8 Tips for Cleaner, Greener Laundry

Levolor LOVE the roller shades!

Rough Linen Line dry when possible! Easier to say in California than Illinois, but it saves energy and wear and tear on clothes - that lint in the dryer has to come from somewhere!

olldbobbi I can't speak for whether or not Seventh Generation laundry detergent works, but their dishwasher soap doesn't. And working with extremely hard water and a high efficiency washer is a challenge ! Until I can afford a whole home water softener I add baking soda to every load.

midmodfan I recently read that the trend of washing in cold water and using eco friendly detergents has lead to a surge of germs in every piece of laundry. Most bacteria happily survive temperatures below 60C / 140F and even feed !!! on those detergents.

This was found out by health institutes in Germany where washers have a much longer cycle (normal warm wash is almost 90 minutes) than the average top load washer I ever used in the U.S. Now imagine short cycle, cold water, 'green' detergent ... yummy. So, if you wash in cold water, please add bleach.

I will not wash everything with cold water, no matter how much money it saves. I even wash one 90C / 195F load per week, including cloths I used for the cat's litterbox, cleaning the bathrooms or wiping the floors.

YES to the rest of the recommendations in this very interesting and helpful ideabook Thank you.

Rachel I would have thought Method would have made the list of cleaners. Check them out.

Jo Allan When it comes to being green I think most of us do our part where and as we can. For us washing in cold is not part of it. We've hear and read all of info on it and for the amount of money we save (and I'm not motivated only by money for Eco choices) and what microbiologists have said about what should be washed in warm if not hot water. The comment on Germany is interesting. FYI Seventh Generation detergent both dish and laundry is our go-to green brand. We've also tried a lot of products and read many reviews and keep going back to Sev.Gen. But I would encourage everybody to find what works for them.

Jo Allan Sorry above comment should say because washing in cold plus sanitary issues we choose wash in warm and even hot if need be but also cold. We always rinse in cold. But as I said we're all different.

olldroo I have never washed in hot water, even when I had babies, as it causes fabrics to crease more making more ironing, causes shrinkage, dyes to run and fade colours. If there is sickness in the house or any need for concern I add household disinfectant to the wash, as I would to washing dishes. All my washing is dried in the sun too, which is also good for killing germs.

Sorry, midmodfan, but there is no way I would ever put cleaning cloths in the washing machine. Anything I used for animals would be disposable or rinsed and soaked in disinfectant immediately, totally separate to anything else.

marriet1 Front loading machines have a habit of breaking down faster and more frequently than top loaders. I don't think I would buy another one.

richardaz When I grew up, they were called clothes lines. Today, these "solar powered dryers" still offer the same benefits - including the wonderful feel and smell of sheets that have frozen and dried outside (freeze dried?). I don't like the look of permanent clothes lines but I found a solution. An environmental products company (www.GreenExpressDirect.com) offers a handy outdoor clothes line system that folds up like an umbrella and is easy to take inside, leaving your outdoor vista uncompromised.

waterlynx You forgot to mention dryer sheets. There are alternatives: vinegar added to the rinse cycle of the washing machine (instead of fabric softener), dryer balls--wool or, if you must, plastic. I'm sure there are other methods people use. And not over-drying the load really cuts down on static.

lynnag I think one of the most "green" things you can do is avoid plastics. Even if they are recycled (and so much isn't) it is rarely recycled back into a plastic container. I buy laudry and dish detergent in paper boxes. If I get a plastic drinking bottle I re-use it 50+ times before recycling (washing out between uses) and fill it with my own filtered water. And I buy sparkling flavored water in cans. And walk away from restaurants/stores that sell food/drinks in plastics, while letting the manager know I don't use disposable plastics so am going to their competitor. A few years ago fast food restaurants were using a lot of styrofoam. Folks boycotted going to them and they switched back to paper burger wrapping/cups. Now, the plastics are back: coffee and drink cups, salad containers, etc. If you really care about the environment, look not just at the product in the container, look at the container. Glass and metal can be recycled 100% back into another glass/metal container. Send a message with your buying choices. And, vocalize to those workers/managers why you are or are not choosing to buy from them (I let the Welsh Farms in town know I choose them of 7-11 because 7-11 only carries half-and-half in plastics. So I choose them for that product and any others I'm purchasing - in hopes of keeping that paper choice for the future... Oh, then I rinse out the cream/milk container, dry it, and recylce it with paper recyclables. Once I got used to making such choices, it really isn't difficult to sustain the buying practices.

dholpainen I just had to buy a new washer and dryer and bought top load Speed Queens. No electronics, built 100%in the US, been in business forever. They're built like the old Maytags. They actually have a true hot water setting. You can have Energy Star ratings. They don't clean clothes properly. I love my new set and everyone I've told about them wants them.

kateskouros hot water = clean clothes.

Adeline Denniston Consider Celadon Road for your Organic cleaning needs. This is a green company here in the US, 82% of their products are made in USA, the other 18% accounts for their fair trade items and organically grown essential oils, which are utilized for their anti-microbial properties. www.celadonroad.com

armen Mrs. Meyers products graded mid to low in EWG's recent appraisal of "green" cleaning products.....

Val Wolf Besides the eco-friendly products, it's great to search for cruelty-free products as well.

Adeline Denniston Celadon Road is cruelty-free and has a 0-4 score from EWG. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/company/Celadon_Road,_Inc./

kselle Norwex products are also very environmentally friendly.

