Laundry
11 ways to Green Your Laundry
Try this laundry list of earth-friendly ideas to help you get that same clean-clothes smell without all the water, energy use, and harmful detergents.
Air-dry your wet laundry
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Air-drying your laundry instead of running the dryer reduces energy use and CO2 emissions.
Choose a front-loading ENERGY STAR washer
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Front-loading ENERGY STAR washers use up to 50 percent less water and significantly less energy than standard machines.
Choose an energy-efficient dryer
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Gas dryers and those that feature a moisture sensor use less energy than other models.
Wash clothes in cold water
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Ninety percent of the energy consumed in washing your clothes is used to heat the water. Washing in cold water can eliminate the need for this excess energy use.
Wash a full load of laundry
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Your washing machine will use the same amount of energy for a small load as it will for a large one. Maximize your washing machine's energy use—and minimize the amount of water wasted—by washing only full loads of laundry.
Maintain your dryer
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Regularly cleaning the lint trap and vents will help your dryer work more efficiently, which will save energy.
Choose natural laundry detergent
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You'll avoid chemical cleaning agents that may affect ecosystems by contaminating soil and groundwater.
Choose natural fabric softener
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Reduce the amount of chlorine, phosphates, and petroleum-based chemicals that are released into the environment and onto your skin.
Make your own detergent and fabric softener
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Keep chemicals out of your washing machine—and from draining into water supplies—by making your own natural laundry detergents and fabric softeners from basic household ingredients.
Choose eco-friendly packaging
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Choose laundry detergents that come in cardboard, recyclable plastic, or containers made from reused materials. Concentrated and powdered detergents require the least amount of packaging.
Pour boiling water over fruit stains
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Works better than any cleaner on the market and costs $0.
Comments
9:41am
Replace chemical detergents with soap nuts.
Soap nuts are all natural and chemical free. They can be purchased in bulk sizes with minimal packaging.
The used soap nuts are 100% biodegradable and can be composted with no negative enivironmental impact.
Because soap nuts also soften the laundry without chemicals you need only this one item for clean soft laundry. No more toxic dryer sheets or fabric softeners are needed.
If purchased from a supplier that packages in muslin bags there is no packaging to recycle. One pound of soap nuts will do up to 160 loads of laundry when used according to directions.
When boiled they can be used to replace almost all chemical based cleaning products in the home.
A multitude of uses for soap nuts can be found at http://soap-nuts.info
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