Green Up Your Laundry

We all know that cleaning isn't always green. That fact holds true for your laundry too. The average household does around 400 loads of laundry a year. I know I am on the high side of that stat! We consume on average 13,500 gallons of water to do that laundry. Most detergents contain solvents, optical brighteners, surfactants, colorants and builders..in short, pollutants.

Our washing machines expend a lot of energy, especially when you are washing in warm water. Dryers are even worse than the washers. On average they consume 875 kilowatts per years. That is 6-10% of the total residential power usage.

That is a lot of bad news..so let's get to the good news. There are a few small changes you can make to make a huge difference. This will green up your home and the environment plus save some money on your electric bill.

- Start by switching to an environmentally friendly detergent
- When you are ready to replace your washer and/or dryer switch to an Energy Star appliance.

Changing your detergent will help keep toxins out of your home and your body. When toxins are on your clothing they transfer not only to the skin but can transfer to the bloodstream as well.

Switching to an Energy Star appliances will help reduce the water and electricity you are using. Energy Star appliances use 30% less energy than a regular model and save more than 7,000 gallons of water a year.

Last tip...run only full loads of laundry and use cold water whenever it is possible. About 90% of the energy used when doing laundry is for heating the water. Cold water is just as effective as using warm water. I have only washed my laundry in cold water for over 10 years when no problems. Another plus is cold water prevents clothes from fading!

If you can hang your clothes out to dry. I just put up a makeshift clothesline in my sunroom. The sun breaks down stains and also will not wear down your clothes the way your dryer does. When I put up my clothes line in the spring it cost a total of $7 the rope hooks everything.

For more information on environmentally friendly laundry detergent and more money saving green tips visit http://www.SwitchYourHouse.com