Laundry day… ugh, it’s such a drag. But the behemoth pile of laundry in your bathroom or bedroom hamper isn’t going to get any smaller, so you may as well tackle it. Your spouse’s dirty gym socks have been fermenting under the pile for days, and your toddler has more than a dozen pairs of pee-stained underwear, so take a deep breath and plug your nose before diving in.
Make sure you’ve got enough laundry detergent and fabric softener, because you definitely don’t want to get all organized, realize you don’t have enough, and have to make a pit stop at the store, where tempting sweet coffee and treats await, ready to mess up your diet. Your waistline will thank you when you’re prepared to tackle laundry ahead of time. Plus no one wants to see your greasy ponytail and sweats this early in the day… Ew!
But with the green movement really gaining steam in this country, so many people are wondering how they can be more environmentally-friendly throughout every day life, including mundane tasks such as laundry. It has to be done every week, or minimum once every other week, so why not find a few ways to honor the environment and reduce our consumption of natural resources while doing laundry?
The good news is that it is possible to lessen the environmental toll taken by doing laundry. Here are some helpful tips for you to be more green by implementing:
- Wear your clothes more than once. The smell test works! Then you’ll be doing laundry less and decreasing your environmental footprint.
- Make your own laundry detergent. There are many homemade recipes available on the internet – pick your favorite one and you’ll be green in two ways because you’ll be eco-friendly and saving green ($$). They’re often gentler on the skin than commercial detergents, too!
- Get energy efficient washers and dryers.
- Hang clothes to air dry whenever possible to use less energy. Plus you’ll save on your utility bill!
- Wash in cold water whenever possible to avoid the energy costs incurred by heating water.
- Stop using fabric softeners, or go with a natural alternative. For example, throw a cup of vinegar into the dryer with your wet clothes and they’ll come out smelling fresh without all the harsh chemicals.
- If you do use a commercialized laundry detergent, pick a concentrated one that has less packaging. This eliminates some waste and preserves the environment because less space and fuel is needed to transport it to stores and to your home.
- Clean your dryer’s lint filter after every use to maximize its efficiently.
Whether you decide to implement a couple of these tips or all of them, you’ll be lessening your environmental impact, which is always a good thing.
And for all your washing machine, dryer, and other appliance maintenance and replacement needs, contact American Appliance Repair at 800-640-9934 or contact@americanappliancerepair.com. We’ve been serving many parts of Southern California for over 44 years, we look forward to serving you.
