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1. Do less laundry- Wear clothes more than once
One of the easiest ways to to make your laundry routine more green is to simply do less of it. A lot of our clothes don't need to be washed every time we wear them. Jeans, blouses, dresses, bras, and PJs are all worn more than once in my home. I also don't use fresh towels every day. Socks and underwear, however, go straight into the wash.
2. Use a natural laundry detergent
Commercial laundry detergent includes a lot of chemicals. Some of these can be harsh on your skin and the environment. There are many Eco-friendly alternatives out there. Companies like Seventh Generation make laundry detergents. There are also some great homemade detergents available on Etsy. 3. Line dry when you can
I live in a condo so I understand that line drying is not always feasible. Some items (like towels and jeans) also just never seem to come out as soft when they are completely line dried. That being said, I do use my ninja skills to dry some laundry on my patio. The dryer is the second biggest energy user in the house after the refrigerator so the more you can line dry the better.
4. Green your dryer routine
Because the dryer is the second biggest energy user I try to use it less often. I only run it as long as it takes to actually dry clothes rather than turning the knob to the max every time. I also do not use dryer sheets as they contain harsh chemicals. You can buy wool dryer balls that reduce drying time and static. Some people even put natural essential oils on them to make their laundry smell nice.
5. Only run full loads
This one is pretty obvious- the more often you run the washer, the more energy it uses. Wait until you have a full load to reduce the number of times you have to run your machines.
6. Use cold water when you can
90% of the energy used to run a washing machine is to heat the water. Whenever possible use cold water. For items like family cloth, towels, and cloth pads I would stick with hot.
7. Use an eco friendly stain remover
I was a devoted Spray and Wash user for years. This has probably been the hardest switch for me since I am really klutzy and spill stuff all of the time. There are natural stain sticks available on Etsy.
8. Avoid bleach- use the sun!
The sun does a great job "bleaching" whites and is green and completely free! I have found it to work better than bleach and it doesn't degrade fabrics the way bleach does.
9. Upgrade to energy efficient appliances
When our washing machine died we upgraded to a front loading high efficiency machine. I really love it! Besides saving water and electricity, it also is more gentle on my clothes since there isn't an agitator in the middle like my old top-loader. I also love all of the special settings. I get a lot of use out of the hand wash setting and it's saved me from having to dry clean a lot of my clothes.
10. Avoid dry cleaning
Dry cleaning is one of the worst offenders. Perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene (PERC) is used in 85% of dry cleaners and is a known carcinogen. I try not to dry clean ANYTHING- I have 2 dresses that I dry clean now and that is it. My cashmere sweaters, merino wool sweaters, and delicate items are now washed in my washing machine using a gentle detergent on a hand wash cycle. I lay them flat to dry. My clothes smell better than when I dry cleaned them and my sweaters are actually softer.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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I kinda like the eco-friendliness of these 'dog powered' washing machines: First one I saw was at Pioneer Village (Minden, NE). I have since found several, but I do not have one yet!, but I do have a few of the 'wash tub' type early machines. (My 15 yr old 'farm-dog' just died...I'm VERY lonely now, but have more space when I am sequestered to the Dog house (usually most of the time). It is a LOT colder in the dog house this winter. (shiver) Last night was a 2-dog night. (need 2 dogs in order to keep warm)
I will have to see about getting a Front loader, I don't want to continue to wear out my clothes by washing them. I still wear coats and sweaters I made from Frostline kits while in 4-H / Jr High (pre 1970).
BTW: if you are on septic system, use liquid detergents in Wash and Dishwasher. You will get deposits / clogged septic lines from the powdered detergents
never ever use a dryer, the biggest waste of energy in the world.
are we that lazy that we cannot hang clothes.
are we that snooty that clotheslines upset us by seeing clothes hanging????
and actually have rules to ban them in certain areas?????
were a sick nation here if we are bothered by that.
also, if you buy good towels and not cheap ones they will come off the line soft, mine do.
I have a condo, but I dry a few things on a line strung up on my balcony in warmer weather.
I love line-dried clothes, it's the ultimate luxury to me. I love the smell of the sun and the wind on my clothes, instead of nasty dryer sheet chemicals.
