Doing laundry the green way means saving money, water and energy. You also decrease the amount of greenhouse gas pollution coming from electricity production. 

Here are some simple steps which will save water and energy:

• Use cold water to wash your clothes.

• Wait until you have a full load to run your washer or dryer.

• Clean the dryer's lint filter before each load.

• Hang your clothes to dry whenever possible.

       Even in the winter you can hang clothes outside on a nice day. If they are slightly damp at the end of the day, 10 minutes in the dryer may be all that’s needed.

       Another option is to hang clothes in the basement or in a shower stall. An extra shower curtain rod installed near the ceiling makes a good place to hang wet clothes or towels. A folding rack or a retractable indoor clothes line are other options.

       If you don’t want to hang all your laundry, at least hang things that take a long time to dry, such as towels and jeans. This makes it possible to reduce the dryer time for the remaining clothes or run the dryer only once for every two loads of wash.

      Hanging clothes to dry indoors has the additional benefit of helping humidify the dry heated air.

      Wash clothes on the “cold” or, at most, “warm” setting. Heating water for a load of clothes uses much more energy than the energy needed to run the machine’s motor.  Heating  water typically accounts for about 13% a household’s electric bill, so reducing the use of hot water will save you money. If you wish, you can use detergent designed for use in cold water.

     When the time comes to buy a new washer, choose an Energy Star rated model. Although the purchase price will probably be higher, over time you will save lots of money because of lower water and electricity bills.

Copyright 2008 Christine Missik