The Laundry Room (or -mat) is a perfect place to go green without really feeling a big pinch. Many of the things we do automatically can be easily greened up - by simply setting the machine to cool, trying a new laundry product, waiting until the hamper is really full...
Use cooler water - washing in warm and rinsing in cold saves energy (and really works well!)Wash when necessary, not automatically - if it's ok to wear once more before a wash, don't just toss it in the hamperDo fewer loads - one big load uses less energy than 2 small loadsLine dry whenever possibleTumble dry partway and then hang it up - more air dry time means less ironingNatural fabric softener: 1/2 cup bakng soda in the rinse cycleNatural whitener: soak clothes overnight in one part hydrogen peroxide to 8 parts cold water then wash normally Try a non-chlorine bleach such as Ecover or Mrs. MeyersLose the petrochemical based detergent! Go biodegradable and get rid of all the plastic packaging with Seventh Generation powdered or Restore in-store refillable liquid
When the time comes to replace your washer, consider a front-loader which uses less water and power.
Got any tips to add to the list? Please let us know in the comments below...
(Photo: The Cyclean Pedal Powered Washing Machine)
We just switched to Seventh Generation detergent, and the natural lavender scent is amazing. I am astounded by how real it smells, vs the 'synthetic' perfume smell of others I've used. I'll try this baking soda trick as well.
I've always washed in cold, and we use line drying throughout our home in the summer - wet sheets cool the air moving through the house - a nice bonus in 100 degree days with no air conditioner!
view Blue_roses's profile
i like the
view nattles's profile
ok, my link didn't work --
i like the method dryer cloths
http://www.methodhome.com/products/detail.php?prodName=dryercloth_wlily
they seem to make the laundry soft, but not overly stinky, and you can use each one twice, so they don't seem quite as costly, though they are a bit more than a regular box of dryer sheets.
view nattles's profile
Can Seventh Generation, Method, and Mrs. Meyer's laundry detergents be used in front loading high efficiency washers? I'd like to switch but don't know if the green detergents make too many bubbles.
view twix's profile
twix -- i know method is formulated to work in both HE and regular washers.
view nattles's profile
Thanks, Nattles! I'll try Method when I finish my current bottle of Tide.
view twix's profile
I'll be trying the baking soda tip the next load I wash. My husband likes the dryer sheets but they make me break out in hives. Maybe they remind me too much of all the years we had to schlepp our wash to the laundromat. :)
view BonivaGScott's profile
Twix, Seventh Generation makes a detergent for high-efficiency washers.
view MelissaDC's profile
Did The Professor from Gilligan's Island design that bike-powered machine in the photo?
view becky's profile
Rachel or BonivaGScott - or anyone else that tries/has tried the baking soda as softener - could you please post and let me know how it works? Any residue, etc? Thanks!
view oceandreamer56's profile