The Eco Goddess Laundry Kit helps you make laundry greener
Doing the laundry might never be glamorous, but it can at least be greener with the Eco-Goddess Laundry Kit. This one-stop shop for eco-friendly washing retails at under £50 from the Ethical Superstore and contains everything you need to make your wash a greener experience. Ecoballs are an environmentally friendly alternative to washing powder - reusable and chemical free, because you can reuse them time and time again, they also work out cheaper than traditional washing powders. Also both planet and wallet-friendly are Ecozone Dryer balls: put these in with your clothes as they tumble dry, and you could reduce drying time by up to 25% – which over a year can have a big impact on both your carbon footprint and your energy bills. Also in the hamper is the Ecozone Magno Ball, an effective non-chemical way to remove limescale from washing machines and dishwashers, thus prolonging their life and potentially saving you money. Finally, a general purpose e-cloth is durable and washable and enables you to clean without using any cleaning agents. This again reduces the need for chemicals, and can cut your grocery bills.
There are other easy ways to make your laundry greener. Most clothes are now designed to wash at cooler temperatures, so switching to 30 degrees – or even 15 – will save energy, and money and could increase the life of your clothes. If you prefer washing powder to Ecoballs, try soapnuts, an eco-friendly, natural alternative to detergent. Only tumble dry when necessary – air drying is better for clothes and works out much cheaper, so it may be worth investing in a rotary drier for your garden. None of this will make washing any more fun, but it will make it a whole lot greener.
Be Green – Not Mean!
Channel 4 have come up with twenty ways in which you can be greener, without being too mean to yourself. Many people think being ‘green’ means making sacrifices, but those plucky lot on the Channel 4 website hope to prove the doubters wrong and convert them to the ‘greener side’. All without having to give up their creature comforts! Top of the list is a real no brainer – take showers instead of baths. You use less water, you save energy and you save time! Surely, everyone should do it. Next up and a little controversial perhaps, is a home-made alternative to a dual flush toilet. Put simply, put a brick or large stone in your cistern, to save water every time you flush. (Or you can buy a water hippo for the cistern.)
In at number four, is something the washing powder companies have been advertising for quite a while – do your washing at 30ºC. Boil washes are so ‘nineties’, modern powders and liquids work well on cooler washes and you can save money and water. This great washing tip is followed nicely by number five ‘air dry your washing’. This will be a challenge as the weather turns cooler, but you can take advantage of the windy days by hanging washing out in the breeze and ultimately cut indoor drying time. Invest in a rotary drier for your garden – ultimately it will save you money on your energy bills as you do less tumble drying. (You can be even greener by not using washing powder at all – try Eco balls or soap nuts for a more eco-friendly alternative). The final tip is to collect and save rain water, which is especially good for watering plants (Most gardening stores will sell special rain collection butts – you can even get specially designed child-safe or space saving ones for smaller gardens). Let’s face it, we do get enough rainwater in this country, so we should put it to good use. For the full list, see the Channel 4 website.
Go nuts for greener washing with Soapods
Just when we thought we were doing the best we could by ourselves and the environment by using Eco Balls in our washing machines, a new, more sustainable product comes along and blows the balls out of the water! Soapods Soap Nuts are essentially pods (that’s nut shells to those who are not familiar with nature), which come from the Soap Nut tree. Found in their natural habitat of Nepal and India, the Soap Nut tree produces these pods, which are organic, sustainable, eco friendly and completely natural. When the pods are submersed in water they produce nature’s own version of soap, producing soap suds which are perfect to wash your clothing. Retailing for just under £5, in a bag the right size for around twenty five washes, this Green and Ethical product is as good for your wallet as it is for the environment. Soapods are compostable and biodegradable and because they do not contain chemicals or perfumes, they are allergy free as well. They do not give off an odour, but if you like to have a ‘laundry smell’ you can always add essential oils to the water, as there is no need for a fabric softener with Soapods. The Soapods work well in a 30 or 40 cycle. Using them in hotter water will decrease their life span. They are suitable for cold washes, however, you must soak them in hot water first to release their lather. Because they are a natural product that contain no chemicals, Soapods are also perfect for hand washing.
