1. choose an eco-friendly washing machine
When buying a new washing machine, research into the different models and makes and choose one that is suited to your needs and has a good environmental rating.
Each washing machine has a different optimal load size (usually in terms of the weight of the clothes you wash at a given point in time). Choosing the best washing machine for you implies asking yourself how many loads you need to do on a daily or weekly basis and what you are washing in each of them. If you want to be able to wash blankets or comforters, you will need a larger washing machine. But how often do you really wash those? Does it make sense to size your machine for those large loads that you do only once in a while and have the machine underused the rest of the time (thus spending more water and energy than necessary every time you use it)?
This is what I found online: According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), “If every clothes washer purchased in the U.S. was ENERGY STAR certified, we could save more than $4 billion each year and prevent more than 19 billion pounds of annual greenhouse gas emissions, equal to the emissions from 1.8 million vehicles.
2. Use the shorter/colder cycles
Remember that you are adding detergent to the water when you wash your clothes. So unless you have very dirty clothes or stuff you need to almost sterilize, most of the times the shorter/colder cycles in your washing machine are sufficient. This will help reduce your electricity and water bills, it's better for the environment, and also reduces the wear and tear of clothes.
3. Turn your washing machine on only when you have a full load
Even if your washing machine has specific programs for half loads, if you read the manual you will see that they are not all that efficient anyway. So it's better to just go with full loads.
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4. Line dry as much as possible
Yes, I know it's very convenient to use a dryer. Or I think I do. Maybe I'm wrong, because in the almost twenty years I've have my own home (and in all the others before when I lived with my parents) I've never owned a dryer. I don't even know how to use one, I would need to read the manual to get it running.
I do live in a place where winters are mild (rain but no snow) and summers are hot, which makes it easier. But I also live in an apartment, and I still make it work, while I know a lot of people living close to me in homes with gardens and backyards and using dryers - which makes zero sense to me.
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Go check your dryer's manual and you will see how much energy it spends in each cycle. And then ask yourself if for at least part of the year you can line dry your clothes. Make the choice. Or at least try.
5. Use an eco-friendly detergent
I know some people would tell you to make your own detergent. I've tried, and I was not totally convinced. Yes, you can control the amount of chemicals that you use, but it's not always easy to get all the ingredients and I don't consider it an all that much cheaper alternative.
So what I did was to research the detergents in the market and look for the ones that are mostly plant based and composed of almost 100% of ingredients of natural origin. And while those are usually a bit more expensive, I buy then when there's an in-store promotion or I have a coupon and cost is no longer an issue.
I've also seen a couple of stores that have recently started to sell laundry and dish detergents in bulk (you take your own container and fill it with the amount of detergent you need), which is really a great idea.
And those cute laundry pods? Yeah, they're really not so great for the environment (or the health of your washing machine) either. While they may seem very practical, the plastic film that dissolves in the water just leaves a trail of small particles - the famous micro-plastics that end up in the rivers, oceans, soil and, by extension, in the bodies of all animals (including us).
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6. Cut back on fabric softener
I quit using fabric softener a long time ago. When my son was born he had a lot of allergies. One of the things the doctor advised was not to use fabric softener on his clothes. Since I wasn't washing his clothes separately, I stopped adding fabric softener altogether. To this day, I don't miss it. Detergents, especially the plant based ones, already leave your clothes soft and smelling great. Adding fabric softener is equivalent to just pouring more chemicals down the drain to contaminate surface and ground waters and to affect marine life.
If you still feel the need to add fabric softener to your washing cycle, consider switching to a plant based, natural one. Of, if you're using your dryer, switch to dryer balls instead, which are much better for the environment.
7. Don't overuse detergent
Detergent packages usually come with specific instructions as to the amount required for the size of the load, the lever of dirtiness of the clothes and the type of water. Read those instructions carefully and make sure you're not using more than necessary.
Also, remember that if your clothes have stains, it's usually more efficient to soak them beforehand and pre-treat the stains before placing them in the washing machine, which means you won't need to add extra detergent to a full load of laundry to get rid of just one specific stain.
8. Regularly clean your washing machine (and your dryer)
By keeping your machines clean (filters, vents, etc), you ensure that they are working as efficiently as possible and using the minimum amount of energy and water required. While there are several products in the market for this, usually hot water, vinegar and/or baking soda do the trick and no harsh chemicals are necessary.
9. Iron only what is absolutely necessary
Folding and ironing are the last parts of the laundry sequence. And honestly, I hate them both. But if I have to choose one, I pick folding.
At our house, we iron only the essentials - mostly, my husband's work shirts. Almost everything else is either used as is or folded as carefully as possible and place in the closets. My washing machine has a "fluffing" program (which is supposed to reduce creases), but I only use it when I wash the curtains (which I also hang in place to dry). For everything else, I just use the regular programs with an as reduced spin cycle as possible (easier to do in the summer than in the middle of winter, but that's just life), take out the clothes as soon as the program ends and hang then to dry as straight or as flat as possible.
10. Use energy smartly
Check your home energy plan. In some plans you can pay less for the energy consume at certain hours (usually the ones when there is less demand for energy). If that is your case, try to time your laundry to match those cheaper hours of energy, thus reducing your monthly bill.
If you have solar panels, it works the same way - do your laundry during the day, when your panels are producing energy.
If you have none of the above, go back to point one and consider investing in a more efficient washing machine, skip the dryer if you can, and make sure you use your appliances to the best of their abilities.
Enjoy, and happy Tuesday,
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