Greening the Laundry Room

by Rachel Dunstan Muller

Some days I feel like I live in my laundry room. No matter how many loads I put through the washing machine, there’s always another pile of towels on its way down the chute. For the last year our family of seven has been on a mission to reduce our environmental impact everywhere we can. Some special attention to our laundry practices seemed in order, given how much water, energy and detergent we use in this room.

One of the quickest ways to green a laundry room is to replace a top-loading washing machine with a front-loading Energy Star version. Energy Star washers use at least 40 per cent less energy, and 35 to 50 per cent less water per load. They’re gentler on clothes, require less detergent, and spin out more water, which reduces drying time. Don’t bother looking for an Energy Star dryer, however. They don’t exist, since dryers all use a similar amount of energy. If you do need a new dryer, look for one with a moisture sensor that will shut off your machine when clothes are dry, and an air-dry option that will allow you to dry clothes with cold air, reducing energy use and wrinkles.

But what if you’re not in the market for new appliances? There are still many ways to cut energy and water consumption:

Do less laundry. When my teenagers started washing their own clothes, the number of loads going through our washer each week dropped dramatically. Suddenly my daughters had an incentive to check if a pair of jeans was really dirty, instead of automatically throwing it into a hamper. There are a few other things I’m trying to reduce our laundry volume. I now use smaller, thinner towels after my showers and my preschoolers’ baths, saving the plush, over-size ones for special occasions. (This is a voluntary practice, which has not been adopted by everyone in our family.) If clothes look and smell fine after a day’s use, they get worn again. Some colours and fabrics are better than others for extending “wear-time.” As much as I admire a crisp white shirt, white just isn’t practical for a mother of small children. Soft, muted patterns are best for camouflaging dirt, and a bit of texture is better than a super smooth or shiny fabric.

Wash clothes efficiently. I can’t wash everything in cold water (did I mention that I have preschoolers?), but when I can, I do. Heating water accounts for a whopping 90 per cent of the energy required to wash a load set to hot. Simply switching the temperature setting to warm can cut a load’s energy consumption in half. Switch all the way to cold, and you’ll use just a tenth of the energy per load. To conserve water, ensure that the washer is set to the appropriate water level. If possible, wait until you have a full load.

Line dry clothes. After refrigerators, dryers typically use more energy than any other home appliance, so line drying your clothing will result in significant energy savings. I first got serious about line drying a decade ago, when we were living in Northern Ireland. Our home had a small, front-loading combination washer/dryer, which was perfect for a single person, but a nightmare for a large family. It took an hour and a half to wash a tiny load, and the same amount of time to dry it. It was impossible to keep up with our laundry using the dryer function, so I began hanging our clothes on hangers on curtain rods above the radiators in the back rooms of the house. We continued hanging our clothes when we returned to Canada, near our basement woodstove in the wet months, and then outside in warm weather.

Line drying has many advantages. Sunlight can help to bleach and disinfect clothing during the warm months, while indoor clotheslines can help humidify dry air during the winter. It’s also kinder to your fabrics (remember, dryer lint is fiber from your clothing). If you don’t like “crunchy” towels, put them in the dryer for a few minutes when they’re still a little damp.

Use your dryer efficiently. If you do use a dryer, aim to dry loads back-to-back. You’ll save a significant amount of energy for the second and subsequent loads if the dryer is already heated. Don’t under or overload your dryer: according to Power Smart BC, most loads should be dry in 40 minutes to an hour. Clean the lint trap after each use to ensure good air flow and efficient dryer performance. (Clogged lint traps are also a fire hazard.) Check the air vent outside to ensure it isn’t blocked.

Use environmentally friendly laundry products. Conventional detergents and stain removers may contain petrochemicals, powdered enzymes, optical brighteners, and synthetic dyes and fragrances—all of which may be harmful to the environment and/or your family’s health. Look instead for detergents with biodegradable, fragrance-free, and non-toxic ingredients (these should be clearly listed). The chlorine used to make conventional bleach is toxic to manufacture, and when released down the drain can form organochlorines, which are highly toxic to fish. Chlorine-free oxygen bleach is a healthier alternative.

Conventional fabric softeners—both in liquid and dryer sheet form—contain a wealth of potentially hazardous chemicals, including suspected or confirmed carcinogens and neurotoxins. Vinegar can be added to the rinse cycle as a natural substitute for liquid fabric softener. There are chemical-free dryer sheets, but a dryer ball may be an even better alternative. These reusable spiked plastic balls tumble around with your clothes to increase air circulation and reduce static. As an added bonus they claim to cut drying time by up to 25 per cent, reducing energy consumption.

Finally, consider the packaging of the laundry products you purchase. Is it minimal, and can the material be recycled?
Put some or all of these tips into practice, and you’ll have a much greener laundry room.

Rachel Dunstan Muller is the mother of five, and a children’s author. She and her family are working at reducing their environmental impact, one area at a time.