much salt and should down some electrolyte solution (e.g. Gatorade) instead of just water.
No aroma trick used by stage actors who couldn't wash costumes in between performances: vodka in a spray bottle. I've tried it for jeans and can confirm it 100% removes odors. I wash my clothes, but it is a great "emergency" solution for laundry day. The vodka dries very quickly and you're on your way.
And then nobody can smell the vodka on your breath!
Win win
Ha, I wonder how that works. Maybe the alcohol kills off, err, "aromatic" bacteria?
I don't wash jeans that often and i air things which don't get smelly so fast over night, like linen shirts. But my t-shirts or underwear are smelly after one day. And no, i don't want no aroma on my pants!
Those are the things that should be washed regularly and hot washed. Undies protect the rest of our clothes from all the ick. The hot can degrade the elastic but replacing a band isn't too difficult.
40C is sufficient by my experience. I just need to throw in my undershirts with the towels etc. twice a year at 60C.
Honestly most fabrics shouldn't be washed as regularly as mainstream western society insists. a lot of fabrics are warm to cool wash only, shouldn't be tumble dried, and should be hung insideout or in the shade. Your clothes will last sooooo much longer if you take care of them
Bamboo is marketed as this tough "green" fibre and if we ignore the processing it takes to turn such a woody fibre into a shoft fabric it can be long lasting with proper care. It doesn't like hot washes or tumble drying. It breaks down the fibres and negates the durability that's being marketed. Denim is something that should be rarely washed and preferably just cool soaked and swished and rinsed (like a rug or curtains) then dried on a line insideout to prevent fading.
So I guess I would probably be one of the people this article is discussing but all's I'm really doing is following proper fabric care practices
The concept behind bamboo clothing isn't so much that it's tough it's that it grows really fucking fast and doesn't require as much water (which means you can also grow it in more places). So it's cheaper to grow but also cheaper to harvest and ultimately a lot more environmentally friendly.
The chemicals used to process bamboo into the type of fiber used in clothing aren't really a big deal (sodium hydroxide aka "caustic soda") and have relatively straightforward (and safe) disposal processes. So if the fibers are processed in the West you can assume that regulations will require safe disposal of waste. They're not exotic or new enough to be of much concern.
However, if it's made in a 3rd world country with heavy corruption of regulatory agencies (e.g. India and Bangladesh) and/or completely inadequate enforcement/policing (e.g. China) that's a very real problem. Though not so much a global pollution problem like global warming as much as it's a local pollution problem.
TL;DR: Bamboo is all around way better for the environment than cotton.
Both main producers are India and China. Good On You estimates roughly 50% of the processing chemicals are escaping into the environment and employees manufacturing bamboo and other natural fibre synthetics (viscose, rayon) are exposed leaving some with neurological issues.
It's not all-around better. It just doesn't require soil disruptions on established plantations, use as much water, or require pesticides. Those are all great things but dumping neurotoxic chemicals that can effect reproductive systems into the environment and is occurring in areas where the people are already exploited for labour and incapable of fighting back isn't something i love. If i was buying new fabric and didn't have linen or recycled cotton as an option, I would personally opt for organic cotton. Tbh though I don't really buy new fabric as there aren't many ethical choices available in my price range. 2nd hand is always better in that regard
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