Doing Laundry Creates Microplastics

Does Doing Laundry Create Microplastics?

⚕️ MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your health regimen, diet, or supplement use, especially if you have existing medical conditions or take medications. The information presented here should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Laundry is one of the most overlooked yet significant contributors to microplastic pollution in modern life. Each wash cycle puts clothes under all kinds of stresses, including mechanical, chemical, and thermal forces that fragment clothing fibers into microscopic pieces. These microplastics from laundry enter wastewater systems, escape treatment processes, accumulate in the environment, and may make their way into our bodies. 

Synthetic clothes, like polyester, release microplastics during laundry 

Doing laundry creates microplastics because most of our clothes are made of plastics – synthetic textiles, particularly polyester, acrylic, and polyamide fabrics. During washing, mechanical agitation weakens inter-fiber bonds and dislodges loose fibrils from yarn surfaces, releasing microplastic fibers that are small enough to bypass filtration in wastewater systems [1]. A single load of acrylic laundry can release more than 700,000 microplastic fibers, while polyester garments can shed nearly 500,000 fibers per cycle [1].

Additionally, many modern textiles are treated with polymeric surface finishes such as polyurethane or polyacrylate coatings designed to enhance durability, water resistance, or softness. These coatings degrade when washed and dried, releasing polymeric nanoplastics alongside fibrous debris, and expanding the size range and persistence of laundry-derived microplastics [3].

The type of washing machine influences the amount of microplastics created

Washing machine design influences how many microplastics are created. Top-loading machines put more stress on clothes than front-loading machines, which generally use a gentler tumbling motion [4]. This increased abrasion accelerates the breakdown of clothing, especially for loosely constructed or aged garments.

Water volume and the intensity of the washing cycle can further amplify the release of microplastics. Higher water-to-textile ratios allow garments to move more freely, increasing the amount of water that pulls fibers from yarn matrices. These effects compound during longer or more aggressive wash cycles, making machine settings a critical determinant of microfiber emissions [1].

Microplastics from laundry increase based on heat and chemicals

The plastic in clothing is highly sensitive to the heat and chemicals that it’s subject to during washing. Elevated temperatures accelerate the degradation of the bonds within individual polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate, particularly above 150°F, at which point the structural changes are irreversible and result in increased brittleness and shedding [1]. Heat-induced bond-breakage weakens fibers, making them more susceptible to microplastic generation. 

Soaps and detergents worsen the microplastic fiber release by chemically interacting with polymer surfaces. Alkaline formulations weaken intermolecular bonding and reduce friction between fibers, making it easier for them to break off during washing. In summary, the combined effects of heat, detergent chemistry, and mechanical stress help to generate microplastics from laundry [1].

Drying polyester clothing produces even more microplastics

Microplastic release continues in the dryer. Tumble drying generates airborne microfibers and weakens even more fibers that are later released in subsequent washes [1]. Dry conditions also weaken bonds, which increases fragmentation during both drying and future laundering.

Repeated washing compounds these effects. While initial washes often release the highest fiber loads, long-term laundering continues to erode fiber integrity through cumulative physical and chemical stress. Consequently, each time we wash our clothes, we’re releasing microplastic fibers into the water and air [1].

Laundry filters and clothing treatments can reduce microplastic creation during laundry

There are two ways to reduce microplastic generation when doing laundry: filtration and reduction at the textile surface. Regarding filters, external washing machine filters installed on drain hoses demonstrate the highest capture efficiencies, with some systems retaining up to 78% of released microplastic fibers per wash [4]. These are becoming more common. Regulatory momentum is accelerating usage, with France mandating microfiber filters on all new washing machines [4].

Modifying the surface of clothing offers a preventative approach, too. Bio-based coatings such as chitosan and pectin significantly strengthen fiber cohesion and reduce abrasion, achieving microfiber reductions of up to 95% in controlled studies [1]. Synthetic coatings like polydimethylsiloxane reduce friction between fibers and detergents, maintaining durability across repeated wash cycles while substantially lowering fiber release [1].

In summary, you can reduce microplastics from laundry by avoiding synthetic clothing like polyester and nylon, using filters on or in your washers, pretreating your clothing with specialized solutions, air drying your clothing, or drying your clothing on gentle tumbles under low heat.

Natural fibers aren’t immune from creating microfibers 

Although synthetic fibers persist longer in the environment, natural fibers often shed in higher absolute quantities when doing laundry. Cotton and cellulose-based fibers degrade more rapidly and are frequently excluded from microplastic surveys, leading to underestimation of total fiber pollution [1]. 

Laboratory testing methods also influence reported emission rates. Small-scale equipment often generates higher fiber counts than full-size domestic machines, potentially inflating estimates if not properly contextualized. Accurate risk assessment depends on aligning experimental conditions with real-world laundering behavior [1].

The Benefits of the Deplasto Platform

The Deplasto platform, consisting of a scientifically-backed nutritional supplement, an iOS app for tracking daily microplastic intake, and a portfolio of lifestyle recommendations intended to help you minimize microplastics.

Our nutritional supplement is formulated to support your body’s natural detoxification pathways, including oxidative stress management, cellular repair, and antioxidant support. Our microplastic intake app enables you to estimate and track your daily microplastic intake, with each datapoint backed by scientific studies. Our lifestyle recommendations, found in our blogs and in our eBook, have a plethora of actions and advice designed to help you make small changes to minimize microplastics. Overall, we believe that the best way to eliminate microplastics begins with you and the small changes you make to your daily life. Over time, collectively, we can make a significant difference.

Sources

1. Marina C. Tedesco, Ruth M. Fisher, Richard M. Stuetz, Emission of fibres from textiles: A critical and systematic review of mechanisms of release during machine washing, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 955, 2024, 177090, ISSN 0048-9697, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177090.
2. Magalhães, S.; Paciência, D.; Rodrigues, J.M.M.; Lindman, B.; Alves, L.; Medronho, B.; Rasteiro, M.d.G. Insights on Microplastic Contamination from Municipal and Textile Industry Effluents and Their Removal Using a Cellulose-Based Approach. Polymers 2024, 16, 2803. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16192803
3. Azam Ali, Shafqat Qamer, Muhammad Shahid, Blanka Tomkova, Muhammad Zaman Khan, Jiri Militky, Jakub Wiener, and Mohanapriya Venkataraman, Micro- and Nanoplastics Produced from Textile Finishes: A Review, Langmuir 2024 40 (34), 17849-17867DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c00552
4. Periyasamy, A.P. Microfiber Emissions from Functionalized Textiles: Potential Threat for Human Health and Environmental Risks. Toxics 2023, 11, 406. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11050406
5. Sadique Anyame Bawa, Andrew Chan, Anna Wrobel-Tobiszewska, Marcus Hardie, Carmel Towns, A review of methods for mitigating microplastic contamination in biosolids from wastewater treatment plants before agricultural soil application, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 957, 2024, 177360, ISSN 0048-9697, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177360.
6. Vilde K. Snekkevik, Matthew Cole, Alessio Gomiero, Marte Haave, Farhan R. Khan, Amy L. Lusher, Beyond the food on your plate: Investigating sources of microplastic contamination in home kitchens, Heliyon, Volume 10, Issue 15, 2024, e35022, ISSN 2405-8440, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35022.