EarthTalk: Tips for Greening the Laundry Process | Chroniclers
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Line drying clothes is by far the most energy efficient route, but most of us (80%) rely on clothes dryers to get the job done quickly, despite the impact. While HE washing machines have been around for a decade now, it is only in the last few years that more efficient clothes dryers have become widely available. Newer units, especially those that meet stringent federal energy efficiency standards, automatically sense run time and shutdown time based on the size / weight of the load.
If you have an older (conventional) dryer, consider purchasing a SmartDry sensor that snaps inside your machine and then sends you wireless alerts when the load is dry, when delicate items need to come out, or if the machine has stopped working. The $ 60 appliance saves an average of 15 minutes of drying time per load. While it doesn’t replace a new machine, it can help you keep an old one from clogging the landfill while deferring the expense and resource use of replacing it for a period of time.
Another inexpensive way to reduce the environmental impact of your laundry is to use a Cora Ball, a nifty little recycled / recyclable plastic ball that catches the plastic microfibers that get rid of fleece clothes in the washing machine beforehand. that they do not end up in our rivers and oceans.
And if you like fabric softeners but don’t like subjecting yourself and those around you to harsh chemicals – most fabric softeners use dipalmethyl hydroxyethylammonium methosulfate, a synthetic chemical with softening and anti-static properties – try one of Friendsheep’s eco-friendly dryer balls, which naturally soften and fluff laundry as it gently tumbles in the dryer next to your clothes, separating fabrics so heat can circulate better, reducing wrinkles and static electricity while reducing drying time.
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