Laundry - The Eco-Friendly Way
By Simon Denton
Once upon a time our Grandmothers would do all of their laundry on one particular day of the week (usually a Monday for some reason) and spend the next few days drying and ironing it. Then along came technology and gave us machines for quick effective washing and drying and all the world was well….or was it? It seems not because now we are always being told we need to be more energy efficient and look for ways of reducing our carbon footprint. So much for technology, but it makes sense anyway to take steps to be more energy conscious and look for more natural ways to maintain our lifestyle choices. Laundry is one area where a more efficient way of doing things can be improved upon so I have compiled a list of Eco-friendly tips that we can all use in our day to day laundry habits.
Where better to start than the actual washing machine itself?
All new washing machines now have to have an EU Energy Efficiency Rating. The thing to remember is that when a machine is tested under EU law for its rating but this is based on 60 degree cotton washes which are not a true picture, as it’s quite unlikely that a machine would need to be constantly run on this setting in a normal household. Some machines regulate their intake of water to match the load and others have a higher top spin cycle than others, so it’s worth thinking about how you use a washing machine and what you want from it than going on ratings alone.
There are also ways to reduce the number of washes we need to do by taking simple steps like these:
Reduce the need for a repeat wash by going through the laundry and doing a quick spot check for stains, and treating these with a simple solution of detergent mixed with a little water, or by using household soap to pre-treat the stain. It’s worth mentioning never to use neat detergent on fabrics as this can cause staining too.
If an ‘emergency’ wash is required for that last minute forgotten item, always try to find more items to fill the machine with at the same time as this will be more energy efficient than washing 1 item on its own.
Some washes may require more thought than others for example Baby Laundry. The dilemma here is that a baby’s sensitive skin can be irritated by ‘normal’ washing detergents but using specialised detergents don’t always give a stain-free wash as the reduced level or dilution of chemicals can’t provide this. A good way of treating baby stains on fabrics is again to spot check and pre-treat with a sensitive detergent or by pre-soaking the laundry for a few minutes in a diluted solution before popping it in the machine. If this doesn’t remove the stains sufficiently, sunshine is a good natural stain remover so always, if possible, dry baby laundry outside as this also acts as a natural anti-septic.
Never use fabric conditioner on baby laundry as this can also irritate sensitive skin and cause skin irritation and rashes. For best results which also happen to be eco-friendly and can also be used on normal loads, white vinegar, about 50 mls per load, is a natural fabric softener and can be added to the machine via the fabric softener compartment in the detergent drawer.
One other area to consider is the use of shop bought detergents vs homemade ones. In the UK the norm is to go out and buy one of the top brands to ensure maximum stain removal and soft, fresh smelling laundry, fluffier than a ducks bottom! But we can make our own in enough quantity to be able to keep a batch for a few washes and it only takes a few minutes, saves money and is another eco-friendly way of dealing with the laundry.
There are a few ingredients to buy and you may want to try a few different solutions and quantities compared with others but the main ingredients are as follows:
Borax, Washing Soda and Bar soap. Usually the recipe calls for 2 parts Washing Soda, 2 parts Borax and 1 part grated Bar soap.
Recipes for these and how to keep the finished product are available all over the internet and it won’t take long for you to develop your own solution that suits your own personal laundry needs.
about author
Simon runs the best ironing services Rotherham with a great loyalty scheme for regular users
Where better to start than the actual washing machine itself?
All new washing machines now have to have an EU Energy Efficiency Rating. The thing to remember is that when a machine is tested under EU law for its rating but this is based on 60 degree cotton washes which are not a true picture, as it’s quite unlikely that a machine would need to be constantly run on this setting in a normal household. Some machines regulate their intake of water to match the load and others have a higher top spin cycle than others, so it’s worth thinking about how you use a washing machine and what you want from it than going on ratings alone.
There are also ways to reduce the number of washes we need to do by taking simple steps like these:
Reduce the need for a repeat wash by going through the laundry and doing a quick spot check for stains, and treating these with a simple solution of detergent mixed with a little water, or by using household soap to pre-treat the stain. It’s worth mentioning never to use neat detergent on fabrics as this can cause staining too.
If an ‘emergency’ wash is required for that last minute forgotten item, always try to find more items to fill the machine with at the same time as this will be more energy efficient than washing 1 item on its own.
Some washes may require more thought than others for example Baby Laundry. The dilemma here is that a baby’s sensitive skin can be irritated by ‘normal’ washing detergents but using specialised detergents don’t always give a stain-free wash as the reduced level or dilution of chemicals can’t provide this. A good way of treating baby stains on fabrics is again to spot check and pre-treat with a sensitive detergent or by pre-soaking the laundry for a few minutes in a diluted solution before popping it in the machine. If this doesn’t remove the stains sufficiently, sunshine is a good natural stain remover so always, if possible, dry baby laundry outside as this also acts as a natural anti-septic.
Never use fabric conditioner on baby laundry as this can also irritate sensitive skin and cause skin irritation and rashes. For best results which also happen to be eco-friendly and can also be used on normal loads, white vinegar, about 50 mls per load, is a natural fabric softener and can be added to the machine via the fabric softener compartment in the detergent drawer.
One other area to consider is the use of shop bought detergents vs homemade ones. In the UK the norm is to go out and buy one of the top brands to ensure maximum stain removal and soft, fresh smelling laundry, fluffier than a ducks bottom! But we can make our own in enough quantity to be able to keep a batch for a few washes and it only takes a few minutes, saves money and is another eco-friendly way of dealing with the laundry.
There are a few ingredients to buy and you may want to try a few different solutions and quantities compared with others but the main ingredients are as follows:
Borax, Washing Soda and Bar soap. Usually the recipe calls for 2 parts Washing Soda, 2 parts Borax and 1 part grated Bar soap.
Recipes for these and how to keep the finished product are available all over the internet and it won’t take long for you to develop your own solution that suits your own personal laundry needs.
about author
Simon runs the best ironing services Rotherham with a great loyalty scheme for regular users
Image courtesy of [Africa] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.