Microplastics Are Pouring Out of Your Washer and Dryer. These Six Habits Can Change That
Every time you run a load of laundry, your washing machine sends hundreds of thousands of plastic fibers down the drain.
Microplastics — those microscopic plastic fragments now turning up in drinking water, soil and even Arctic air — are pouring out of our homes through one of the most mundane chores imaginable.
The clothes we wear are a major part of the problem. Synthetic fabrics shed tiny threadlike fragments called microfibers every time they’re washed and dried, and most wastewater treatment plants can’t catch them all.
The good news: small changes to how you shop, wash and dry can meaningfully cut the plastic pollution flowing out of your home — and do a lot for the environment we’re supposed to protect.
What plastics are hiding in your clothes
Most modern clothing is made from petroleum-based fabrics that shed plastic every time they’re worn or washed. Knowing what’s in your closet is the first step toward reducing what ends up in the environment.
Four synthetics dominate the market, and each shows up in different categories of clothing.
- Polyester — found in athletic wear, bedsheets and fast fashion basics. It’s essentially the same plastic as PET water bottles, just drawn into fiber form.
- Nylon — used heavily in activewear, stockings, swimwear and outerwear.
- Acrylic — widely used as a wool substitute in sweaters and blankets, and one of the worst shedders of microfibers.
- Elastane (also called spandex or Lycra) — gives stretch to jeans, leggings, underwear and anything with a fitted shape.
Clothes often also contain chemical additives like PFAS (used for water and stain resistance), phthalates (found in rubbery screen-printed designs) and bisphenol A (a byproduct of polyester manufacturing). These chemicals can leach out over time through wear, washing and heat, adding a toxicological problem on top of the physical one.
How to avoid microplastics when doing your laundry
Microfibers from laundry don’t just disappear after the rinse cycle — they disperse through three main pathways, eventually ending up in ecosystems far from where they originated.
- Water: Laundry fibers wash into waterways because treatment plants can’t catch them all.
- Soil: Captured fibers often end up in fertilizer or landfill waste, where they spread into soil.
- Air: Dryers and household dust release tiny fibers into indoor and outdoor air.
Here are six ways to reduce the release of microplastics through your daily laundry habits.
6. Choose Better Fabrics
What you wear affects how many microplastics your laundry releases. Synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon and acrylic shed tiny plastic fibers every time they’re washed — especially fuzzy materials like polyester fleece.
Choose natural fibers like organic cotton, linen, hemp, silk and wool when possible. These fabrics can still shed, but the fibers biodegrade instead of lingering as plastic pollution. Tightly woven fabrics also shed less than loosely woven ones.
When shopping, look for GOTS or OEKO-TEX certifications to avoid fabrics treated with harmful chemicals. Buying secondhand can help too since older clothes have already lost many of their loose fibers.
5. Wash Smarter
Small changes to your laundry routine can reduce microfibers in water waste. The National Park Service recommends washing clothes in cold water on shorter cycles to create less friction.
Wash full loads instead of small ones, skip extra rinse cycles and wash clothes less often when possible. Spot cleaning can sometimes replace a full wash.
If you have the option, front-loading washers are generally gentler on clothes than top-loaders. And despite the name, the “gentle” cycle may actually release more fibers because it runs longer.
4. Use Fiber-Catching Products
Some fibers will still escape, but products designed to catch them can help. A washing machine filter for microplastics can trap large amounts of fibers before they reach wastewater systems. One 2018 study found some captured about 87% of released fibers.
Mesh washing bags like the Guppyfriend and in-drum catchers like the Cora Ball can also reduce microfiber pollution from synthetic clothing. Always throw collected fibers into a sealed trash container instead of rinsing them down the drain.
3. Dry Carefully
Dryers create heat and friction, which can release even more fibers. Hanging clothes to dry is one of the best ways to reduce shedding.
If you use a dryer, keep the heat low and cycles short. Clean the lint filter after every load, and consider installing an outdoor lint trap on the dryer vent.
Wool dryer balls are another lower-waste option since dryer sheets leave residue behind and create extra trash.
2. Cut Back on Plastic Laundry Packaging
The microplastics problem doesn’t start in the wash — it starts on the shelf.
Most liquid detergents, fabric softeners and stain removers come in single-use plastic bottles that contribute to the broader plastic pollution cycle. When those containers end up in landfills or the environment, they slowly fragment into microplastics themselves.
Look for brands that offer concentrated refill pouches, aluminum bottles with refill options, or bulk refill stations at grocery and zero-waste stores. Powder detergents and laundry bars packaged in cardboard are another easy swap.
The same goes for dryer sheets — most come wrapped in plastic and are made with synthetic materials. Switching to wool dryer balls or compostable dryer sheets cuts both packaging waste and the synthetic residue left on your clothes.
1. Reduce Microplastics in Your Home
Laundry fibers don’t just end up outdoors — they can build up inside homes too. Vacuuming and wet-dusting regularly can help remove fibers before they spread through the air.
Air purifiers may also help reduce airborne fibers indoors, especially in homes with lots of synthetic fabrics like carpeting, upholstery and fleece.
Why laundry is a top source of microplastics in water
According to PBS, the most common microplastics in the environment are microfibers — plastic fragments shaped like tiny threads or filaments. Dryers and washers are among the biggest culprits releasing them.
A 2025 study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry found that each dryer load releases roughly 138 mg of microfibers, totaling more than 3,500 tons of microplastics per year.
An average three-pound load of laundry sheds hundreds of thousands of microfibers into the sewer system, according to Columbia Climate School’s State of the Planet.
“We believe that the laundering of clothes and the effluents that are released from washing machines are the biggest source of microplastic fibers in our waterways,” says Joaquim Goes, an ocean biochemist at Columbia Climate School’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
The ocean impact is significant. “In the ocean, microplastics coming from laundry make up almost 35% of primary microplastics,” Ariana Aspuru said on an episode of the “Wall Street Journal Bold Names” podcast, per SF Gate.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 3:36 PM.
