As part of our sustainable home series here at Chill Mamas, we’re tackling the laundry room. This is gonna be a list of items and habits that you can use to reduce the carbon footprint of your laundry room.
We do not believe that everything can be solved by buying a new product, especially when it comes to sustainability. But the laundry room is a great place to consider some earth-friendly alternatives to those big boxes and bulky jugs of liquid!
By making a few small, sustainable swaps for your laundry room, you can help make a big difference for the planet – it really does all add up.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend stuff I love and would recommend to a friend.
Use cold water to wash clothes whenever possible.
Washing in cold water can save you money on your energy bill and is just as effective at cleaning clothes as washing in hot water. In fact, most of the time, cold water is all that is needed to clean your clothes!
Ditch the dryer sheets.
One small way to make your laundry room more sustainable is to ditch the dryer sheets. Dryer sheets are coated with a toxic cocktail of chemicals, including quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). QACs have been linked to respiratory problems, skin irritations, and endocrine disruptions, while VOCs can cause headaches, dizziness, and even liver damage.
Equally importantly, dryer sheets are a major source of plastic pollution. Every year, Americans toss out billions of used dryer sheets, which end up in landfills where they take centuries to break down.
By switching to eco-friendly alternatives like wool dryer balls or using vinegar as a fabric softener in your washing machine, you can reduce your impact on the environment.
Wool dryer balls help to reduce static and wrinkles, and they can be reused for years. You can even add a few drops of essential oil or fragrance oil to the dryer balls to give your clothes a fresh scent.
Switch to eco-friendly detergents and fabric softeners.
If you’re looking to make your laundry room more sustainable, one of the best things you can do is switch to eco-friendly detergents and fabric softeners. These products are made from natural ingredients that are less harmful to the environment, and they’re often just as effective as their traditional counterparts.
In addition, using eco-friendly laundry products can help reduce your carbon footprint and save water and energy. If you’re not sure where to start, there are plenty of great eco-friendly laundry brands available online and in stores.
Do some research and find the products that work best for you and your home. With a little effort, you can easily create a sustainable laundry room that’s gentle on the planet.
Avoid buying bulky laundry products to save on fuel emissions
Avoiding bulky laundry products can help to reduce your carbon footprint and save on fuel emissions. Instead, buying lighter products that don’t take up as much space is a good idea since more of these products can be shipped on each truck.
Here are my go-tos:
- Drops laundry pods (Personal fav)
- TruEarth laundry strips
- FEBU laundry strips
- Shop eco-friendly detergent on Etsy from small businesses
Line dry clothes instead of using a dryer whenever possible.
You can reduce your carbon footprint by line-drying your clothes instead of using a dryer. Line-drying takes a bit longer, but it doesn’t use any electricity or generate any emissions.
This’ll be more difficult in climates where it rains a lot, so don’t feel guilty if this is unrealistic for you. But if it’s feasible, consider trying it out. You might be surprised at the results! Also, you’ll save a bit on the electric bill.
Wash clothes in bulk when possible to save water and energy.
Washing clothes in bulk can save water and energy. If you have a large load of laundry, try to wash it all at once instead of in smaller batches. This way, you’ll use less water and energy overall.
Don’t bother with ironing unless you need to.
Ironing clothes can be a huge waste of time and energy. Unless you’re doing it for a job or an important event, there’s no need to iron your clothes. Just take them out of the dryer and hang them up!
Invest in sustainable laundry products, like reusable laundry bags and eco-friendly cleaning supplies.
There are plenty of sustainable laundry products available that can help reduce your impact on the environment.
Eco-friendly cleaning supplies, like vinegar and baking soda, are also great sustainable alternatives to traditional laundry products. They’re gentle on the environment and your clothes, and they’re often just as effective.
Take some time to research sustainable laundry products, and invest in the ones that work best for you and your home. With a few simple swaps, you can easily make your laundry room more sustainable.
Teach your family and friends about the importance of sustainable laundry practices
Once you’ve made sustainable changes to your own laundry room, it’s important to educate your family and friends about the importance of sustainable laundry practices. The more people that know about and understand the importance of sustainability, the more we can collectively reduce our impact on the planet.
There are plenty of ways to do this, but one of the best is simply to lead by example. Show your loved ones how easy it is to make sustainable changes in the laundry room, and encourage them to do the same in their own homes.
Sustainable living is important for the health of the planet, and making sustainable choices in the laundry room is a great place to start.
Become aware of ingredients in laundry products that pollute the planet and avoid them
There are a surprising amount of ingredients in laundry products that can pollute the planet. Avoiding these ingredients is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment.
Some of the most common offenders include harmful chemicals like bleach, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances. These ingredients can end up in our waterways and pollute the earth.
So, when you’re shopping for laundry products, be sure to read the labels and avoid anything that contains these ingredients. There are plenty of sustainable swaps for your laundry room available that don’t use harmful chemicals.
Read more about making your home more sustainable:
