Anne-Charlotte PasseraDoing your laundry in an eco-friendly way is not about hand washing it in the tub with soap or in a nearby stream and then hanging it to dry. You could and can do it, but do you really want to? Not really. Is it the only alternative to washing clothes? Simple answer: no.
When it comes to doing laundry for a family of four, you want to make the process as quick and as painless as possible. But the cost of it quickly adds up, between buying the machines, detergent, fabric softener, energy consumption, etc.
In today’s article, we’re going to talk about the dreaded chore that is Laundry Day. While keeping this task as efficient as possible, there are eco-friendly ways to doing laundry that won’t only benefit the planet, but your wallet as well.
Here are some tips and ideas on how to make laundry day en eco-friendly one and easy ways to get rid of unwanted stains.
Simple ways to reduce your laundry bill
Let me start off by asking you these simple questions:
- How often do you change clothes during the day?
- How long do you wear your clothes before putting them in the hamper?
Changing clothes
Personally, my clothing day goes like this:
- I change from my PJs to work clothes.
If I’m working from home, I’m just gonna wear something comfortable.
- After work, I change into something comfortable.
- I shower at night. So after my wash, I change back into my PJs.
Therefore, my answer to the first question is once or twice.
Wearing clothes
Like I tell my sons, if it doesn’t smell or have a stain, you can wear it again. My general rule for them is 2-3 days for a top and 3-4 days for a bottom before I put it in the hamper.
Obviously, if you are working out or it was super hot that day, it goes in the hamper after the first day.
This rule of thumb does not apply to underwear and socks!
The average American family does 8–10 loads of laundry each week.
thespruce.com
My advice
You don’t need to wear the same clothes 2 or 3 days straight. Instead, alternate clothing over a few days before washing it; NO ONE WILL KNOW!
If it doesn’t smell, it’s still clean!
Alright, that’s not exactly true. Obviously, if your clothing is a bright colour or has a specific pattern, you might want to wait a few extra days before wearing it again in public. What would people think?
A general rule of thumb is to have enough clothes to wear for 2 weeks. If you can wear it a couple times before having to wash it, you just might have enough clothes to last you a month!
For tips on how to organize your closet and know what to keep and what to give, READ HERE.
Washing clothes
I won’t talk about washing machines and the difference between them because I’m not an expert. That being said, here is what I know.
First of all, placing socks, tights, underwear and bras in a special bag in the laundry machine will prevent damage to your garments and avoid the dreaded orphan socks. Does your washing machine devour your socks as well?
Laundromat
Sometimes, when you rent an apartment out, there is no place for a washing machine. One might be available in your building’s basement but it’s not always the case.
While living alone with my kids, we had access to a washing machine ($) three flights down. I wouldn’t use the dryer as it would cost extra.
Did you know that in some laundromats, for a “little” extra money, someone will wash, dry and fold your laundry for you?
I used this service a few times. It cost me about 40$ for 2 weeks worth of clothes for my kids and I, towels and bed sheets.
It was worth the “splurge” and saved me so much time in the process.
Frontal vs. Horizontal
Frontal loading washing machines are more efficient than horizontal. They are also more common in France compared to North America.
Front-loading washers are typically more expensive, but justifiably so. They give a more quality clean and tend to be more energy and water efficient than top loaders.
samsung
Washing on a timer
A washing machine that has a timer is practical as you can set it so that it finishes off right when you get home from work or grocery shopping or doing an activity. It’s a great feature to have. That way, the clothes won’t have to stay humid and smell like mildew by the time you get home.
Also, this allows you to be able to take care of your laundry during the week rather than on the week-end.
When you’re a single mom, on week-ends, you have better things to tend to than doing laundry.
Mixing colours vs. Washing separate
I always forget when my French family flies over that they are used to separating their whites from colour. Yes, in France, we segregate our clothes. Not in North America.
Amazingly, I have rarely turned a white shirt into grey or pink. This is because we barely wear any white in the house! White linens or clothing is neither dog or kid-friendly.
Although you should keep colours and whites separate in order to preserve the colour and quality of the fabric, you can still wash them together in cold water and with liquid detergent.
Drying clothes
Owning a dryer in France is a luxury. This is partly due to the lack of space. If you’ve been to Europe, you’ll have noticed that the appliances are much smaller than in North America.
To own a dryer generally means you own a house. Old apartments won’t even have a special vent set up for a dryer, yet alone have the space for it. So how do we dry clothes? The old fashion way: on a clothes line or on a rack.
On laundry day, my place looked like the washing machine had exploded.
In my old tiny apartment, the rack wasn’t enough for the 3 of us. I would hang our sheets on the 2 bedroom doors and the bathroom door or on a couple chairs and our towels on the bathroom curtain rod.
