Laundry Tips and Recipes

Being the change that I wish to see in the world is all about taking personal responsibility for the planet which we all share, love and call home. Because we live in a world (and climate) that necessitates clothing in our daily living, today’s tips and recipes focuses on how we can make a difference in the way we approach washing our garments. For me, my most important focus is in doing laundry is about energy conservation and being cognizant about what goes into the septic system. Here’s a few interesting facts from the Laundry List website …

• Approximately one quarter of Americans use an ENERGY STAR washer. There are no ENERGY STAR dryers on the market.
• Less than 4% of Italian households own a dryer. [Yay for the Italians!]
• Apartment communities can save 330 percent more water, equating to a savings of 8,216 gallons of water per year per unit, by utilizing a common-area laundry room instead of an in-unit washing machine.
• We estimate that 8% of households line-dry their laundry during 5 months of the year. If all Americans who currently do not use a clothesline started to use one for ten months of the year, we could avoid 12 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, annually.

For the very last reason listed above, I wanted to provide you with a list of 10 reasons about how line drying your clothing can have a significant impact on your life, as printed by the Project Laundry List:

Top Ten Reason to Line Dry

10) Save money (more than $25/month off electric bill for many households).

9) Clothes last longer. Where do you think lint comes from?

8) Clothes and linens smell better without adding possibly toxic chemicals to your body and the environment.

7) Conserve energy and the environment, while reducing climate change.Learn how!

6) It is moderate physical activity which you can do in or outside. You can even lose weight!

5) Sunlight bleaches and disinfects.

4) Indoor racks can humidify in dry winter weather.

3) Clothes dryer and washing machine fires account for about 17,700 structure fires, 15 deaths, and 360 injuries annually. The yearly national fire loss for clothes dryer fires in structures is estimated at $194 million.

2) It is fun! And can be an outdoor experience that is meditative and community-building. It may also help you avoid depression.

1) Demonstrates that small steps can make a difference. You don’t have to wait for the government to take action!

Did you know that: you don’t even need soap to wash most loads. The agitation of washing machines often cleans the clothing on its own (especially with High-Efficiency washing machines). But because most of us have grown up with the use of strong detergents and softeners in the cleaning of our clothes, below I’d like to gift you my all-time favourite, environmentally-friendly laundry detergent recipe.

Laundry Detergent Recipe:   Mix –

• 1 cup  grated Fels Naptha soap (or Ivory soap),
• 1/2 cup washing soda
• 1/2 cup borax

Use 1 tablespoon for light loads; 2 tablespoons for heavy loads.

Furthermore, as a booster to your laundry, Tipnut.com recommends white distilled vinegar as an incredibly versatile resource: Color Brightener; Color Protector; Whiter Whites; Yellowed Items Reviver; Heavy Duty Pre-Soak; Lint Busters; Fabric Softener; and, Ring Around The Collar Remover.