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Eco Laundry Tips:
The Laundry Room
By Dr. Alan Greene
Excerpted with permission from
Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy,
Childbirth and Baby Care published by Jossey-Bass, A John
Wiley & Sons Imprint.
www.DrGreene.com
As the holidays approach there are opportunities for green purchases
beyond the usual toys and special gifts. The world surrounding a new
baby, in particular, the laundry room, is full of choices for green
purchases.
For such a little person, a baby sure goes through a lot of laundry:
diapers, bibs, sleepers, undershirts, blankets, sheets, socks, pants . .
. and of course all the items the baby spits up on that also need to be
cleaned—often. That’s why having a baby in the house turns the mundane
washer and dryer into wonder machines of incredible convenience. This
increase in laundry loads is also a good reason for you to focus your
green efforts on the laundry room.
The Green Washing Machine
If you’re buying a new washer, remember to look for Energy Star models.
Traditional top-loading washing machines use about forty gallons of
water per load, whereas Energy Star washers use only about twenty-five
gallons per load. That’s a 40 percent savings in water, which translates
into an energy cost savings of almost 50 percent. Make that new machine
a front-loader. Front-loading machines work on a horizontal axis that
saves both water and energy. A top-loading machine must be filled with
water in order to keep the clothing wet and then an agitator swirls the
water around, but a front-loading machine uses less water because the
tub does not need to be filled completely; the tub itself rotates,
making the clothes tumble in the water.
These machines also reduce the energy needed for drying clothes because
they spin clothes faster than top-loading machines, which reduces the
moisture level before the clothes even enter the dryer. As an extra
green bonus, front-loading washers are kinder to your clothing, so your
clothes last longer. In comparison to top-loading washing machines, the
front-loaders use 50 percent less energy and a third less water. With
those savings, it will pay for itself in six years and should last for
ten. In addition, a front-loading Energy Star washer will save enough
energy annually to light your entire home for a month and a half, and it
saves as much water in a year as the average person drinks in a
lifetime.
Laundry Detergent
While you’re looking for ways to go green in the laundry room, don’t
overlook your detergent. You’ll find that it’s easy to make the switch
to green detergents that are plant based (corn, palm kernel, or coconut
oil) and to non-chlorine-bleach products made from sodium percarbonate
or sodium perborate. For those laundry tasks that require special
attention, think simple and homemade.
• For stains, try soaking fabrics in water mixed with one of the
following:
Borax, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, or white vinegar.
• For fabric softening, add a quarter cup of baking soda to the wash
cycle.
• For static cling, add a quarter cup of white vinegar to the wash
water.
• To soften water, use a soap-based, rather than detergent-based,
cleaner.
• Buy laundry products in containers that are recyclable.
There are very good reasons for making the switch to a green product.
Most conventional laundry detergents are made from petroleum— a
nonrenewable resource. They don’t readily biodegrade, and they threaten
wildlife after they go down the drain. Many also contain chemical
fragrances and phosphates (which build up in streams and lakes, upset
the natural balance, and starve fish of the oxygen they need to
survive). They also contain chemicals linked to cancer and reproductive
problems. That’s just plain bad for the earth and for your family.
Chlorine bleach should also be banned from your laundry room. This
popular whitener and disinfectant is highly caustic; when it goes from
your drain into the natural world, it can create organochlorines, which
are suspected carcinogens as well as reproductive, neurological, and
immune system toxins. They also damage the earth’s ozone layer.
Washing and Drying Tips to Try Today
· When you have several loads to wash, do them back-to-back
so you can use the residual heat in the dryer.
· Run the washing machine only when you have a full load.
· Wash with cold water to save 80 to 90 percent of the
energy costs of washing.
· To prevent static cling, add one cup white vinegar to the
rinse cycle, using your washing machine’s dispenser. Static cling, by
the way, is caused by using synthetic fabrics, so you could also switch
to cotton. The vinegar also kills bacteria and prevents the buildup of
detergent residue. Remove the laundry before it’s overdried.
· Clean out the dryer’s lint trap after every load to
improve circulation and reduce energy use.
· Air dry whenever possible using indoor racks or an outdoor
line. This conserves energy—and your clothes. They will not wear out or
fade as quickly. (You’ll also save about seven hundred pounds of carbon
dioxide over six months of warm weather.)
· Remove clothing from the dryer before the cycle ends and
line dry to finish. This conserves energy and increases the life span of
the clothing.
· Avoid using dryer sheets to soften fabrics. They often
contain harsh chemicals that can irritate sensitive skin. Soften fabric
with baking soda in the wash cycle. Try a commercial green fabric
softener like Natural Choices Home Safe Products’ Safe ’n Soft, Ecover’s
Natural Fabric Softener, or Sun & Earth’s Ultra Fabric Softener.
Creating a care package filled with the much needed items that fill
babies lives everyday can be one of the most thoughtful and
environmentally friendly gestures you can make this holiday season.
© Copyright 2008 by Dr. Alan Greene.
About
the Author:
Dr. Alan Greene, Clinical Professor, Division of General Pediatrics,
Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University School of Medicine
and author of
Raising Baby Green, is a graduate of Princeton University
and the University of California San Francisco. In addition to being
the founder of
www.DrGreene.com, he is the Chief Medical Officer of A.D.A.M., and
the Pediatric Expert for WebMD. He is the Chairman of the Board of The
Organic Center and on the Advisory Board of Healthy Child Healthy World.
Dr. Greene appears frequently on TV, radio, websites, and in print
including appearances on The Today Show, Fox and Friends, The New York
Times, The Wall Street Journal, Parents Magazine, and US Weekly. Dr.
Greene is a practicing pediatrician at Stanford University's Packard
Children's Hospital.
Other Momscape Articles by Dr. Alan Greene:
Green
Remodeling: What Makes a Room Green?
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