天天洗澡和换衣服的现代人已经习惯于将衣服扔进洗衣机，并且定期“辞旧迎新”。

但是有人却认为，过于频繁地洗衣服以及用洗衣机洗衣服会大大缩短衣服寿命，而且也不环保。他们的建议是，衣服能不洗就不洗。一件衣服穿十年，一年洗一次。这......你能接受吗？

"Basically, in life, rule of thumb: if you don't absolutely have to clean anything, don't clean it."

“基本上，生活中有一条经验法则：如果你不是非洗不可，就不要洗。”

Fashion designer Stella McCartney said this in an interview with the Observer this weekend, adding that she picked up the tip while working for bespoke tailors on London's prestigious Savile Row. Instead, she says, the "rule" is to "let the dirt dry and you brush it off".

上周末，时装设计师斯特拉·麦卡特尼在接受《观察家报》的访谈时如是说。她还补充道，自己是在为声名显赫的伦敦萨维尔街制衣店打工时学到这一窍门的。她指出，常规做法是“让污垢风干然后刷掉”。

bespoke[bɪ'spok]: adj. 定做的，定制的

It may have been a throwaway comment at the end of the interview, but something about this line stuck with readers - many of whom have been doing several loads of laundry a week.

这也许只是在访谈结尾随口说出的言论，但这句话蕴含的内容却让读者念念不忘——许多人每周都要洗大量衣服。

So does she have a point? Is it better to avoid washing your clothes?

她说的话有道理吗？不洗衣服是不是更好？

Killing the planet one microfibre at a time
洗衣服脱落的微纤维正在一点一点地毁灭地球

This isn't the first time McCartney has recommended not washing our clothes. In fact, she has long advocated avoiding the washing machine - both for the longevity of the garments, but also because of the impact washing them has on the environment.

这不是麦卡特尼第一次建议不要洗衣服。事实上，长时间以来她一直提倡尽量不用洗衣机，既是为了延长衣物的使用寿命，也是因为洗衣服会对环境造成影响。

Laura Diáz Sánchez, from the Plastic Soup Foundation advocacy group, agrees with this, particularly when it comes to high-street clothes, which contain more synthetic materials such as polyester and acrylic.

来自塑料汤基金会的劳拉·迪亚兹·桑切斯同意这一观点，尤其是尽量不洗商业街买来的衣服，这些衣服所含的聚酯纤维和腈纶等合成面料更多。

"Every time we wash our clothes an average of nine million [plastic] microfibres are released into the environment," she tells BBC News. "The way we wash our clothes affects this, as well as the way our clothes are made - but the more we wash our clothes, the more microfibres are released."

“我们每次洗衣服，平均会有900万个（塑料）微纤维释放到环境中，”她告诉BBC新闻说，“我们洗衣服的方式以及衣服的制作方式都会影响环境，洗衣服越频繁，释放到环境中的微纤维就越多。”

When you do wash, she recommends setting the machine to a lower temperature and using liquid detergent: "Powder detergent creates more friction between the clothes [during washing], so more fibres are released, whereas liquid is smoother. The less friction there is in general, the fewer fibres are released."

如果你一定要洗衣服，她建议将洗衣机调到冷水模式，并且使用洗衣液：“洗衣粉（在洗涤过程中）会在衣服之间制造更多摩擦，因此会释放更多的微纤维，而洗衣液则更顺滑。总体上，产生的摩擦越少，释放的纤维就越少。”

She advises against overloading washing machines for the same reason - fewer clothes in the drum means there's less friction.

她不建议把洗衣机装得太满，也是出于同样的原因——桶里的衣服越少，意味着摩擦越少。

The art of caring for clothes
护理衣服的艺术

 But it's not just about microfibres. Washing an item of clothing too often can drastically shorten its lifespan, meaning that you're more likely to throw it out and buy something new.

但这不仅仅关乎于微纤维。过于频繁地洗一件衣服会急剧缩短这件衣服的使用寿命，这意味着你会更早地扔掉它去买新衣服。

Prof Andrew Groves, head of the fashion design course at the University of Westminster, tells BBC News that the friction in washing machines is what gets rid of the stains, but is also what distorts a garment's shape and color.

威斯敏斯特大学时尚设计课程主管安德鲁·格罗夫斯教授告诉BBC新闻说，洗衣机内产生的摩擦可以去除污渍，但也会让衣服变形掉色。

"I have garments in my wardrobe that I've had for decades that look brand new, simply because I know how to care for them," he says - adding that this goes for both high-end and high-street pieces. The better you look after your clothes, he says, the longer they last, and the more sustainable your fashion is.

