WHO KNEW You Can Do Laundry in Ways that Will Save Power and Cut Down on Chemical Waste?

When I was a kid with three brothers, it seemed our mom was always doing laundry. Now, even with today’s modern appliances, laundry can still use up a lot of time - and of course electricity, gas, and water. Here are some suggestions to make doing laundry a more earth-friendly task.

Don’t run the washer until you have enough items for a full load. (Depending on how many kids are in your household, this could take as little as 24 hours!)

Use cold water. This not only saves electricity; it also prevents shrinkage and keeps colors from bleeding.

If you have the space, hang clothes on racks or clothes lines instead of using the dryer.

Alternatively if you use your dryer, you can dry items on low for about 10 minutes so that the dryer will shake out the wrinkles. Then if you hang your clothes on hangers to finish drying they’ll have little need of ironing.

You can eliminate fabric softener dryer sheets (made of synthetic fiber) by buying three or four wool dryer balls to add to the load. Or you can make dryer balls with leftover yarn or an old wool sweater. Here’s a website: https://www.thespruce.com/make-homemade-dryer-balls-2145708 Their bouncing action absorbs static electricity like dryer sheets, only you can use them forever instead of throwing them away after a single use.

Be aware of the content and packaging of laundry products. Is the plastic bottle of your detergent recyclable? If you buy detergent pods, they’re probably covered in plastic that dissolves in water. Is the plastic plant-based? Also I’ve seen brands of detergent sheets that are made of more earth-friendly fibers, but unfortunately some of them are sold in plastic boxes.

Some major brands of detergent are still made as powder and packaged in cardboard boxes that are better for recycling than plastic bottles. Either way, check the bottom of the bottle or box to see if it’s recyclable. There’s a “Seventh Generation” liquid detergent whose packaging consists of a bottle molded out of cardboard. The detergent itself is held in a thin plastic inner pouch. Both, at least according to the manufacturer, are recyclable.

There’s a brand of detergent sheets called Earth Breeze that uses no plastic. You can buy 60 sheets in packaging made of paper. Plus with every sale the company donates some of its product to homeless shelters.

And to make laundry super easy, the Co-op usually has a bulk dispenser full of detergent that you can pour into your own detergent bottle, reusing it as often as you need to.