This Friday, April 22nd is Earth Day and to celebrate we’re bringing you Seven Easy, Eco-Friendly Laundry tips. Not only will these hacks make mother nature happy, but they will also help save you money too.
7 Easy Eco-Friendly Laundry Tips
Ditch the dryer sheets
Try Organic Wool Dryer Balls instead of dryer sheets. Made of 100% wool, these work-horses last over hundreds of loads. In addition to being a natural fabric softener, they also quicken drying time (perfect for those hectic mornings) plus, mother nature will thank you for cutting out the harsh chemicals and eco-unfriendly dryer sheets.
Sort your laundry
Your mom has been telling you to do this since you were old enough to do laundry. Turns out, she may have been on to something! Not only does sorting your laundry help preserve the colors, but loads of similar-weight laundry will dry faster and more evenly.
Save up your laundry for full loads
Resist the urge to do several small loads over the course of a week, and wait until you have a full washer’s worth of laundry. Even the most high-tech energy-efficient washing machines use a lot of water.
Skip the bleach
Skip the beach while keeping your whites, white with lemon, peroxide, vinegar or Baking soda. Just chose one and add 1/2 cup to your white laundry.
Wear it more than once
The United Nations Environment Programme discovered that if you wear jeans three times, wash them in cold water and skip the dryer, you can save 5x as much energy. Plus, Levi’s recommends washing jeans every two weeks. Just be smart about it – socks and undergarments should be washed more often (please!).
Use natural products
All natural products tend to be better for the environment and for your skin too. They’re often free of bleach, fragrance, dyes and brighteners. They also tend to be plant based – just be sure to read the label!
Upgrade to energy efficient models
Did you know older models of washers can consume up to 55 gallons of water in a single load of laundry? Meanwhile, even the newer standard machines still consume about 23 gallons. The good news is, a full-sized Energy Star certified clothes washer uses only 13 gallons of water per load. That’s a savings of more than 3,000 gallons of water, per year!!
An Energy Star dryer uses 20 percent less energy than conventional models without sacrificing features or performance thanks to features like sensor drying. This feature ensures that dryers will automatically shut off when clothes are dry.
[infobox]Did you know that about 80% of dryers in the US are electric? But gas dryers actually save money and reduce environmental impact.[/infobox]
Best Buy carries the latest in water and energy efficient appliances from entry-level to those with all of the bells and whistles – you know, the ones that actually make you excited to do laundry. The LG Twin Wash & SideKick is designed to impress by actually allowing you to do two loads at once making it easier to sort your laundry. Plus the TurboWash feature saves up to 30 minutes on larger loads while the TurboSteam technology offers even greater cleaning power, ideal for the kids sports gear or gym socks.
If you have already purchased a new LG washer you can actually add the ingenious LG SideKick pedestal washer to almost any LG front load washer for an extra 1.0 cu. ft. capacity – just the right size for cleaning smaller loads as often as you need like those delicates, hand washables, or workout wear.
Just in time for earth day, Best Buy is also offering 18 months major appliance financing or 10% rewards (increased from 5% for April!) and 10% back in grocery purchases. They also offer free delivery on purchases $399+.
The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.
These are some great tips!!! I always try to go natural when ever possible