Linen and Towels Green Calculator
Every sheet, pillowcase and towel that is used again, instead of thrown away and replaced, saves carbon and water. Tap what you’re giving below to see roughly what your linen and towel clear-out could save. Then book a free doorstep linen and towel collection and make it happen.
- Takes seconds
- Cautious estimates
- Free doorstep collection
Behind the numbers
How we work it out
The calculator counts bed linen and towels only. It turns what you give into kilos, then into carbon and water saved. Every result is an estimate, not an exact measurement.
We turn what you give into kilos
A full bag of linen and towels is taken as 7.5 kg. A bed sheet counts as 0.6 kg, a pillowcase as 0.15 kg and a tablecloth as 0.5 kg. Towels are counted in the bag weight. Well-filled bags often weigh more, so this keeps the answer on the low side.
We work out what using them again saves
For every kilo of linen and towels used again instead of made new, we estimate a saving of 3 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent and 2,500 litres of water. These are our own estimates, and they are the same figures we use across our website.
We put it into everyday terms
An average car gives off about 0.27 kg of CO2e a mile (UK government conversion factors), and a bath takes about 80 litres of water (Waterwise). Distances between places are approximate road miles.
So two bed sheets and four pillowcases come to 1.8 kg. That is an estimated 5.4 kg of CO2e and 4,500 litres of water saved.
What does CO2e mean?
Carbon dioxide equivalent. Making new bedding and towels releases several greenhouse gases, and CO2e adds them up as the amount of carbon dioxide that would warm the planet by the same amount.
Why is the water figure so big?
Most sheets, pillowcases and towels are cotton, and growing cotton and dyeing fabric take a lot of water: around 2,700 litres for a single cotton t-shirt, according to WWF. A double sheet holds far more cotton than a t-shirt, so 2,500 litres a kilo is a cautious estimate.
Why “estimated”?
Every sheet and towel is different, so no calculator can be exact. We would rather understate what you save than overstate it, so we keep our figures on the cautious side.
Make it count
How to make your saving bigger
- Give bedding and towels that are clean and dry. They are the ones that get used again.
- Check the whole house: the airing cupboard, the spare room, and the kitchen drawer for tea towels and tablecloths.
- Keep sets together, such as a duvet cover with its pillowcases, so they can be used again as a set.
- Tie your bags closed and keep them dry. Wet linen can’t be used again and spoils everything packed with it.
Not sure what to include? See what bed linen and towels can I donate?, or read why reuse saves so much on how donating bed linen helps the planet. When you’re ready, book a free collection.
Sources
- Savings per kilo: Anglo Doorstep Collections’ own estimates for linen and towels used again rather than made new.
- Car emissions: UK government greenhouse gas conversion factors for company reporting (average car).
- Bath: Waterwise. Cotton t-shirt: WWF, The impact of a cotton t-shirt (2013).
Ready to donate your linen and towels?
It’s free, you don’t need to be at home, and you choose the charity your donation supports.