他说：“我衣柜里有一些衣服已经买了几十年，看上去还是崭新的，就是因为我知道如何保养它们。”他补充道，无论是高档衣服还是商业街衣服都需要保养。他说，你越善于保养衣服，它们的使用寿命就越长，你的时尚也就更加可持续。

This is particularly true when it comes to lingerie. McCartney told the Observer that she "wouldn't change my bra every day", which is something lingerie designer Naomi De Haan agrees with.

对于内衣来说尤为如此。麦卡特尼告诉《观察家报》说，她“不会每天换胸罩”，内衣设计师娜奥米·德·韩也认同这一做法。

Ms De Haan's official advice to people who buy from her label, Edge O' Beyond, is to hand-wash the bras in lukewarm water after about five wears with something mild like baby shampoo.

德·韩女士对购买她品牌Edge O' Beyond产品的用户给出的官方建议是：在穿着胸罩五次后，用婴儿洗发露等温和的清洗液在温水中手洗。

While the items she sells are more on the luxury end, she tells BBC News that this advice applies to high street underwear as well - though she says sports bras should be washed more often.

虽然她出售的胸罩比较高档，但她告诉BBC新闻说，这一建议也适用于商业街购买的胸罩，不过她指出，运动胸罩应该洗得更勤一些。

"Machine washing can destroy things like delicate lace or silks," she says. "It can also make the wires pop out, it can make the colors fade, and if it's got a moulded cup it can make it go all misshapen."

她说：“机洗会破坏精致的蕾丝或丝绸这种娇贵衣物，还会让钢丝外露，使内衣褪色，如果内衣带有塑形罩杯，机洗会导致罩杯变形。”

If you absolutely must machine wash, she adds: "Always do up the hook and eyes to stop any snagging, use a lingerie bag, don't wash with too much heat, and reshape when it's out and hang it to dry or lie it on a flat surface."

如果你一定要机洗的话，她补充道：“一定要把挂钩和排扣扣好，防止内衣被钩破，将内衣放洗衣袋中清洗，不要用过热的水，在取出洗好的内衣时要把罩杯形状调整好，悬挂或平铺晾干。”

snag[snæɡ]: v. 钩破

But most importantly - never, ever, tumble dry.

但最重要的是——永远永远不要用洗衣机把内衣甩干。

Leave your jeans alone
别洗牛仔裤

 Sarah Clayton, head of the Love Your Clothes campaign by environmental charity Wrap, also suggests not washing your jeans, but airing them between wears instead: "If they have a stain you could try spot-cleaning them with water rather than washing the whole garment."

环保慈善机构Wrap发起的“珍爱你的衣服”宣传活动的领头人莎拉·克莱顿建议不要清洗牛仔裤，穿着后在通风处晾晒即可：“如果牛仔裤上有污渍，你可以单独用水清洗脏掉的这一块，而不是清洗整件牛仔裤。”

Letting your jeans fester unwashed may sound a bit unsavoury, but one man in the know swears by it - Chip Bergh, the CEO of Levi's.

让牛仔裤放着发臭也许听上去有点恶心，但有位行业内部人士却极其推崇这种做法——这个人就是李维斯的首席执行官奇普·伯格。

People were a bit disturbed in May 2014 when Mr Bergh proudly declared that the pair of jeans he was wearing at the time had never been washed.

2014年5月，当伯格先生自豪地宣称自己当时身穿的那条牛仔裤从来没洗过时，人们都感到有些难以接受。

Fast-forward almost five years to March this year, and he told the US broadcaster cnn that he still hadn't washed them - despite the pair now being about 10 years old.

时间快进到今年3月，将近五年过去了，伯格先生告诉美国cnn说，他这条裤子还是没有洗，尽管这条牛仔裤已经买了十年。

Prof Groves agrees with Mr Bergh, and recommends sticking jeans in the freezer in order to kill germs instead.

格罗夫斯教授认同伯格的做法，并建议将牛仔裤放在冰箱里杀菌。

"Most people I know, when it comes to their denim, don't wash it at all," he says. "Which might seem strange - it's a pair of jeans that they might wear every day. But it's usually because they don't want the color to fade."

“我认识的大多数人都不洗牛仔裤，”他说，“这也许看起来有些奇怪——这可是他们天天穿的牛仔裤。但他们的理由通常是不想让牛仔裤褪色。”

This, he says, is an attitude he hopes people will apply to all of their clothes - not just their jeans.

他说，希望人们可以用这种态度来对待所有衣服，而不只是牛仔裤。