How to Green-ify Your Laundry Routine
Clean clothes and a cleaner Earth, it’s a win-win.
by Charlsie Niemiec
Each and every day, 2ULaundry is committed to “doing good while doing well.” That’s why we commit to treating every day like it’s Earth Day when it comes to our laundry practices. Whether you’re the environmental expert amongst all your friends or you’re just looking for more sustainable ways to change your ecological imprint at home, we have you covered with these environmentally conscious laundry hacks:
Cold water is your friend.
Turning the dial to hot water on your washing machine isn’t going to make much of a difference when it comes to just how clean your clothes will get. In fact, 90 percent of energy associated with laundry comes from using hot water. Cold washing will not only treat your clothes better but it will decrease your total energy use and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.
Go with a natural clean.
Natural detergents can go a long way! We allow our customers to choose between scented and hypoallergenic options. If you are looking for your own at-home natural detergent to use, make sure to read the labels and look for products that are free of chlorine bleach, synthetic fragrances, dyes, and brighteners. Usually plant-based, natural detergents contain biodegradable surfactants — these specifically work best in cold water. If you suffer from sensitive skin, natural detergents are also a perfect selection to keep your skin irritant-free.
Hang it old school.
Believe it or not, keeping your clothes out of the dryer actually extends their wearability. If you’ve got the time and space — consider air drying your laundry. While it may not be practical to do this for every piece of clothing, consider air or line-drying for shirts, pants, dresses, delicates, and lingerie. Air-drying can take place inside or outside. However, if you want to string up a line in your backyard, make sure to keep in mind that dark colors like black or navy blue could fade with too much sunshine. If you’re not into letting your clothes blow in the breeze, foldable drying racks are easy to tuck away when they aren’t being used.
Lemons aren’t just for making lemonade.
Just like Beyonce, you can also take lemons and turn them into lemonade. Use lemons instead of bleach to bring your whites back to life. While many people rely on bleach to get back that vibrant white color they love in their favorite shirt or dress, the eco-friendly route to do the same thing is easy peasy lemon squeezy. Mix in ½ to 1 cup of lemon juice into your washer during the rinse cycle when treating white and voila, you’ve got all-natural brightness once again.
Wear it again.
Not all clothes need to be washed after one wear. Unless you spilled wine on your dress, sweat through your shirt like you were at Coachella, or danced the night away in a smoke-friendly bar, you can probably get away with wearing that dress or blouse you love one or two times before it needs to go in the wash. This simple trick will help you cut down on the need to constantly do laundry, help preserve the quality of your clothes, and of course cut down on the energy it takes to do an additional laundry load.
Routine is key.
If you’re constantly running your washer and dryer at random, you’re subsequently using up energy and running up your electricity bill. Outlining a set schedule of when you will run your washer and dryer — AKA having a designated laundry day — you are looking at saving both time and money. Don’t have time to throw your clothes in the wash or dreading the hour it will take you to fold all those shirts? Schedule a 2ULaundry pickup and we’ll handle it all for you within a 1 business day turnaround.
Whether you spend this Earth Day hiking your favorite trail, inside at your office, or doing laundry at home for your family, we’re wishing you a happy Earth Day.
