6 ways to go green in your laundry room
You may not spend a whole lot of time in your laundry room, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored when it comes to being eco-friendly. There are lots of ways to create cleaner air and cut energy costs in the laundry room.
Install bamboo flooring
The material you use for the flooring in your laundry room can make a big impact on the environment. Bamboo flooring is a beautiful and modern eco-friendly option for the space. It creates a welcoming and cozy atmosphere while helping out the earth at the same time. Bamboo grows and spreads quicker than most trees which makes it a renewable source. This type of flooring also comes with a less pricey cost than hardwood floors. San Francisco-based company Smith & Fong offers a variety of bamboo flooring options, all of which are formaldehyde free, giving your laundry room cleaner air.
Opt for Energy Star appliances
If it’s time to replace your washer and dryer, make sure to look for new ones with the Energy Star logo. They considerably cut down on the amount of water that you have to use when washing clothes. These eco-friendly machines consume only about 25 gallons compared to 40 gallons for the average washer.
Make sure you have a full load
If you only have a few items in your dirty clothes basket, laundry day can wait. If you do lots of small loads on a frequent basis, you’ll be using more water and energy than you need. Delay laundry day until you have a full load.
Use cold water
You can easily reduce the amount of power that your washing machine uses by cleaning your clothes in cold water instead of warm or hot temperatures. Using cold water also ensures that your colors won’t blend when combining lights and darks and your clothes won’t shrink, which is a win-win situation!
Head outdoors
If it’s a beautiful sunny day outside, take your basket of freshly washed laundry and hang it on the line to be dried by the rays of the sun. Sure, it might take longer than the dryer, but letting your garments dry the old-fashioned way will save plenty of energy. It is also gentler on most fabrics. Plus, it gives you an excuse to get your chores done outside!
Clean out lint trap
If you do use your dryer, make sure to regularly clean out the lint trap. This helps heat to circulate properly, causing your dryer’s performance to improve.