Toward sustainable household laundry. Washing quality vs. environmental impacts

We tested the efficacy of standard soil removal and bacterial reduction from textile. A life cycle analysis for different washing cycles was also performed. The results show that washing at 40 degrees C and 10 g/L was the most effective and resulted in good removal of standard soiling. However, bacteria reduction was highest at 60 degrees C, 5 g/L and 40 degrees C, 20 g/L (> 5 log CFU/carrier). With the 40 degrees C, 10 g/L scenario, we approached the standard requirements for household laundry of similar to 4 log CFU/carrier reduction and good soil removal. Howsoever, life cycle analysis shows that washing at 40 degrees C and 10 g/L has a higher environmental impact than 60 degrees C and 5 g/L due to the significant contribution of the detergent. Reducing energy consumption and reformulation of detergents needs to be implemented in the household laundry to achieve sustainable washing without compromising the quality.