Green Laundry Tips
Energy-efficient washing machines are a good investment to conserve power and save water. However, the products you put into your washing machine can have just as big of impact on the environment. Most run of the mill laundry soaps contain surfactants and chemicals, many of which are derived from petroleum. Here are a few green living tips for cleaning up your act in the laundry room.
When You Need Bleach: Let’s face it, green laundry isn’t worth it if your clothes don’t come out clean. Sometimes you need some serious cleaning to get out grass stains or foods like tomato sauce. Ever had a kid in soccer? Here’s the tip: avoid chlorine bleach. There are many bleach alternatives available like oxygen boosting products. Here’s a large selection of “oxy” cleaners. I use one scoop of an oxy booster with almost every load of laundry. The trick is to put the oxy powder in the washing machine first, let the water fill, and then add clothes.
Fabric Softener Alternative: A scoop (1/4 to 1/2 cup) of baking soda added to the rinse cycle is a natural way to soften clothes. Here’s another chemical free fabric softener.
Stubborn Stains: Soak resistant stains overnight in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water. (8 parts cold water, 1 part peroxide)
The front loading washing machine above is an LG Energy Star washer, and it is available at HomeClick.
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by Traci Latoz
2 comments
Wow, thank you for the great laundry tips! I have never used oxy cleaner before or Baking soda to soften my clothes. I am actually almost out of detergent, so what a great time to use something that is less harmful for the environment!
Thank you for the great tips!
Good tips on the detergent. Also remember that most detergents are produced from oils coming from fossil fuels, although you can buy some (I believe Seventh Generation is one) that are made from 100% vegetable oils so presumably have a lower carbon footprint.
The two key tips I give people on doing laundry the green way are:
1. Don’t do laundry if you don’t need to. So many times we just throw clothes into the hamper because it’s easier than folding them up and putting them away. You don’t always have to wash a shirt or pants every time you wear them. Kids are a big culprit here - it’s easier for them to let you do the washing, drying, folding, and putting away for them, when they throw clothes in the laundry, than for them to fold and put away clothes that are actually still reasonably clean.
2. Always wash in cold water. Most of the energy used in washing is in heating the water, and you really don’t need to. It will also wear your clothes out faster.
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