Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.
Close Banner
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.

How To Wash Your Microfiber Towels So They Leach Fewer Microplastics

Emma Loewe
Author:
December 20, 2022
Emma Loewe
mbg Sustainability + Health Director
By Emma Loewe
mbg Sustainability + Health Director
Emma Loewe is the Senior Sustainability Editor at mindbodygreen and the author of "Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us."
December 20, 2022

Microfiber towels are a beloved household cleaning tool thanks to the way their teeny tiny threads latch onto dust and debris. But the same fibers that make them so effective can also make them a bit of an environmental hazard.

What's the downside of microfiber towels?

The microfibers in these towels are made from a blend of petroleum-based polyester and synthetic polyamides that are held together by an electrostatic charge.

"Think of your microfiber cloth as being a network of fibers that are not woven together most of the time," Dimitri Deheyn, Ph.D., a marine biology researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography who has extensively studied microplastics, tells mbg. "They only stick together because they are entangled."

This makes these towels extra sensitive to wear and tear—and when their synthetic microfibers begin to shed, they emit microplastics into the surrounding environment.

Microplastics are invisible pollutants that can now be found pretty much everywhere, from deep in ocean trenches to high in the sky to within our own bodies. Though it's still unclear how these microplastics themselves affect humans and wildlife, if at all, Deheyn notes that they can carry harmful pollutants like heavy metals and oil into the ocean.

"The plastic becomes a platform for concentrated pollutants, which would otherwise be diluted in the water," he explains. Other evidence shows that microplastics in aquatic environments can cause certain fish to lose their appetite and others to experience hormone disruption

While you can't keep your microfiber towel from shedding these pollutants entirely, there are a few ways to keep it more intact for longer. Here are some best practices.

What's the best way to wash microfiber towels?

The name of the game is to be gentle with your towels, so you'll want to hand wash them whenever possible instead of subject them to a washing machine's spin cycle. "The less abrasion and agitation, the better," Deheyn says.

His lab is currently looking into whether water temperature and detergent type affect the rate of microfiber breakdown. Until we know for sure, washing your towels with cold water using a gentle detergent is the more eco-friendly move.

To further preserve longevity and prevent agitation, Angela Bell and Georgia Dixon, who work for natural cleaning marketplace Grove Collaborative, recommend letting your towels soak in your water and detergent mix for 30 minutes or so before rinsing with plain water and using your hands to wring them out. Air dry and they'll be good as new.

Summary

Experts recommend washing microfiber towels by hand using cold water and a gentle detergent. Soak the towel(s) in a water and detergent mix for 30 minutes before rinsing with plain water. Use your hands to wring them out and then air dry.

Can you wash them in a machine?

You can use the washing machine to launder your towels if you're in a pinch. But since microfibers are small enough to leak through most machine filters, author and sustainable living educator Christine Liu recommends investing in a device to catch some of them. These days, there are bags and balls that exist for this purpose, but Deheyn says that add-on filters are the most effective and can prevent up to 95% of the microplastics in your wash from directly entering waterways.

The Grove Guides add that you should avoid using fabric softener and dryer sheets when washing microfiber towels in the machine. "These softening agents—which often contain fossil fuels or animal byproducts—can stay in the fibers, increasing the possibility of streaks and making the cloth less absorbent," they say.

How can you keep them in good shape for longer?

You can tell your towels are getting worn when their fibers start to clump together, flatten, or become rough to the touch. To keep them intact between washes, Bell and Dixon recommend reserving them for more contained cleaning jobs and leaving large messes to your other sponges, mops, and cloths that are made from more durable materials.

"Rinse with hot water and hang dry between washes to extend the life of your microfiber cloth," they add. "This is a good trick if the cloth has been used for light dusting but doesn't need a full-on laundering quite yet."

And finally, be gentle with them! Don't pull on them or crunch them up unnecessarily, as it'll disrupt the fibers.

The takeaway

Microfiber cloths are extremely effective at trapping dirt and grime at home. However, you need to be careful when you clean them since they are synthetic and can send microplastics into the environment. The experts have spoken, and they say you should handwash towels when possible, hang them out to dry, and be gentle with them between launderings to keep microfiber shedding to a minimum.

Watch Next

Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes

Watch Next

Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes

What Is Meditation?

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Light Watkins

Box Breathing

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar

What Breathwork Can Address

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar

The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?

Yoga | Caley Alyssa

Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips

Yoga | Caley Alyssa

How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance

Nutrition | Rich Roll

What to Eat Before a Workout

Nutrition | Rich Roll

How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life

Nutrition | Sahara Rose

Messages About Love & Relationships

Love & Relationships | Esther Perel

Love Languages

Love & Relationships | Esther Perel

Related Videos (10)

What Is Meditation?

Box Breathing

What Breathwork Can Address

The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?

Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips

How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance

What to Eat Before a Workout

How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life

Messages About Love & Relationships

Love Languages

Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.

More On This Topic

more Lifestyle
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.