an investigation of domestic laundry in europe - habits ... - SIFO

5 Environmental protection, consumerinterests and safety and guidelines forstandardisation bodies5.1 Environmental protectionIn the domestic textile washing processes there are several factors that couldbe looked upon as determinants of impact on the environment. These factorscan be divided into three groups:1. Water (amount of water used)2. Temperature (energy use)3. Detergents (pollution).Because of these environmental effects, efforts to achieve a sustainable lifestylehave influenced household laundering significantly during the past threedecades. Hereafter it will be shown that the measures that have been introducedto protect the environment not only affect the environmental impact oflaundering but are also likely to influence levels of hygiene in the householdsand thus the public health situation.5.1.1 WaterHousehold water consumption has increased in recent decades. In the Netherlands,for instance, about 25 % of household water consumption is for textilecleaning and dishwashing [23]. On the output side of the household system,the drained wastewater burdens water clearing plants and/or the surface waters.Modern-day domestic appliances use less water than those of a few decadesago. However, this must be seen in relation to an important function inthe laundry process, namely rinse performance.