10 Eco-Friendly Laundry Hacks You Need to Know

written by: Terry Stevens

Published: September 17, 2018
Updated: May 15, 2023

reading time:  minutes

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Did you know that women spend more time doing laundry than men?

In fact, females spend a daily average of 17 minutes while men only spend five. But the world is changing and gender roles are a thing of the past.

One other thing that’s fading away is being reckless in regard to pollution.

Halt the chores for a minute and consider shifting to eco-friendly laundry practices.

But if you’re a busy person and don’t have time to do your laundry, you may be interested in hiring a cleaning company in Melbourne that offers eco-friendly laundry practices.

An eco-friendly home is the way of the future. We need to put in our efforts to ensure that our children and the next generation will have a nice world to live in.

Read on if you want to know how you can help maintain the environment and keep your laundry clean at the same time.

1. Use Lemon Juice as a White Garment Bleach

Artificial bleach can get you into serious health trouble if you don’t handle it properly. As such, if you want to continue achieving a sparkling white to your clothes, add a half cup of lemon juice for every laundry load. If you have serious stains, ensure that you let them soak for a bit before rinsing.

If that isn’t enough, consider putting hydrogen peroxide on them. Letting them dry off in direct sunlight to help them lighten up while keeping them fresh.

2. Get Rid of the Stiffness in Towels Using Air Drying

It’s better to hang your towels and air-dry them, but you might have problems with stiffness. There are some solutions you can try to reduce your laundry time. The first solution involves rinsing your towels in a more thorough manner and skimping on detergent since the buildup is what causes the fabric stiffness.

The second solution is to use a water spray and mist the towels after they dry. Put them in the dryer without heat for five minutes. That’s enough time to return them to fluffiness.

3. Make Your Own Laundry Soap

There are a lot of simple DIY detergent recipes out there that use natural ingredients. This helps prevent harmful substances from going down your drain. Compared to store-bought soaps, natural substances are healthier for the body and cost less as well.

Most of these natural laundry detergents can contain borax but you can always opt out of it. Regardless, you can do some research and find out what works best for you.

4. Use Cold Water

For most laundry jobs, you need to ensure that you use cold water. A simple dial turn can help you save up around 90% of the energy you use when you opt for warm water on the washing machine. It’s one of the simplest, solid water saving hacks that give you results without spending much time and resources.

5. Eliminate Musty Smells Out of Fabrics

Are you having problems with your clothes smelling musty? A simple solution to your problem is to use around 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Add it to the water and regular laundry detergent while doing the laundry.

This will get the mildew smell from any of your washable clothes and other textiles. Don’t worry about the vinegar since it disappears without a trace after you wash.

6. Opt for Washing Machine Models that Use Less Water

Most of the traditional models of washing machines have an agitator in the middle of its tub. Its entirety gets filled by water while rubbing the clothes against its middle. The new top-loader models don’t possess an agitator since they use a stream of water to flip and spin clothes instead of filling it to the brim.

This helps reduce your water consumption and help preserve the environment more.

7. Use the Fasted Spin Speed

Look at the fastest spin speed for your washer. Ensure that this speed is something that your clothes can handle without getting ripped or damaged through other means. The faster your washer spins, the easier it is for the water to get whisked out of your load.

What this means is that your clothes spend less time in the dryer. This makes you use less energy and help save the environment more. You need to use this on your towels if you don’t want to do it on other clothes.

8. Consider the Soap Nuts

Made from the dried berries of the Sapindus plant family, Soap Nuts have saponin. This substance is a natural surfactant used in Asia for thousands of years. Toss these into your washer wrapped in a small baggie made out of cotton for a natural, affordable, and biodegradable detergent substitute.

9. Use Steam to Remove Wrinkles

Ironing uses a lot of energy and tedious to do. A quick and simple trick is to hang them up in your bathroom before you take a warm bath or shower. The humidity helps in steaming out these clothes, ensuring that the wrinkles disappear and make them look like they got iron-pressed.

10. Upgrade Your Old Washing Machine

Don’t wait for your decade-old washing machine to stop working before replacing them. Doing these upgrades ensures that you save a lot of time and money while allowing you to recycle laundry water. If you opt to replace your current washing machine, get an Energy Star-rated model that helps reduce your water consumption by almost half while lowering your energy costs by a quarter.

If that isn’t an option for you, be vigilant about its settings. Set the washer to its lowest water level settings to save more water. It can save you around 4,500 litres of water yearly by doing this.

Learn Eco-friendly Laundry Today!

In today’s society, saving as much water and energy with eco-friendly laundry practices is a fantastic way for you to help save the environment.

No matter what activities you might engage in, keep in mind how you’ll help make the world a better place for the next generation. These laundry hacks can help, so apply them whenever you can since it helps you have less exposure to harmful toxins common to store-brand detergents and other laundry supplies.

Do you have cleaning needs you’d rather not do? Don’t hesitate and contact us today. We’ll help you have a clean, sparkling house worthy of calling a home.


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About the author 

Terry Stevens

The owner and founder of Sparkle and Shine. He is a seasoned professional in the home services industry with a decade of experience. He is dedicated to providing top-notch services for residential and commercial properties and has a wealth of knowledge to share on topics such as tips, tricks, industry trends, and the importance of loving your space.