By now, most of us have heard of the hygeine hypothesis (the idea that our possibly too-clean modern lifestyles actually contribute to disease by not challenging our immune systems sufficiently). But what if our Western obsession with cleaning is creating even more problems? 

Turns out, that's likely, especially when it comes to washing our clothes. According to life cycle analyses of most types of clothing, it is the use phase, and specifically the washing (and drying) of clothes that uses the most resources; for most fabrics, far more energy and carbon emissions come from cleaning them than manufacturing them, over the life of the pants, blouse, dress, or jacket.