sunwashing

Sunwashing is a term used in two related but distinct senses. In domestic contexts, sunwashing describes the practice of cleaning or drying materials by exposure to sunlight. Clothes, textiles, and outdoor fabrics are often line-dried or sunwashed to reduce energy use from electric dryers, while relying on natural light and heat for whitening or deodorizing effects.

In sustainability discourse, sunwashing is a metaphorical term for marketing or public-relations claims that emphasize solar energy or sun-powered solutions to convey environmental virtue. This usage parallels greenwashing, but focuses specifically on sun-related benefits. Critics argue that sunwashing can overstate or misrepresent a product or project’s overall environmental performance if other lifecycle impacts, emissions, or resource use are not disclosed.

Origin and usage are informal, with the term appearing mainly in blogs, opinion pieces, and discussions about energy and environmental messaging rather than in formal standards or dictionaries. In everyday talk, the meaning is usually clear from context, but the dual sense can lead to confusion if one speaks about “sunwashing” without specifying whether the reference is a practical laundry habit or a marketing critique.

See also: greenwashing, solar power, energy efficiency, outdoor drying.