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Microplastics – How to Stop Contributing to a Problem

You probably assume that you know about most of the plastic pollution that we do as humans. However, there may be a form of pollution that you don’t know about – microplastics.

These types of plastics can crop up in a lot of different places, including when you wash your clothes. Here at Repair Aid, we’re passionate about two things – fixing your appliances, and the environment. So, let’s talk about how you can avoid contributing to the problem.

How are Microplastics Made?

So, how do we even get these tiny plastics at all? Well, you should probably know that any type of clothing that is labelled as acrylic, polyester, nylon, or similar is basically just 100% composed of plastic.

It’s all made of crude oils (Petroleum), and none of it is biodegradable.

Unfortunately, this means that whenever you wash the clothing, you release the microplastic.

How Are They Harmful?

You might be wondering how a plastic of this type can even be harmful. That’s not exactly like it’s big enough to be any kind of threat, right?

Well unfortunately, that’s just not quite true. The problem is that in large enough concentrations, this type of plastic can actually cause skin inflammation and permanent damage. Plus, this particular type of plastic can also serve as a transportation device for harmful chemicals, which can be released into the world with much more ease when they are piggybacking a ride.

How Do We Stop This?

So, how exactly do we stop something like this from being an issue? What do we need to do to make sure that doesn’t happen again, and that we protect the environment from over exposure to harmful plastics that will do nothing but cause misery.

Well, it’s a bit more complicated than you would think. The immediate solution is to just stop buying clothing which is synthetic, but that kind of initiative is highly unlikely on a grand scale.

If you want to reduce the spread of these plastics, then you need to consider the large quantities of heat and abrasion are what cause the problem. So, an immediately simple solution is to wash on a colder temperature than you normally would, and to keep the materials away from tougher substances which will cause the abrasion.

These are two changes which aren’t particularly difficult, but can be very helpful.

Final Thoughts

Microplastics are a common problem which doesn’t get enough traction. Considering the frequency in the world, you would think the more people would be talking about them, but apparently not.

We would love to see this particular form of environmental harm removed from the equation, because we genuinely believe that really doesn’t need to be a concept. Thankfully, it’s really not difficult to clear up the problem either, because all you have to do is take the requisite steps that we have suggested. It’s really helpful that these types of plastics are easy to deal with, and don’t require masses of thought.