Eco-Friendly Laundry – Recommendations, Advice and Freebies
Going green with eco-friendly laundry practices not only reduces your carbon footprint, but you’ll also save money, and have less wear and tear on your clothes, which makes them last longer.
Here you’ll find my favorite tips. I’ll also recommend the best and most eco-friendly products – and you’ll even discover some freebies!
Eco-Friendly Laundry Tips for Washing Clothes
Wash less often. Your clothes don’t need to be washed after every wear, unless they’re smelly or stained of course. (Yes, detergent manufacturers tell you otherwise, I know). Your clothes will last longer, and you’ll save water, energy and detergent.
Wait till it’s full – a full load is much more efficient in water and energy use.
Use less detergent. Most people use w-a-a-y more detergent than they need. If you can see more than a little bit of suds in your machine, you are using too much!
Pick an eco-friendly detergent This can be quite difficult! Here’s what to look for.
- Don’t assume that anything marketed as “green” or “eco-friendly” or “natural” is a better choice (arsenic is “natural”).
- Avoid detergents with perfume, bleach, softener or brighteners. These are nearly always made from chemicals.
- Use the EWG (Environmental Working Group) recommendations for laundry detergents to find the safest one. (Note:- EWG is American so if you live elsewhere, you may not find your favorite products). Their recommended detergents are listed here. The EWG say the safest brand is AspenClean, here is their website.
- Many of their recommended detergents are available conveniently from Amazon here.
Use cold water. Hot water uses a lot of energy. Cold water is fine for most clothes – and most detergents.
If you need to sanitize your clothes, your washing machine is unlikely to do that for you – the water doesn’t normally get hot enough to kill germs. If you have something you truly need to sanitize (say, bed linen used during an illness), use the sanitize cycle on your dryer.
Don’t use fabric softener – they’re often responsible for asthma and allergies. Simply add white vinegar to the softener compartment of your washing machine. (No, your clothes will NOT smell of vinegar!).
Capture the microfibers. There are various devices that capture microfibers, and every little helps.
(More clever laundry tips here – an expert roundup at Porch.com)
More tips below …..
Eco-Friendly Laundry Tips for Drying Clothes
Air-dry your clothes – this will have one of the biggest impacts on your laundry. Clothes dryers are huge energy hogs, and using the dryer also wears out your clothes faster. Instead, use an outdoor clothesline, a drying rack, or even just use hangers on a shower rod for small loads. Or just tumble-dry your clothes for 10 minutes in the dryer, then hang them out to dry.
If you do use the dryer, use it wisely: Dry towels and heavier items separately from lightweight ones, to speed up drying time. And clean your lint trap regularly.
Avoid dryer sheets – more chemicals, more waste. If you have a lot of synthetic-fiber garments, you may have more of an issue with static, so use reusable wool dryer balls instead. If you like your clothes to smell, add a drop or two of essential oil to the ball, but it’s really not necessary for clothes to have a smell.
A Final Thought
Think before you shop. Before you purchase clothes or home textiles, think about your lifestyle. For example, if you wear a lot of makeup, buy dark-colored towels. If you’re a sweaty sleeper, perhaps white sheets aren’t for you. Always try to buy natural fibers like organic cotton, linen, hemp and wool to help prevent microfibers from entering our waterways.
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Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t forget to download your free climate change report here!
