Laundry & Environmental Responsibility, Part 2

Most of us don’t fully appreciate the enormous impact that doing our laundry has on the environment. Fortunately, there are numerous ways in which we can have clean clothes without significantly damaging the environment. Last week’s blog post listed a number of these. The following completes our list of ways in which we can reduce the environmental impact of our laundry:

1. Buy unscented liquid laundry detergent or dryer sheets instead of the scented varieties. Scented detergents and dryer sheets emit volatile organic compounds, two of which are carcinogenic. (In other words, your clothes contain carcinogenic residue, as does the water used by your washing machine and the air emitted from your dryer vent.)
2. If you typically do only full loads and have to buy a new washing machine, get one that holds an extra-large load.
3. If your washer has an efficient spin function, rely on it to remove most of the water, which allows you to dry your clothes for less time. The bulk of energy is consumed by the dryer.
4. Dry clothes on a clothesline or rack. Clothes dry without consuming energy or running up your electric bill.
5. Hang towels to dry after using them rather than washing them after each use; towels only need to be washed approximately once a week.
6. Be careful to use the right amount of soap for the load to avoid an extra rinse.
7. Although they are more expensive, consider using an eco-friendly laundry detergent, such as Tide Purclean or Seventh Generation Free & Clear.
8. When they become available, consider using laundry capsules made from recycled carbon emissions rather than standard detergent. (Lever Brothers has marketed the first detergent of this kind. It is currently available only in China, where an overwhelming majority of the population is very concerned about the effects of climate change.) Standard detergents are in part derived from fossil fuels.
9. If you want to completely control the ingredients in your detergent, you can make it yourself. If you try this, be sure to wear rubber gloves. For the directions, see DIY Liquid Laundry Detergent.