5 Simple Steps to Make your Laundry Room More Eco-Friendly
One of the things I was most excited about when we bought our house was access to a real, working, adult washer and dryer any time I wanted. After two years in an RV, and many a weekly trip to my mom’s house to do laundry, I was so ready to be able to wash our clothes on my own time and in my own house.
Little did I know that as a family of 5, laundry day would be every day. Or at least, it feels like it. When I asked on Instagram what “clean up post” you wanted to see next, the laundry room won by a landslide, so at least I know I’m not alone in the laundry-room-overwhelm and wanting to do it as efficiently and eco-friendly as possible. If laundry day is everyday, we might as well be doing it intentionally, right?
So without further ado — here are a few simple ways to “clean up” your laundry routine with both your sanity and the planet in mind.
Swap your detergent for a low waste/safe alternative
Most laundry detergents that line the shelves of grocery stores are laden with harmful chemicals, fragrances, and unnecessary ingredients. Although many stores offer at least a better alternative, oftentimes these “safer” options are really just greenwashed versions of their original product without the blue or green dyes. We can do better.
The cheapest and quickest way to lower your detergent’s waste and ensure you know exactly what’s in it is to DIY your own. I’ve had varying levels of success with homemade detergents, but so many in the zero waste movement swear by their recipes. A quick Pinterest search will give you plenty to go on!
If you decide to buy a new detergent, here are a few that I’ve tried and genuinely love (and by love, I mean they stand up to the ultimate test of cloth diapers, period underwear, and the husband’s dirty work clothes).
Cleancult’s zero waste detergent tabs. I did a full blog post on them last year, but I’m really amazed at CC’s effectiveness AND low waste factors. The tablets are wrapped in water soluble “plastic” and the refills come in paper packaging. I’ve never had to use more than one tablet, even with the worst of the cloth diaper mess.
Branch Basics Detergent concentrate. I’ve only used this brand for a month or so, but I’m hooked on just how easy it is to use and how little detergent you need. BB ships you a giant bottle of concentrate and a set of empty bottles that you then fill with varying amounts of water and concentrate and you can make literally every cleaning concoction you need for your house. Their detergent plus a few sprinkles of their Oxygen Boost are so effective.
Soap nuts. We went from 5-100 on the “hippie” scale really quickly didn’t we? Soap nuts are another method I’ve been experimenting with that are actually 100% zero waste and can be used over and over again. Soap Nuts are, just as they sound, the berry shells of the “Soap Berry Tree” (yes this is a real thing), that “saponify” when wet. They’re fascinating and since they come from nature, are truly zero waste other than the packaging they may be shipped in.
Invest in a “MicroFiber Catcher”
Chances are that most of us don’t have wardrobes that are completely free from synthetic fibers. If I had all the money in the world, I’d buy only organic cotton, linen, and hemp, but alas, my family’s wardrobe still has more than it’s fair share of polyester and the like. And of course, when you wash synthetic fabrics, tiny bits of plastic — called microfibers or micro-plastics — are shed in the process, making their way into our water ways, into our soil, and ultimately into our food and drinking water. Yuck.
I use a Cora Ball to ensure that our microfibers are caught and not released. We got ours from the newly launched eco-friendly wonderland Lochtree, a brand on a mission to make your home as eco-friendly as possible. Their products are approachable (you don’t have to be a zero-waste guru to feel comfortable trying them out) and affordable which checks off two really important items for our family.
Cora Balls are designed to mimic the way coral reefs filter the ocean, collecting microfibers into bits of fuzz that you can actually see and then toss into the trash where they belong.
Make your own stain remover/scent booster
Just like detergent, the majority of scent boosters and stain removers are just a gross mess of harmful chemicals that can irritate your skin and, of course, aren’t helping the environment at all either. All you need are some skin-safe essential oils, water, and a spray bottle and your laundry will smell fresh every time.
Air Dry or Reduce your dry time with wool dryer balls
The most eco-friendly way to dry your clothes is to simply hang them out to dry in the sun. But in colder seasons or small spaces this isn’t always do-able. Wool dryer balls are a great alternative that both reduce dry time and decrease the wrinkles in your clothing. CleanCult sells a set that I swear by.
Invest in clothing that is made to last and wear them over and over
Lastly, and most importantly, is the mindset switch that goes along with doing anything in a slower, more earth-friendly way: less but better. When you invest in clothes from brands you believe in, they’ll be made to last, you’ll have to wash them less, and you can wear them for years and years to come.
Slow fashion really is more than bulky linen dresses, guys ;) For a list of sustainable brands you can trust to not fall apart in the wash check here and here.
See? That wasn’t so hard, was it? Which swap will you make first? Let me know below!
*Thank you to Lochtree for kindly sponsoring this post! Be sure to check out their incredible selection of zero waste products the next time you need to make a swap.*
