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What's in the clothes we wear? |
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by Lohita Swaminathan | 25-01-2019 21:19
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Colored fabrics are attractive to everyone; almost every industrial dye process involves a solution of a dye in water, in which the fabrics are dipped or washed. After dying a batch of fabric, dye factories dump huge quantities of dye effluent into rivers. Most countries require factories to treat dye effluent before it is dumped. Responsible dye manufactures are investigating ways to treat their dye effluent with organic materials and bacteria, rather than chemical treatments, and improve dye manufacture and processing to minimize hazardous chemicals used. The focus of this article is to control the waste of water from our daily actions of washing such colored fabrics. Some dyes bleed slightly every time you wash a garment, even though the color of the garment does not seem to change. Clothes whose colors run should be washed separately from others or washed with articles of like color. But this process of separately washing clothes wastes a lot of water. To reduce water wastage, 1. The cloth can be dry-cleaned, but this is more expensive and chemical based. 2. Avoid washing in hot water. 3. Avoid prolonged soaking, detergents and bleaches as these increase the release of dye 4. People add salt or vinegar to the wash water in an effort to "set" dyes that run. Doing this may reduce dye loss by reducing the alkalinity and thus the cleaning power of the wash water, but does not actually cause any color to "set". Testing Colorfastness to Laundry Products is not easy at the time of shopping. Buying from reliable shops will however help by reducing our efforts of washing separately and also save water. Some dyes will run in a solution of water and detergent but not in plain water; some will bleed in hot water but not warm. Some will bleed in a pretreatment solution or in bleach but would not run in a solution of detergent and water. However a simple test at the time of shopping by rubbing a wet cotton swab or a wetted white handkerchief over the colors in the fabric and observing the transfer of color to the cotton swab or kerchief may reveal if the color will run in plain water. So please take care our wear does not strain our lifeline on Earth - Water |
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7 Comments
Hello Lohita, I once watched a short documentary film during my class in university concerning recycling status of huge fashion companies in South East Asia and it literally showed us how we are wasting tons of water by throwing out clothes without thought. When it comes to produce and recycle fiber used into clothes, it 'soaks up' what's prepared for production of fibers and even it affects local communities around factories or industrial complex. As a result it devotes to increase of level of poverty among local communities and deteriorating local hygiene, losing risk management against epidemic diseases too.
Thanks for your special report, and it made me think of this film! [ I will gonna add my feedback again up here if I do find out the name of the film, I forgot it :( ]
Posted 29-01-2019 18:56
Hello
greetings
I saw a video where a company is recycling water from bathroom and toilet and kitchen
Yes we can reuse them, also for drinking
Thanks for your concern in this topic :)
Posted 28-01-2019 19:14
Hello Lohita!
Thank you for sharing how to prevent water waste. These are little tips but so valuable that we can also put in to practice. These can be easily forgotten and some can think it cannot influence the pollution. But as you know, drop by drop fills the tub. :( As usual we can help the environment with a little effort and it can be a big work! If we have just a little bit more interest, there are so many things that we can do in our everyday life.
Thank you!
Posted 28-01-2019 18:38
Hello Lohita!
Thank you for this report!
I enjoyed reading it.
Green cheers!
Posted 27-01-2019 13:48
Hey Lohita
Thank you for your beautiful report.
People often do not take into account the issue of water lost during washing and bleaching but it isvery important issue to be considered in fact.
If the makers are taking an initative for it, it is a really good news. Using organic means sounds really great. O will surely take into account the things you have mentioned.
Keep writing great reports.
I am looking forward for your next report.
Best wishes form the Land of Himalayas Nepal.
Green Cheers.
You're
Kushal Naharki
Posted 26-01-2019 21:36
Hy Lohota
Thanks for sharing the information on fabrics of clothes.
From the article I learned many things about our clothes.
The article was nicely presented and pleasing to read.
Hope to read more reports from you.
With Love From Nepal
Sachin Regmi
Green Cheers :) :)
Posted 26-01-2019 02:37
Hey Lohita!
I trust you are well!
I often used to ask myself why certain clothing types would bleed out and others would not and in and also in the scenarios that you have mentioned. But now I realise that closing that bleed is a part of everyday life.
I truly admire the efforts done by responsible manufacturers in changing the type of method they use in treating the effluent I too believe that it would be a win win situation if they use bacteria or other organic means to treat effluent as this may cost less and may way less on the environment specifically the water resource.
I will take all the tips that you have put in your article to high regard and I would like to thank you for reporting. Your article looks so well written and so well structured. I honestly look forward to your next few port Lohita!
Stay blessed
Rosa Domingos
Posted 25-01-2019 23:18