I once built a bicycle powered washing machine out of a 55 gallon barrel drum similar to this but not as pretty Green Power: Bike Washing Machines - BikeHacks It worked OK but I would hook the bike up to an existing old washing machine if I was going to build another one. It would be much easier to build and probably work better.
Also another trick I did when I lived in the high desert, if your clothes aren't dirty or stained, you can simply "wash" them by leaving them out in the hot sun. This works especially well in high elevation areas with low humidity. The sun is really intense up there. Hang them up next to a pinion pine for a fresh scent. It's suprising how clean they feel after a full day in the sun. Obviously you still have to really wash them once in an while, but you can get a few more wears out of a piece before you need to wash it.
7. Use an eco friendly stain remover
I was a devoted Spray and Wash user for years. This has probably been the hardest switch for me since I am really klutzy and spill stuff all of the time. There are natural stain sticks available on Etsy.
Do any of them work as well as Spray and Wash?
I once read that if you're switching from store-bought commercial cleaners to make-it-yourself ones (vinegar, baking soda, etc.), Spray and Wash isn't that bad compared to most household cleaning supplies. I don't remember where I read it, so I can't list the source.
I've made my 5kWh dryer more efficient by taping a disposable aluminum pan to the intake louvers and connected a 4" flexible duct to the upper loft of my garage. The dryer takes in hot and dry air (anywhere between 70-120 degrees at the arch of the garage) and the heating element doesn't have to draw as much electricity. I hang dry the clothes as the next load is the in wash, then I throw all 3 loads in the dryer as the sun starts to come down (the hottest my garage will get). It use to take 2.2kWh to completely dry all 3 loads. With the air box and duct, it takes .9kWh and is done in 15 minutes.
Using the dryer helps to remove all the dog fur from our clothes. The lint trap seems to be 60% fabric fibers, 5% human hair, 35% dog fur.
4. Green your dryer routine
Because the dryer is the second biggest energy user I try to use it less often. I only run it as long as it takes to actually dry clothes rather than turning the knob to the max every time. I also do not use dryer sheets as they contain harsh chemicals. You can buy wool dryer balls that reduce drying time and static. Some people even put natural essential oils on them to make their laundry smell nice.
Great list. I'm especially curious lately about using wool dryer balls. I've heard good things about them but haven't tried it yet.
If you live where it is feasible, why not return to the days of yesteryear?
Three galvanized washtubs, a wash-board, a hand wringer, and a clothesline. Use a wood fire to heat the water. Make your own lye soap, using the ashes from the water heating fire.
Using the washboard, and cutting the firewood, will do wonders for your upper-body strength, and you will be totally fossil fuel and electricity free!
My mother did laundry that way when I was a kid, but then she found a gas engine powered washing machine. She loved that old Maytag!
We air dry as much as we can indoors. We cannot dry our clothes outdoors due to allergies and also because we live where it rains for 9 months out of the year! Pot is also legal where we live and our neighbors smoke with their windows open, it comes into our yard from time to time... so I wouldn't want that smell and smoke in our fresh clean clothes.
Can anyone recommend a good drying rack suitable for a large family? I hang clothes over the bathtub and shower, I also have a clothesline sort of set-up in the garage that helps during the summer. But I would really like a folding clothes-drying rack that I can dry t-shirts and other items on, with the ability to move it around as needed.
One problem we face, is that we are a family of multiple adults and teens, with messy pets to boot, in a small home (1200 sq ft). We love our little home because we require a lot less energy and water than if we were to have bought a larger or more average size American family home (most people we know have homes that are 3000 sq ft or more... I cannot imagine what their utility bill looks like each month... or having to clean and maintain all that space!)... but as far as drying clothes we really are limited as to space. We have a large unheated garage, drying clothes in there works great during the summer but for the rest of the year the clothes just do not seem to get dry at all (too cold). We also like to park cars in the garage, and I have had a problem with the exhaust smell from the vehicles ending up in the towels and having to wash them again - yuk. So I mostly just dry inside.
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that reduce drying time and static. Some people even put natural essential oils on them to make their laundry smell nice.
