How Often Should I Wash My Clothes? (Jeans, Bed Sheets, Wool)

February 27, 2024

In this article, we will help you how to take care of your vintage clothing sustainably.

How Many Times Should You do Laundry a Week?

This can be defined by environmental impacts associated to doing laundry or as per individual washing needs per garment.

On that note, the UK water usage on average accounts to 50 liters to washing machines during one laundry program in the year 2022 (Statista, 2023).

The United Kingdom uses 840,000,000,000 liters of water annually. Common household appliances such as washing machines, but also dishwashers accumulate a water usage of 360,000,000,000 liters every year. Furthermore, the nation spends GBP 2,300,000,000 on heating up water for showers alone (Energy Saving Trust, 2013).

However, comparing washing machine devices from the last decades, newer models require up to seventy percent (70%) less energy, which may count as a positive progress (National Park Service GOV, 2024).

Therefore, it is recommended that you use your washing machine only when unless necessary.

If you want to read more resources about water and protecting the environment, you can read resources on Water UK.

Ultimately, there are no restrictions on how many times you should do laundry each week.

Every household varies in size and garments in use that require cleaning, therefore try to be responsible and set your individual rules.

You potentially save money towards your water bills due to reduced laundry days and overall water usage!

How Many Washes Should Clothes Last

Clothes wear out faster the more times you wash them (The Guardian, 2019).

Ultimately, how much you wash each clothing item depends on its material and condition.

How Often Should You Wash Knitwear

Wool items, or knitted garments, are at highest risk of being over-washed. But it may be sufficient to clean them quartely (Vogue, 2022).

Other sources such as laundry detergent brand Lenor suggest to wear wool jumpers after five (5) times usage (Lenor, 2024).

How Often Should You Wash Jeans

Jeans are often undergoing more washing cycles than necessary (Vogue, 2023).

When it comes to how often you should launder your clothes, jeans are the superstars of it. They don't need to be washed after five (5) to ten wears (10) (Textile Apex, 2024).

The American Cleaning Institute, however, recommends to wash jeans after three times of wearing (American Cleaning Institute, 2024).