Make Your Laundry Eco-Friendly
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to do laundry and not have to worry about how the detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets were affecting the environment? Here are tips to make laundry eco-friendly when you buy your laundry products.
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Make Your Laundry Eco-Friendly With These Tips
It has been said that the laundry room is one of the most toxic rooms in your entire home. This is based upon the fact that commercial laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets have high levels of toxic chemicals in them.
Is it any wonder that people are looking for safe, eco-friendly alternatives to doing their laundry?
There are many products on the local supermarket’s shelves that claim to be “environmentally safe.” But one has to wonder if they live up to their claim.
Unlike the labels on food products, laundry products are not regulated. A manufacturer does not have to prove their claim; they don’t even have to list the ingredients that are in the products they sell.
When searching for eco-friendly laundry products, try to look for products that have a list of the ingredients, as well as words indicating what’s NOT in the cleaner, i.e., “chlorine-free” or “no phosphates.”
Here are Some Ways to Make Laundry Eco-Friendly:
Detergent
One of the easiest ways to make your laundry more “green” is to switch from liquid detergent to powder. Since liquid detergents already contain large quantities of water, it costs extra for packaging. If you must buy a liquid, choose one that is concentrated.
Drying Laundry
Another way to lessen laundry’s impact on the environment is by allowing it to air dry on a clothesline rather than using your dryer. Sunlight, which is free, is a natural bleaching agent; it also disinfects the clothes.
Ditch Dryer Sheets
Don’t use dryer sheets because many of them contain the same chemicals found in liquid fabric softeners. Besides being hazardous to your health, aren’t biodegradable. To help reduce static cling, dry natural fibers, and synthetic fibers separately.
The More You Know About Laundry Eco-Friendliness:
Look for products with specific claims, not generic ones. “No phosphates” or “plant-based” tells you more about a product than saying it is “biodegradable.”
Choose those products that list their ingredients, and choose those that are made with plant-based instead of petroleum-based ingredients.
While these tips are not exhaustive, it's a few steps that you can take to lessen the environmental impact. They will help lessen the chemicals in your home, and possibly save you money at the same time.
If you want to get really crazy you could make your own laundry room products!
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