Green Your Laundry Routine [Infographic]

“Why should you care about greening your laundry? For starters, many of the chemicals found in common laundry products are hazardous to both humans and the environment (and many more have not been thoroughly tested for safety). Any product that clothing is exposed to – including detergents, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets – coats the fabrics in residues that inevitably come in contact with skin. Effects of direct or airborne exposure to these pollutants can include headaches, dizziness, respiratory issues, and even cancer. Chemicals from these products can also contaminate soil and groundwater after entering the sewer system, and are toxic to marine life.

Disappointingly, products labeled “green,” “natural,” or “organic” have been found to emit just as many dangerous chemicals as standard consumer goods. Many of these chemicals are considered carcinogenic and contribute to air pollution. “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that indoor pollution from cleaning products is likely to be hazardous to health, but there are no federally enforceable standards for their use in the home.”

Convinced it’s time to make some changes in the laundry room? Reduce your impact on the environment (and improve your health) by making any or all of the following changes to your laundry routine.”

Source: Fix.com

Make Your Own Dryer Balls to decrease drying time by separating clothes and letting hot air circulate more easily; this cuts down on the energy used to power the dryer. The more dryer balls you add to a load, the more effective they are. Wool dryer balls also eliminate the harmful chemicals and perfumes found in most conventional fabric softeners and dryer sheets. Plus, they’re made from a renewable resource. The wool balls reduce static and soften clothes the natural way.
Make Your Own Laundry Detergent at home. This simple recipe calls for glycerin soap, washing soda, baking soda, citric acid, and coarse salt. Or try soap nuts, which release saponin, a compound that helps water remove dirt and stains from clothing when agitated in the washing machine. Compost your used soap nuts for extra green points.
Make Your Own Fabric Softener by adding 20 to 30 drops of your favorite essential oil to one gallon of white vinegar. To use, shake the mixture and add approximately 1/3 cup of the mixture during the rinse cycle.
Scent Laundry the Non-Toxic Way by adding stuffing a sachet with dried herbs and flowers such as lavender or peppermint and toss it in the dryer with your clothes.

Do you have any other green alternatives / tips when doing your laundry? Let us know with a comment!

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Posted by:

ecogreenlover

Environmentalist and upcycling crafter. Green lover.

6 responses to “Green Your Laundry Routine [Infographic]”

OmniRunner

February 9

We use cold water 99% of the time. For my stinky running clothes I add white vinegar to cut the BO, and it really works.
We have a high efficiency washer and use less detergent. Last year I ran a 10K in the rain. I looked down and saw soap suds on my leg. Obviously still using too much detergent, and we have been using 1/3 to 1/2 of what the bottle recommends.
In the summer I dry as many towels and other heavy items out on the deck. My mother used to dry everything on the clothes line, even in the winter!

Reply
1. ecogreenlover
  
  February 10
  
  Thank you for sharing your experience, you are doing great!! I still haven’t got around making my own detergent but since last year we started using soapnuts and adding vinegar to the laundry. We don’t have a dryer machine so even in winter we have to hang our clothes and air the flat everyday at least two seconds otherwise there is too much moisture, but we manage to do only one load of laundry per week (once week dark clothes, the next week light color clothes) just 2x per months we get to do laundry twice a week because of the towels and bed sheets…
  
  As always, thank you for passing by and taking the time to share with us! 💚
  
  Reply
helenmarguerite

February 11

I now really want to try making my own detergent! It always frustrates me how many clothes I seem to get through and need to wash even when I try not to wear too many! Although, I typically do one wash a week. Laundry is definitely one of those things that we don’t think about enough, it just becomes routine to wear as much and wash as much as we do!

I will try to get round to making my own detergent and try out the dryer balls too (I’m just hoping that the English weather lets me dry my clothes outside soon though!). I will post when I’ve tried these out!

Thanks for the great post!

Reply
1. ecogreenlover
  
  February 11
  
  Thank you for passing by and leaving a comment! Is true, we don’t often think about it. It was just two years ago when I realized all the energy and water that needs. We switched to an energy efficient laundry machine, we don’t have a dryer but I remember when living in London we could dry the clothes inside, it would take longer but no need of hanging it outside (when you sit know when is going to rain) or to turn the heating on from inside.
  
  I’m looking forward to know how it went for you! 💚
  
  Reply
helenmarguerite

February 11

Reblogged this on Buildings & Baking and commented:

A great post to get you thinking about everyday ways we use water and energy and how we can make some simple changes if we just think about it.

Reply
1. ecogreenlover
  
  February 11
  
  Thank you for sharing! 💚
  
  Reply

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Green Your Laundry Routine [Infographic]

Do you have any other green alternatives / tips when doing your laundry? Let us know with a comment!

Share the Knowledge! 💚

6 responses to “Green Your Laundry Routine [Infographic]”

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