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Saving while doing one’s laundry
Doing one’s laundry, a necessary habit to satisfy one’s needs for hygiene, to be presentable to others… Nowadays, most dwellings are equipped with washing machines. Since the first washing machines of the 1950s, the quantity of water required to do the laundry has significantly decreased, going from 119 litres in 1984 to less than 30 litres in 2010. Indeed, new energy efficient technologies have helped reduce the volume of water to be heated. This was also accentuated by the use of concentrated detergents, effective at low temperatures.
Water savings are thus indirectly achieved thanks to the development of new techniques. In some cases, washing water, or grey water, may also be reused before being sent directly to the sewage. Reusing this wastewater, such as dishwashing water, to water the garden for example, is one way of saving tap water, which must meet specific quality standards for human consumption.
An appliance as common as a washing machine leads the researcher to examine not only the efficiency of this object, but also how it is used on a regular basis, the impact of its technological development on energy and water resources. The issue of the quality of water required for various uses and individual practices also leads to examine health issues, the evolution of water demand and ultimately the value of water.
Unité mixte internationale, « Water, environment and public policy », CNRS
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