A laundry company has given some golden rules to follow over how often people should be washing their clothes - and it’s a lot less than you think.

       According to Ecover, most UK households are washing their clothes far too often, having a knock-on effect on the life of their clothes, their energy bills and the environment.

       Washing clothes in the washing machine shortens the life expectancy of each item with each wash. Put simply, there are only so many washes clothes can take before they fade, shink, tear or generally become unwearable.

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       And with energy bills rising another 3 to 6% in April, following 11.2% of increases since October, there’s never been a better time to cut down on your usage either.

       According to energy firm Utilita's data, a washing machine adds ￡60 a year to your energy bills on average, and a tumble dryer even more at ￡139. Taken together that’s ￡190 a year simply on washing and drying clothes.

       Laundry experts Ecover have issued a rough guide with new rules on exactly how often you should wash each piece of clothing.

       They said: “A cleaning company telling you to wash your clothes less? You got it.

       “Washing your clothes too often will break down the fibres and wear out the fabric. As a general rule, if it doesn’t look dirty and doesn’t smell dirty, why wash it? Here’s our guide to wash wisely:

       They added: “This is about more than fresh socks and squeaky-clean pots. This is about respecting the planet and looking out for nature.

       “This is about fixing our waste culture and making an impact on our impact. Every basket of laundry and stack of dishes is a chance to shake the status quo.

       “Because we need system change, not climate change. And together we can roll up our freshly laundered sleeves and get this revolution on the road.”