![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
adrian_turtleI remember when cautious, responsible people did their laundry with the coolest water feasible, and put clothes to dry on a clothesline instead of tumbling them in a hot dryer. They were trying to save money on the power bill. Or they were trying to reduce air pollution. Or they wanted their clothes to last longer (and they knew high temperatures tend to accelerate fading and elastic breakdown.) If they put their jeans and towels through the dryer, they'd take them out when they were barely dry, or even a tiny bit damp, and hang them up, not wanting to waste power on overdrying.
In the last few weeks, I've seen a lot of articles and pamphlets about MRSA, and the need to approach cleaning and hygiene in a properly anxious frame of mind. (Everyone seems to agree about frequent handwashing, but half say to always use antibacterial soap and the others to use stuff without triclosan when you can find it.) Do laundry frequently! Dry cleaning is no protection against the dreaded disease! Wash clothes and linens in hot water to kill germs. Dry in the dryer until everything is completely dry. Wash with bleach, because colorsafe bleaches don't kill germs like real chlorine bleach.
There is an organized industry of people who want to convince me I should buy an entire wardrobe of new clothes twice a year. I don't really think the big media push to "wash clothes the expensive and destructive way!" is in collusion with the ongoing media pressure to "buy new clothes" and "burn lots of petroleum!" Not when I'm thinking sensibly.
In the last few weeks, I've seen a lot of articles and pamphlets about MRSA, and the need to approach cleaning and hygiene in a properly anxious frame of mind. (Everyone seems to agree about frequent handwashing, but half say to always use antibacterial soap and the others to use stuff without triclosan when you can find it.) Do laundry frequently! Dry cleaning is no protection against the dreaded disease! Wash clothes and linens in hot water to kill germs. Dry in the dryer until everything is completely dry. Wash with bleach, because colorsafe bleaches don't kill germs like real chlorine bleach.
There is an organized industry of people who want to convince me I should buy an entire wardrobe of new clothes twice a year. I don't really think the big media push to "wash clothes the expensive and destructive way!" is in collusion with the ongoing media pressure to "buy new clothes" and "burn lots of petroleum!" Not when I'm thinking sensibly.
