Simple Green: 5 Ways to Clean Up Your Laundy

We hate doing laundry so we put it off and put it off until we have a full load. And we wash everything together in cold water on a short cycle (Even more hateful than laundry is waiting around for it to finish).

Turns out our bad habits may be a good one. Full loads means less frequent washes. Cold water and short cycles means less energy used. And really, despite those scary commercials, it's cold water that is less hard on your stuff meaning it'll stay bright and wearable longer. And you'll have more time for doing the fun stuff that gets your clothes dirty in the first place. Some other ways to turn your laundry green:

If you're still using a commercial detergent, switch to something greener. We like Mrs. Meyer's, Method, Seventh Generation and Ecover brands.
If you want to take it a step further, try swapping it out for Soap Nuts.
If you wash whites separately, try non-chlorine bleach like Oxyboost or Ecover's hydrogen-based bleach. Salt, lemon juice, white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide are other old-fashioned but effective remedies.
Instead of a dryer, let your stuff dry naturally on a rack. And nothing beats the smell of laundry dried outside on the line.

[image by Thomas Claveirole's Flickra Creative Commons License]

Comments (8)

Incorrect link. This was supposed to be about laundry, and it is a canteen.

I use soap nuts, and I love them! It's amazing how they smell so weird yet make your laundry smell great.

I make my own detergent. One bar of plain soap, grated in the food processor, plus 1/2 cup each of borax and washing soda, use one or two tablespoons per load. A batch takes about five minutes to make. I have been doing this for five years and no complaints. I also put vinegar in a Downy ball as a rinse agent. (We have very hard water here).

Borax and washing soda are minerals that soften water and scrub dirt, and soap is less active in the water system than detergent.

One caveat-- grating the soap in the food processor is important if you are using a cold-water wash. You want it to be finely grated enough that it will dissolve easily. I put both the grater blade and the chopper blade on to achieve this.

I do the laundry once a week because the whole building shares two washing machines. As for the dryer, it's obvious you only use it if you are in a hurry and instead usually hang up the clothes for drying.

I once got a sample of soap nuts, they didn't smell at all :( Also, I read they make your white clothes turn greyish after a while, so you need to add some baking soda.

I have to say, I get really tired of everyone harping on cold washes. I've done cold vs. warm washes, and I've consistently found that stains and odors don't come out in cold. On the other hand, I have three dogs and a chronically ill sig other who produces a lot of biological stains, so I'm sure this contributes to the issue.

As for detergent, I only trust Charlie's Soap -- it comes out clean every time, with no need to rinse again. Mrs. Meyers is so expensive, and I'm not impressed by the added scents. It makes me wonder if they're trying to hide the odors their detergent doesn't get out. Plus, living in a rural area, I'd have to make a 45-mile round trip to the nearest store to buy it.

I LOVE Mrs. Meyers scents. That's the main reason I use their stuff.