Not too long ago, mothers stood at the washboard scrubbing down clothes with homemade soap. None of us wants to return to that hard labor. However, we can make a significant difference on our environmental impact by simply turning to greener alternatives for doing laundry. 

FRONT-LOADERS VS. TOP-LOADERS

Front-loading washing machines are all the rage, and with good reason. They are efficient and they look great. They use 40-75% less water and 30-85% less energy than typical top-loaders. Front-loaders use approximately 10 to 24 gallons while top-loaders use approximately 40-50 gallons. In wattage calculations, the difference is 120-560 kWh/yr. vs. 800 kWh/yr. Any additional up-front costs are more than compensated in back-end energy savings. Add the fact that their fancy retro designs are gorgeous, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a good reason not to buy one.

WASHING

Most of the green cleaning companies, now offer non-toxic types of laundry soap, which are usually hypoallergenic, phosphate-free, and bio-degradable as well. Just keep in mind that there are no laws requiring full disclosure, and these companies do still use a few man-made chemicals they may or may not tell you about. (More information to come.) 

Believe it or not, you can make a green laundry detergent that works quite well. Purchase some old-fashioned washing soda (Arm & Hammer) and borax (20 Mule Team). Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash, and it cuts grease effectively (because it's caustic, always wear gloves when handling). Borax is sodium borate (which actually is mined in the California desert, but that’s another story), and it is great at removing stains (it can cause vomiting if ingested heavily, so keep away from pets and kids). 

The following laundry recipe is super easy and super cheap. Mix ½ cup washing soda, ½ cup borax, ¼ bar soap (Fels-Naptha is best but that soap contains trace toxic elements), and 1 gallon of water. Boil. Cool to room temperature and pour it into an old liquid laundry container. There are many variations (liquid or powder) to this recipe, which can be found online. Bottom line is that it costs pennies to wash clothes using this recipe. 

If you are stuck on a store-bought detergent, add ½ cup borax to boost your detergent’s cleaning power. Add ¼ cup baking soda in the wash water to reduce static and soften fabrics. 

BLEACHING

Did you know that a number of products on the market touted as “chlorine-free bleach alternatives” are nothing more than hydrogen peroxide (in the sodium percarbonate powder form), or cosmetic hydrogen peroxide in a water base? Why pay for what you can do yourself? Simply add 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide to your wash water. Bingo, you’re done.

Or, line dry your clothes (see below). Sunlight is free! And, it is very effective for bleaching whites and clothes. 

Borax also brightens clothes as does vinegar. 

DRYING

Generally speaking, the cost of electricity needed to dry a typical load of laundry is 30 to 40 cents, compared to 15 to 20 cents if you use gas.  Over its expected lifetime of 18 years, the average clothes dryer will cost you approximately $1,530 to operate.

Here’s one place where your mother got it right: line dry your clothes. There are four great reasons to line dry. One, you will save energy. Two, your clothes will be bleached naturally by the sun. Three, your clothes will smell great. And, four, your clothes will not develop static cling (from the dryer friction). 

FABRIC SOFTENERS

The fabric softener, as we know it, was introduced in the 1960s, to soften clothes and eliminate static cling. In order to do that, fabric softeners contain benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, ethanol, limonene, ethyl acetate, and more. It can make you dizzy just thinking about it. And, by the way, dryer sheets are treated with the same harmful chemicals.

So, instead of fabric softener, add white vinegar to the water softener container; this will release into the rinse cycle in the same manner as fabric softener. Vinegar softens clothes, kills germs naturally, and deodorizes wonderfully. Your laundry will not smell like vinegar; on the contrary, even your athletic socks will smell sweet as an ocean breeze.