Day 31: Greener Laundry

Today is laundry day. We skipped last week's laundry day so today there is about 6 loads to do, which is really high for us. So much laundry really got me thinking about what I could do to make my laundry chore better for the planet. So, for my Good Human Act today I looked up ideas on how to do Greener Laundry. I found lots of ideas, some which we already do, like use a front loading washer that saves water, using free and clear detergent to keep dyes and perfumes out of the water system and cleaning the lint out of the dryer after every load to increase the dryers efficiency. I also found some ideas that I just could not handle with so many clothes in one day, but want to try to do in the future, like hanging the laundry outside to dry, installing a drying rack in the laundry room or making your own laundry soap. And I found some great ideas that helped me be able to do smarter laundry today, like washing on cold instead of hot or warm, making sure each load was full so water was not wasted, not doing an extra rinse cycle and emptying and changing over the laundry before the dryer cools down to cut heating energy. Gotta run, load 4 just beeped and is calling my name! Here are some of the ideas I found for Eco-Friendly Laundry from a website called Killer Green Ideas.

Green your cleaning routine with these 12 free eco-friendly ideas for your laundry room.

1.  Hang it Out to Dry- Air drying your clothes can save 700 lbs. of CO2 and $ 75.00 per person per year. Plus, clothes last longer and won’t pill or fade as much. (700 pounds: Amount of carbon dioxide emissions saved each year by line-drying your family's laundry. You'd save 75 bucks, too. )

2.  Install a Drying Rack- If you don’t want to take your laundry outside, install a drying rack over the tub.

3.  Lose the Lint - Improve your dryer’s efficiency by thoroughly cleaning out the lint trap after each load.

4.  Rinse, Repeat, Rinse, Repeat - Dedicate one day to do all of your laundry and be diligent.  By doing your loads back to back, you’ll maximize your dryer’s efficiency because a hot dryer will dry clothes much more effectively than a cold one.

5.  Wash on the Cold Cycle - You’ll save precious energy wasted to heat the hot water heater.  Worried your clothes won’t get as clean?  Purchase cold water detergent. (34 million tons: Amount of carbon dioxide emissions that would be saved if every U.S. household used only cold water for washing clothes--that's nearly 8 percent of the Kyoto target for the U.S. )

6.  Use Free & Clear Detergent - Minimize the amount of dyes and perfumes that make their way into the water system.

7.  Forgo the Bleach - 3%  Hydrogen Peroxide can be an alternative to bleach in your washer to whiten and brighten. Simply add 1 cup to your wash cycle, avoiding use on wool, silk and dry cleaning only clothing.

8.  Skip the Softener and Use Baking Soda - Also, another bleach alternative; use ½ cup per load to help whiten, soften, and remove odors from clothes.

9.  Toss Your Dryer - Not literally!  Add a few tennis balls or dryer balls (available at Target, CVS, Walmart) to your dryer load to help speed dry time and minimize wrinkles (yay! less ironing later).

10.  Wash in Full Loads - Always wash in full loads. (99 pounds: Amount of carbon dioxide emissions saved per household each year by running only full loads of laundry. )

11. Choose Concentrated Laundry Detergents - Reduced packaging means less waste.

12.  Wear More than Once - Obviously, we aren’t talking socks and underwear here… but if your clothes aren’t soiled or smelly, wear ‘em again.