How to green your laundry room

Like your kitchen and your bathroom, a laundry room can be a major contributor to environment friendliness or degradation. There are three primary issues that strongly influence the good or bad news of your laundry room.

One component is water use. The second issue involves the ingredients in the variety of cleaning solvents used. Energy use is the final major issue that affects the eco-friendly character of your laundry room.

Major issues in a laundry room that can harm the environment

A serious water consumer, like your kitchen and bath, your laundry room and the environment can benefit from a reduction in usage. Your washing machine determines whether it is helping or hurting our planet and its resources. If you have an older washer, the odds favor environmental unfriendliness.

The same older washing machine may also be using much more energy than a newer, Energy Star rated appliance. The larger and/or more active your family, the more laundry you're faced with. The more laundry you do, the larger the beneficial or damaging environmental effect.

The combination of detergents, bleaches, spot removers, and fabric softeners can also harm or blend in with the environment. The list of toxic substances used in some of these products is long. However, there are also many new green products that do no harm to the planet.
 
As you can see, your laundry room presents some challenges and opportunities to seriously go green. There are a number of issues that exist in this part of your home that may pose risks to our environment. Fortunately, there are eco-friendly solutions to all of the environmental challenges.

How to create a green laundry room

Depending on your commitment to create an eco-friendly laundry room – and the health of your household budget - there are solutions, many of them very low cost, to achieve your goal. Here are some tips to help the environment and make your laundry room more efficient.

Choose energy efficient appliances

Consider installing a modern water saving Energy Star washing machine. When your budget permits or when your current appliance needs to be retired, consider spending a few extra dollars to buy one of the wonderful water and energy saving washing machines now available. You can cut water and electricity usage up to 50% and save over $100 per year.

Use cold water

Wash your clothes in cold water. Up to 90% of the energy used to wash clothes goes to heating the water. Washing with cold water is usually recommended for most colored or dark clothes anyway, so it's worth a try.

You can even purchase laundry detergent that is specifically formulated to be effective in cold water.

Choose green products

Use eco-friendly cleaning products. There are many laundry cleaning products that are harmful to the environment and, now, many that are friendly to our planet. Unlike the recent past, most newer green laundry products are just as effective as those that have toxic properties.

Don't waste time

Wash and dry loads back to back. Don't waste your dryer's heat. Keep the washing assembly line moving. Putting newly washed clothes right in your dryer after removing the last load uses the heat already present in your dryer, allowing you to use less time – and energy – to dry the next load of clothes.

Say no to dryer sheets

Stop using dryer "sheets" when drying clothes. Most dryer sheets are infused with elements toxic to the environment. Consider using "dryer balls", which are like tennis balls with little "spikes" on them.

They tumble with your clothes and separate them to allow your dryer heat to circulate around your clothes. Drying time is shortened and, even though they are plastic, can be used again and again without environmental harm.

Make a commitment to go green

Depending on your household budget and your commitment to going green, you can make a measurable positive effect on the environment and, often, save money, too, by using these tips to equip and use your laundry room.

Doing laundry is both a necessity and a chore, but using eco-friendly products and techniques will make you feel better and make your environment even happier.

Saving energy and water, while using green detergent products, can make a measurable difference in our environment. The many green laundry detergent products and the availability of energy and water efficient washing appliances offer you numerous opportunities to create an eco-friendly laundry room.

Even if your household budget is stretched to the max, you can create a green laundry room.