Indoor line drying most or all of your clothes also saves a ton of energy. Even putting the clothes in the dryer for 10 min in high heat will get the drying process started and get out the wrinkles, then line drying for the rest on indoor or outdoor clothes lines. Hey, isn't that how everyone used to dry their clothes? And much more energy efficient!

sclawson Just got a new Samsung front load steam washer and dryer last summer. The washer uses much less water AND detergent and gets the clothes cleaner. The wash cycle is longer because the water is sprayed through the clothes, and it's very quiet too. I already wash most everything in cold water. However, underwear, PJs, white socks, handkerchiefs and washcloths get a steam "sanitize" setting. I haven't found a stain yet this washer couldn't get out--even ones that are set in. The dry cycle is much shorter than my old dryer, too, so uses less electricity. Haven't tried eco-friendly detergents because I already pay enough for detergent. If they want me to use the "green" stuff, start selling it at a competitive price. Dryer balls wear out too, so I've gone back to liquid fabric softener. Clotheslines are a big no-no in many neighborhoods; both where I live now and my previous neighborhood had written bans in the homeowners association covenants. As an allergy sufferer, I would never dry anything outside anyway. Yes, it smells marvelous, but it's full of all microscopic spores and pollen that makes me congested--a great thing to cuddle up around my face at bedtime!!

kuz55 All I use in my newer LG front loader is charlies soap and white vinegar as a softener and rinse, sometimes borax as a booster. My clothes are clean no residue buildup and the washer has no sour smell. Green and inexpensive.

olldroo kuz55 - I reckon LG make the best washing machines there are. I have had a top loader for over 10 years now and will never get anything else. My clothes always come out spotless and with absolutely no wear and tear - even the most delicate fabrics are safe. Borax was always the best product for softening hard water.

patscats2 I will not wash anything in cold water. It's warm for 99% and hot to very hot for whites and things that need sanitizing like the pet laudry.

marriet1 Unless water is boiling, it doesn't kill germs. But it does help to remove them from the clothing items. Same with your hands. The act of washing helps to shed germs from your hands.

ab01566 To save money on dry cleaning, I began hand washing (or using a similar machine setting) and line drying many of my clothes on hangars in my closet. Besides saving money, my clothes are fresher. Except for delicates, and out of concern for minimizing germs, I machine wash most of my family's items in warm or hot water, particularly towels and my teenaged son's gym clothes.

olldbobbi Eeew, gym clothes !

olldroo Actually washing gym clothes and heavily soiled items in hot water can set the stains and perspiration, discolour the clothes and even harden fabrics - particularly sox. I put anything like that through a cold water soak cycle with Napisan or other soaking powder, then give it a cold water wash and everything is pristine, fresh and soft. Whites never grey on me that way.

katelynweissinger Rather then buying laundry detergent, dryer sheets, or fabric softener, consider making them. Most homemade laundry detergents are low sudsing too so they work great with energy efficient machines. I use liquid Dr. Bronners (an organic and fair trade castile soap), borax, and washing soda to make my detergent. It costs pennies per load and there are far less containers to recycle. I skip fabric softener all together (most softeners coat your clothing and towels with oil, making them less absorbent & can prematurely burn out your dryer since the oils clog up in your lint trap). If you have to have a scent on your clothing just take a damp cloth and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil and add it to the dryer.

Here's my current favorite recipe: http://mymerrymessylife.com/2012/03/diy-homemade-laundry-detergent-cheap-and-green-free-printable-2.html

If you use the suggested amount per load, it costs 3 cents per load (or $2.88 for 2 gallons of detergent)!

aprilinthegarden Has anyone tried soapnuts? I have been wondering how they work, and also if I could grow my own (Zone 7B). Also, do they still make retractable clotheslines? I think that would be a great solution for line drying. I guess it could be used indoors as well as outdoors. I would like to get one for my deck!

olldroo aprilinthegarden - don't know what is available in the US sorry, but retractable clothes lines are still around here. Also this fold down one is very good, and easier to use than a retractable

http://www.hills.com.au/en/Products/clotheslines/folding-frame/everyday-range

Search online and see if you can find something similar.

rrweather Interesting comments about only washing pet items in hot water. It is my uneducated opinion that once you let your dog or cat in the house, he or she is already spreading whatever it is you're trying to kill by washing in hot water. There are airborne germs, bacteria, etc. everywhere. Instead of trying to kill everything with hot water and antibacterial soaps, perhaps we should try to let our bodies build up a more natural immunity. I didn't have antibacterial soaps when I was a child and I'm still hear to talk about it. Bacteria will be here long after us; we need to let our bodies adjust to living with it.

It's sad to hear that clotheslines are not allowed in so many neighborhoods because of HOAs. I guess it's better that every house look the same than to save the environment.

patscats2 My dog and cat beds are full of bacteria and if I don't wash them in hot or sanitize cycle they will not be clean. I give my dogs raw beef marrow bones to eat. Believe me, it takes very hot water to get that grease and smell out of the bedding. I'm worried about my personal environment first and without hot water it would not be as clean as it is. I make my own soap powder and use a lot of natural cleaners. Sometimes I need good old bleach to do the job for me. I'm not as young and strong as I use to be so when I need a cleaner that does the work for me, i.e., bathroom cleaners, I use them. For everyday messes I use natural cleaners I make myself with vinegar, essential oils, etc. I make my own floor cleaner for my laminate floors also. I have a front loader washer and save tons of water and energy because of it. I also use my retractable clothes line on my back porch when feasible to do so.

If people can wash dirty diapers in their washing machine I can't understand why they can't wash dog and cat bedding. All that is needed is to run the sanitize cycle after washing the pet bedding with cleaner and then the machine is as good as new.
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Ros Ette nice & neat :)