Eco friendly and sustainable laundry

Laundry is an essential part of our daily routine, but it can also be a significant source of waste. From the water we use to the energy required to run our machines, laundry can have a significant impact on the environment. Fortunately, there are many ways to make your laundry routine more sustainable and with zero waste. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Wash Clothes Less Often The simplest way to reduce your laundry’s environmental impact is to wash your clothes less often. Many of us wash our clothes after every wear, but this isn’t always necessary. Jeans, jackets, and pullovers can be worn several times before they need to be washed. By reducing the number of loads you do each week, you can save water and energy.

2. Energy efficient appliances Consider buying an ENERGY STAR -labelled washing machine/dryer. These machines use less water and energy than standard models.

3. Use your washing machine only when it’s full Running your washing machine only when it’s full can save a significant amount of water and reduce electricity consumption. Make sure you’re using the correct load size setting on your washing machine to avoid using more water than necessary.

4. Use Cold Water Heating water requires a lot of energy, so washing your clothes in cold water can significantly reduce your energy consumption.

5. Clean dyer’s lint filter before every use. Clean the slot where the lint catcher goes, you can use a chopstick to clean the slot.

6. Line-Dry Your Clothes Using a dryer is one of the most energy-intensive parts of doing laundry. Line-drying your clothes is a simple way to reduce your energy consumption and make your laundry routine more sustainable.

7. Use Eco-Friendly Detergents Most conventional laundry detergents contain toxic ingredients that can harm the environment. Switching to eco-friendly detergents is an easy way to make your laundry routine more sustainable. You can source eco-friendly detergents from any eco conscious brand available locally or make your own DIY detergents. Here is a recipe for a DIY laundry detergent:

   Ingredients

   1. 1 bar of Castile soap
   2. 1 cup of baking soda
   3. 1 cup of washing soda
   4. Essential oils (optional)

   Methods

   1. Grate the Castile soap using a food processor or cheese grater.
   2. Mix the grated soap with baking soda, washing soda, and essential oils (if desired).
   3. Use one to three tablespoons per load of laundry depending on its size and how soiled the clothes are.

   Eco friendly products:

   1. Dropps detergent pods
   2. Tru Earth detergent sheets
   3. Puracy natural laundry detergent
   4. Dr. Bronner’s Suds
   5. Eco Roots detergent sheets.

8. Concentrated detergent or Laundry strips

   Concentrated detergents have less water so less packaging is required. Laundry strips are ultra-concentrated detergents that come in the form of convenient, easy-to-pre-measure handle strips that you can throw in your wash. They are biodegradable, often come in recyclable boxes. They use less space and weight, thus reducing the carbon footprint associated with logistics. You can try Tru Earth Eco-Strips Laundry Detergent which is hypoallergenic, paraben-free, and works in all types of washing machines

9. Eco-friendly Fabric Softener alternatives Fabric softeners contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment and that are toxic to our skin. Here are some alternatives to commercial fabric softeners

   1. Vinegar: It is an excellent natural fabric softener. Add ½ cup of white vinegar to the washing machine right before the final rinse cycle.
   2. Baking soda and vinegar:
      1. Mix two parts of warm water to one part of baking soda in a bowl.
      2. Stir until mixed and add in one part of vinegar.
      3. Add in 2-5 drops of essential oils of your choice, until you get your desired scent.
   3. Wool/ Rubber Dryer Balls: great alternative to traditional fabric softeners.They reduce drying time and prevent clothes from clumping and wrinkling in the dryer. Dryer balls work by absorbing heat from the dryer and moisture from the clothes, this helps in keeping the clothes separate and from clumping and allowing better warm air flow between clothes thereby faster drying. You can replace dryer sheets with vegetable-derived ones.
   4. Salt: Salt acts as a water softener and can be dissolved in the washer.
   5. Aluminium Foil: Aluminium foil reduces static buildup in clothes and can be scrunched into balls and tossed in the dryer.

10. Natural stain removers

    Ingredients in stain removers, such as chlorine or bleach, can be harmful to both you and the environment. Use Baking soda with vinegar. Pre-treating the stains can help in reducing the amount of water used.

11. Buy Bulk items

    Plan ahead and buy items in bulk to reduce plastic usage, transportation costs and get good offers on laundry products.

12. Use Microfiber Filters

    Microfibers are tiny plastic particles that clothes shed during laundry. Washing Machines don’t capture them, but special lint filters do. These filters are an excellent investment for anyone looking to make their laundry routine more sustainable. Clean the filters periodically.