Low-impact Laundry

BY: Marisa Belger

As the mother of a 2-year old boy with an unrelenting affinity for mud pies and finger paints, I spend most of my free time doing laundry. I’m either sorting it, loading it or folding it -- which gives me lots of time to think about how I could be doing it better. Better for my family and better for the planet. All it took was a bit of research and some executive decision-making to make some easy eco-adjustments to laundry day (which, in my house, is every day).

For starters, I use cold water exclusively. Choosing chilly on your machine dial saves tons of energy and money. While I’m in money-saving mode, I sometimes skip the dryer, opting instead for collapsible drying racks (winter) and outdoor lines (spring through fall).

And now, all I have to do is save up for an Energy Star washing machine (EnergyStar.gov): It's guaranteed to save energy and lower electric bills!

Marisa Belger’s work has appeared in Travel + Leisure Family, Natural Health, Prevention and TODAYShow.com, where she wrote a column about eco-friendly living. She was an editor at Lime.com and collaborated with author Josh Dorfman on his bestselling books, The Lazy Environmentalist and The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget. She is the managing editor of and frequent contributor to Green Goes Simple.

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