Usually, dryers and washing machines are sold in pairs in North America. The dryer does come in handy in Canada when the temperatures start to drop. I use our dryer all year long because I can’t deal with the hassle of having to hang laundry. It was a task I had to do over many years and I’m glad I don’t have to anymore.
But not having a dryer will save you money:
- You won’t have to deal with the purchase cost;
- Won’t waste energy;
- No need to buy dryer sheets or balls;
- It increases the life span of your clothes which means that you won’t have to buy new ones as often.
Bonus: you’ll have extra space.
75 percent of households in the US own a clothes dryer, whereas only about half of households in Europe own one, according to the Netherlands Statistical Office.
greenamerica.org
Getting rid of stains the eco-friendly way
Let’s face it, stains happen. Whether it’s from rolling in the grass, baby formula or nightly sweats, our clothes and linen can’t always remain squeaky clean. Putting them as is in the wash won’t always bring them back to life.
Here are some tips and tricks on how to solve some common day stains by using:
- salt;
- Lemon;
- White vinegar; and
- Baking soda.
Linen
To get rid of the yellow tint on your linens here is a soft alternative to harsh chemicals you’d use from the store. It won’t harm the fibers as much and will bring your linens back to life.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp of salt
- 55 gr of baking soda
- 4L of water
Steps
- Boil the water in a large pot.
- Add the salt and baking soda and stir until everything is dissolved.
- Add your linen into the pot and continue heating while gently boiling it for about 1hr. Make sure that the water covers it properly.
- Rince in cold water and wring it out.
Tip: For better results, hang it to dry in the sun.
Note: For larger pieces you can double or triple the quantities.
Pillows
According to pillow manufacturers, to prevent allergies and to get rid of any potential huskiness, we should wash our pillows every 6 months.
When you do so, instead of using just a regular fabric softener, add 60ml of white vinegar. You can place a tennis ball or washing balls in the wash so that your pillow doesn’t curl up into a ball during the process.
Protecting your clothing
Apparently, when you buy clothing or linens that have bright colours you could protect their luster by washing them first. Personally, I can’t be bothered. I’m way too eager to show off why new top or brighten up my bedroom with some fresh streets; that’s just me.
Ingredients to fix colours
- 150 gr of salt
- 250ml white vinegar
- Laundry detergent
Mix all the ingredients together; wait for the salt to dissolve. Wash cold with other items of similar colour on the quick wash cycle.
No white after Labor Day
Wearing white is not for everyone, especially kids. White clothing is nice and all but you can easily see stains on it or it might change color to light grey over time.
- For persistent stains, just pour lemon juice on it directly.
- To bring your white dress or shirt back to life, mix 60ml of lemon juice with 250ml of water.
Pour it in a bucket and let your clothing soak in it for no more than 1 hour.
- Let it dry in the sun.
- Wash it in the machine to remove the lemon juice.
Honey, I shrunk my sweater
The dreaded sweater shrink. It happens to the best of us, at least once in our lifetime.
It’s possible to salvage your sweater but you have to act quickly. In order to do so, your sweater needs to still be damp.
In a large pot, bring 2L of water mixed in with 1L of white vinegar to a boil. Lower the heat to just have a simmer and let your sweater soak in it for 10 to 20 minutes.
Remove it from the heat and let it cool off as is. Once it has cooled off, lay down your sweater on towels. The towels will absorb the excess water. DO NOT RINSE THE SWEATER.
Lay your sweater flat once again on dry towels and gently stretch out your sweater into its original form. Hang it to dry.
The stains that won’t go away
It’s natural to sweat. Despite our best efforts in wearing deodorant, it’s hard to prevent sweat stains on your clothes. They are the most common of stains, so we’ll start with that.
Sweat stains
There are two ways to get rid of sweat stains: the easy way or the easy way. The only difference are the ingredients.
Warning: These methods aren’t to be used on delicate fabrics such as silk or wool as they could shrink or change colour.
Moreover, if after the wash, the stains haven’t disappeared. DO NOT place them in the dryer or iron them. The heat will fix the stains making them permanent.
Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1 tbsp of white vinegar
- 250 ml of water
Mix in all the ingredients in a bucket or large pot and let your fabric soak into it for up to 12 hours (minimum 1 hour). Then, wash as you normally would.
Baking soda
- 60ml of white vinegar
- 1 tbsp of baking soda
- 10L of water
Mix the vinegar and baking soda to make a paste. Apply the paste on the sweat stain making sure it goes through the fabric. Then, wash as you normally would.
Note: Be careful of dark colours or silk. White vinegar can damage them. To be safe, try it on an area that isn’t noticeable first.
Baby formula
If you’ve bottled fed your baby or are in the process of doing doing so, you’ll notice that baby formula stains on light colours. To counter-attack this phenomenon, there is a simple solution #punintended.
