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Green Goes Simple: The Green Scoop

Low-impact Laundry

By Marisa Belger for Green Goes Simple

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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	<h2>Green Goes Simple: The Green Scoop</h2>
<h1>Low-impact Laundry</h1>

<p>By Marisa Belger  for <em><a href="http://www.greengoessimple.com">Green Goes Simple</a></em></p>

<img src="http://www.greengoessimple.com/partner/content/ecochicmommyftp/archive/2010-08-23/feature/green_laundry/images/large.jpg" width="202" height="138" alt=""/>	<p>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).</p>

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

<p>And now, all I have to do is save up for an <strong>Energy Star</strong> <strong>washing machine</strong> (EnergyStar.gov): It's guaranteed to save energy and lower electric bills!</p>
				<p><em><strong>Marisa Belger</strong><em>’s work has appeared in</em> Travel + Leisure Family, Natural Health, Prevention <em>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,</em> The Lazy Environmentalist <em>and</em> The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget. She is the managing editor of and frequent contributor to <a href="http://www.greengoessimple.com">Green Goes Simple</a>.</em></em></p>
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