Laundry is one of my favorite chores to do. Weird? Maybe. Here are six tips to make laundry day a tad more eco-friendly.1. Line dry | I stopped doing this for a while, because, well I am lazy and we had free laundry. I am so happy I've started this again in the recent months. It takes very little effort and makes me so very happy. For more on how I line dry inside check out this post.
2. Soap nuts | OH EM GEE. Get some of these and get them NOW. I am amazed that something this natural could actually work, but, they so DO. Soap nuts grow on trees and you toss them in your laundry in a little linen bag. After a few loads of laundry, the soap nuts break down and you can compost them. How awesome is that? Check out their website for more info!
3. Dry cleaning shmy cleaning | I wash EVERYTHING in the washer - including my wool winter coat, dress pants, and bras. As long as I use cold water and line dry, it works great! Wool is a natural fiber, so it can be wet. Dry cleaning processes use TONS of nasty chemicals, anyway. Yuck.
4. Wash full loads | If you wash smaller loads, you waste water. And we don't like wasting water.
5. Don't wash clothes unless they're dirty | Wear your clothes as many times as you can before you throw them in the washer. Simple, right?
6. Wash with cold water | Most clothes can be washed in cold water, which uses way less energy.
The best part about all of these? They'll save you money, as well!
You make being eco-friendly seem SO practical! I'm intrigued by the soap nuts! And I want to see if I can't figure out a way to line dry... I hang a lot of things, but line drying would make me immensely happy - like sunshine seeping in my clothes... ha :) Thanks for sharing your tips!
ReplyDeleteYou are so cute!
ReplyDeleteRegarding point #5... washing your clothes less often also equals less wear and tear. Your clothes will last longer! That's also less wasteful, right? :)
ReplyDeleteI already (mostly) do 3-6. I will dry clean fancy dresses, but only after a few wearings and at our eco-friendly dry cleaner. (Although I've never done any research into it, so I don't know how much better it is than traditional.)
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of soap nuts before!
Ugh, I HATE doing laundry, so I definitely have the full load thing covered. More like many full load(s), because I've waited until the last possible second to do it!
ReplyDeleteWill you come do my laundry. Actually, it's not the washing or the line dry - it's the folding and hang part that annoys me!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see I'm doing all right according to your list.
I totally checked the soap nuts website during class. I think the boy behind me was a little weirded out be the breast feeding mom on the website :-P
So what do you think of homeowners' associations that don't allow residents to have clotheslines? I think that's ridiculous! Although honestly I can't dry everything outside because it catches the pollen and I have bad allergies.
ReplyDeleteHowever, my cat loves it when I set up my pop-up clothes dryer for sweaters in the living room. She thinks it's her personal fort! (Being kind to animals counts, right?)
Also use white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner!
ReplyDeleteLaundry is one of my favorite chores, too! And I'm so with you on the dry cleaning. I used to design environmental audits for a software company and began to realize that some state governments had very strict regulations about how dry cleaning chemicals could be disposed of. Made me realize I don't ever want my clothes treated with that stuff.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE doing laundry too and ironing!
ReplyDeleteI never ever dry clean my clothes unless I get a stain that I can't get out myself.
laundry nuts?! these sound amazing!!
ReplyDeleteGreat laundry tips!! I typically do most of these, except instead of line drying I lay my clothes out flat on top of my dryer... I haven't ironed in Years!! I was going to look at the soap nuts site but was put off by the breastfeeding picture... woah! lol. Anyway, keep up these lists, I am loving them.
ReplyDeletesaw the soap nuts woman at a conference! I'm with you and line drying except I don't have a line outside but I use every chair and dresser drawer I can open up.
ReplyDeleteI love this! These are all easy things to remember and do. I'm saving this post to help on laundry day!
ReplyDeleteI wish I would've read this before washing my wool sweater yesterday :(
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I'll be following!