In a spray bottle, mix 60ml of lemon juice with 60ml of water. You can store it in the fridge so that you’ll always have some on hand. This is also a great little baby shower gift idea, just add the following instructions to the bottle.
Spray as soon as possible on the stained area. Let it dry in the sun and wash afterward.
Grass and Ink
It’s hard to resist as a kid rolling down a grassy hill. Chances are, the pants or shirt will take a beating and have grass stains.
The following recipe can also be applied on ink stains.
- Create a paste with 1tbsp of baking soda and 1tbsp of either white vinegar or lemon juice.
- Use an old toothbrush to apply the sizing paste onto the garnement.
- Let it sit a few minutes and wash.
If you opt for the lemon juice version, pour the baking soda directly onto the garnement and then soak it with lemon juice.
Note: If the stains persist, wash on hot cycle (if care instructions permit) and replace the laundry detergent with 200 gr of baking soda. Repeat if needed.
Red red wine
Luckily, I don’t drink red wine but my guests do. Occasionally, during a particularly wild gathering, red wine has been spilled. It can happen on your white tablecloth, on your rug, on your floor. In any case, red wine stains and you have to act fast.
Generally, pouring salt on the stain works. The salt absorbs the wine and prevents it from spreading. Put your tablecloth immediately into the wash.
Never try to scrub or wipe a red wine stain. You’ll just make it worse.
Another option is to use baking soda. Cover the stain with it and let it absorb the wine. Vacum it or sweep it off. Add another layer of baking soda and let it sit overnight. The next day, vacuum it.
Alternative eco-friendly laundry ideas and recipes
Without having to rely on making your own laundry soap which we talk about below, there are some simple ways to make your laundry a little more eco-conscious.
First of all, baking soda is an easy and inexpensive green alternative to use for laundry. If your laundry is not too dirty, reduce the detergent quantity and add a couple of spoons of baking soda. This is a good way for your detergent to last longer while keeping your clothes sparkly clean.
Alternatively, you can replace your detergent all together by using soap nuts. It’s something I actually used to wash Blondie Bear’s baby clothes with.
Soap nuts are a berry shell that naturally contains a cleaning agent called saponin which works like detergent. They grow on the Sapindus mukorossi (Soap Berry) tree in the Himalayas.
They can be used in the wash 3 or 4 times. Once they’ve outgrown their purpose, put them in the compost.
Laundry soap
I’ve been using the recipe below to make my own laundry detergent. I find that adding a few drops of essential oils makes it better in terms of smell and freshness.
- 1L of water
- 50gr of grated marseille soap or castille soap
- 2 tbsp of baking soda
- 2 tbsp of washing soda
- 10 drops of essential oils
Boil the water and then add the soap in a large pot. Stir until the soap has dissolved on medium heat. Once the liquid has cooled off a little, add the remaining ingredients. Pour everything into a reusable container, shake. Wait for the liquid to be completely cold before using it for the first time.
After testing out the recipe a first time, I have doubled the ingredients so to have a little more detergent on hand as we go through it fairly quickly for a family of 4 with 2 dogs.
Note: Buy your soap as a block and grate it yourself. It’s less expensive that way.
I’ve recently discovered the company Bubby’s Bubbles which uses sunflower oil and coconut oil in their soap base. Free from phthalate oils, no binding ingredients will be left on your clothing. According to their website, your laundry will be fresh and smell clean without being masked by synthetic fragrances.
Fabric softener
Lemons have so many virtues. Therefore, I wasn’t surprised to find the following recipe for a fabric softener that uses lemons as it’s basis.
- Lemon juice from 4 lemons
- 500ml cold water
- 1tsp of baking soda
Mix all the ingredients together in a container and shake well. Use it like you would a fabric softener.
Alternatively, you can mix water with white vinegar of equal amounts, 1tsp pf baking soda and a few drops of essential oil such as lavender to give your laundry a nice smell.
Eco-friendly DIY ideas for the dryer
Turning your dryer experience into and eco-friendly one is really easy to do. Forget about buying dryer sheets, you don’t need them. Instead, buy alpaca wool balls which you can a few drops of lavender oil to or special balls that go into the dryer. Either choice will last a really long time but the world balls is a better green alternative as it a renewable source.
A Dryer ball is a ball made of felted wool used as a natural alternative to chemical ridden dryer sheets.
Alternatively, you can also make your own reusable dryer sheets by following THIS RECIPE from Pardon My Plants. What I like about this is that you can practically find all the necessary ingredients inside your home.
If you’re curious about other eco-friendly alternatives you can implement inside your home aside from laundry, check out the following articles:
Do you have any other suggestions on how to turn your laundry day into an eco-friendly one? Drop a comment below.
[…] I keep a bottle of white vinegar in the kitchen so that I can clean when I need to and in the laundry room. White vinegar can be used as a fabric softener. […]