It’s probably no surprise that I read stories about laundry on my newsfeed.

And if you’ve spent any time with me in the past four days, then you’ll already know about the recent “shock and awe” discovery I made after reading an article posted by a cleaning blogger. That’s because the information I read is pretty incredible.

[Seriously… If you don’t follow any cleaning blogs, then you might be surprised by how much there is to know about washing and caring for your clothing — if you care to know, that is! Which, I do!]

But this past week, I actually read three rather jarring articles in a row that left me a bit shaken, and I can’t stop thinking about them. They were all about the same thing:

New lines of clothing that you don’t wash!

Whaaaat?

I was stunned to learn that there are all of these new types of fabrics coming into the mix that are made out of things like peppermint infused seaweed and various types of finely spun wool that you can wear every day for three weeks without washing them! I’m simply gobsmacked at the idea of such a thing… Three weeks without washing a shirt seems insane to me — particularly if you’ve worn the garment every day for the whole three weeks!

[Side Bar: The last time I was this shocked about a laundry article on my newsfeed was when I read about how much better it is for you to freeze your jeans than to wash them! Are you kidding me? How in the world does that make any sense? Frankly, I’m still not over that suggestion…]

But one of the articles about this new type of fabric was written by a woman who claims she’s an avid laundry person — which I have to believe because she writes for the laundry and household cleaning blog I follow the most, so for me at least, her opinion is credible. Anyway, this writer put a black no-wash T-shirt to the test, and I could hardly stomach the details as I read her account of two busy weeks wearing the same black T-shirt every day.

Her article made my eyes feel dirty, yet I was convicted.

The thing is, even I can’t ignore the fact that there were three articles from three different writers and laundry testers about this no-wash fiber trend on my feed in one week — so maybe there is something to these new-fangled fabrics?? (Well, it seems like the fabric maker’s PR teams want me to think as much!)

But I will concede that each story presented a case for how much better this type of fabric is for the environment and for your body — because detergents can be so bad for both. And, of course, water use is a big thing when it comes to doing laundry. All of the articles revealed how much water the modern washing machine uses, which kind of made me feel bad for a minute or two.

But I think the reason the articles all stuck with me for so long is that once I know something, I can’t un-know it…and, therefore, a story like this bothers me on two fronts. Clearly, there’s the idea of not washing a garment — which just feels wrong to me — but then there’s also this other layer of how much water I use every time I fill up my washing machine. 

I’ve never been a hard-core environmentalist, but I do believe I need to steward the resources of this Earth with more intention and concern. And, I live in an area of the country that suffers from water shortages pretty often. I also live in the middle of an organic vineyard — and the first line of Merlot grapes is so close to my cottage that I could almost reach out and touch the vines. So everything I wash down the drain or put in my washer can leach into the ground — so I try to be careful about the things I use. 

I said, I try, butI know I’m not radical enough…

And, I know I really should try harder.

But for days now I’ve been thinking about a fabric you don’t need to wash, and while it’s intriguing, I don’t know if I could accept the honesty of the cleanliness of the fabric just because the manufacturer said it was “clean.” And even though the peppermint essential oils that are infused into one of the fabrics I read about helps a shirt worn for multiple weeks pass “the sniff test,” I’m just not sure if I could chance it! (Erg…)

This blog often makes me really think about my actions and my words because if I decide to post something, I want to make sure I’ve considered the topic from all sides — and, I want to do my best to ensure my thoughts aren’t just hiding in some kind of hypocritical blindspot in my own life that I’m unwilling to see about myself. So let me just “out” myself right here, right now: 

I do over wash things. 

I am a clean freak with some unresolved control issues.

And, I’m not doing enough to protect the environment from my cleaning compulsion.

And as much as I wish I could let go of some of my control issues that manifest themselves in my very real need to clean things, I’m not sure how I can honestly unwind those needs on my own. One thing that gives me the most consistent form of gratitude in my life is when I feel clean. Whether it’s my body, my clothing, my home, and even our truck, when cleanliness is achieved, I’m full of gratitude and joy. I feel safe, calm, and, I’m perpetually happy when I’m in a clean state — even when my whole life feels like it’s going down the tubes…

But for me, it’s more than the idea that something is clean — rather, it’s the making it clean that gives me such a burst of happiness! Getting a stain out of a shirt (with Tide Original, of course) is one of the most incredible feelings for me! And wiping down my ugly countertops with a good organic cleaner to make them “safe” for Lou and me is how I personally define contentment.

So wearing a shirt that doesn’t need my involvement — just my faith in its inherent cleanliness — may actually have more to do with me and my control issues than it does with an amazing technology that might be better for our Earth. And…I suppose that’s what’s got me the most noodled up when I think about it. 

It might be possible for me to find faith in something in this world that’s already what I need it to be, even if I’m not involved in making it so…?

Hmmm… I that might be a possibility hiding in my blindspot that I’m not sure I’m willing to see!