How much washing do our clothes really need?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

How much washing do the average person’s clothes really need? How often should clothes be washed, and do they really need to go on a machine cycle lasting two hours or more? Even the quick cycle seems to take a long time. Karen Stafford, East Grinstead Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday.

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