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In this series of posts I work my way through “Squeaky Green- The Method Guide to Cleaning Your Home” one chapter at a time.
CHAPTER FIVE
This week’s chapter on the laundry room was short but informative and included some water saving tips along with the usual toxin alerts.
Use non-toxic dryer sheets and fabric softeners. CHECK!
Many dryer sheets and softeners contain toxic chemicals that don’t fully wash out of clothes. A few ingredients that have been identified in some formulations are benzyl acetate, limonene, and chloroform. Individually, these chemicals have been linked to cancer, and it’s not likely they’ve been studied much in combination.
I eliminated both dryer sheets and fabric softeners from our laundry routine and our clothes don’t seem to be suffering from static cling. If you just can’t stand the idea of going without, try Static Eliminator Reusable Dryer Sheets. The Static Eliminator’s woven sheets take static cling out and soften fabric without any toxic chemicals whatsoever- plus they are incredibly economical, as one box can be used to maximum effectiveness 500 times!
To eliminate the need for a dryer altogether, think about using a clothing line. I have been talking about doing this for years now and have never gotten around to it. I am making a commitment, as I write this post to get a clothing line and set it up by the end of next week. My good friend Samantha Chapin wrote a great blog about clothesline that I urge you all to read.Use non-toxic, biodegradable laundry detergent. CHECK!
Many conventional laundry detergents leave an unhealthy residue on your clothes. Most are made from petroleum based cleaners which use oil, a precious, limited natural resource that will someday be depleted. In addition, they use phosphates, that when flushed from your machine can cause algae blooms in lakes and ponds that can lead to the suffocation of aquatic plants and animals.
My two favorite detergents, that work beautifully, are Biokleen and Method. I have to say, I don’t miss my Tide at all.
Use non-toxic, concentrated, unchlorinated bleach that biodegrades . CHECK!
Chlorine is a registered pesticide and is highly poisonous.
My daughter Samara plays hard and gets her clothes good and dirty. I use Biokleen Oxygen Bleach Plus when it looks like my regular detergent alone won’t get her clothes clean. Occasionally, I use a little Begley’s Best Spot Remover.
When buying a new washer choose a high-efficiency model that uses less energy and water. CHECK!
Choosing an Energy Star qualified clothes washer over a standard model can lower your utility bills, save energy, and save water. Qualified models perform more efficiently than standard models without sacrificing performance.
I recommend front loading washers, which is what we have, as they use less water and detergent than a top loader, for the same size load.
Use wet cleaning as opposed to commercial dry cleaning. CHECK!
Perchloroethylene, the main chemical used by 70 percent of commercial dry cleaners can result in neural toxicity, liver and kidney damage. Additionally it’s residue can remain on clothes and be released into you and your home.
My husband uses a professional wet cleaner for his work clothes. Wet cleaning is non-toxic and energy efficient. It’s water-based technology uses biodegradable detergents and specialized finishing equipment to clean cloths. I have to admit that sometimes the clothes smell a bit funky but the smell does not last long.
My solution to the whole dry cleaning thing is not to buy clothes that require dry cleaning. It’s expensive - even if you wet clean-and it seems crazy to spend so much cleaning your clothes. I borrowed a very beautiful white pleated blouse from a friend. It cost me $45 to dry clean because of the snazzy material and all the pleats. HOLY COW! That’s what I spend on a new blouse at Loehman’s. I say if you can’t wash it by hand, find another blouse.
Join me next week for the chapter on kids’ rooms.
*This blog is based on content in “Squeaky Green- The Method Guide To Detoxing Your Home” by Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry
4 responses so far ↓
1 Health and Fitness // Oct 27, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Thanks for this very informative post. This is a nice blog and will be looking forward to read more from you.
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Link Details
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Title: Health and Fitness
2 Chad Boucher // Oct 28, 2008 at 6:48 am
I am a professional wet cleaner and wanted to comment on your post. If your clothes have a “funky” smell, something is wrong. No bad odors is one of the advantages of wet cleaning. It may have a slight “fresh” scent (hard to describe what that is except that it is not a perfume smell like home detergent), but it should not be bad.
Also, the $45 for a blouse seems oddly expensive. The pleats will create an upcharge from the base price because they must all be done by hand and are very time consuming, but the price seems high.
Also, if you really want to be green, you should take all your clothes to a professional wet cleaner regardless of cost. I know that is not practical for most, just like washing everything by hand and drying on a clotheline is not practical, but I do want to point out that professional wet cleaning uses less water, electricity and/or gas than washing, drying and ironing at home because of economies of scale and our advanced equipment. Besides that, your clothes will last longer when professionally cared for, meaning you will purchase less clothes in the long run, consuming less resources.
3 Ira Goodman // Oct 28, 2008 at 2:13 pm
A low cost, green eco friendly, healthy natural, a homemade liquid cleaner can be made from soapberry which grows on the Chinaberry tree and has been used for thousands of years. It works very effectively.
4 Jessica Tuck // Nov 1, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Just to be clear - It cost me $45 to clean the blouse at a fancy french cleaners- not a wet cleaner. It was a Prada blouse made of some blend of materials that had to be washed in a specific way. AND the extensive pleating added to the cost.
Interesting to hear how very green wet cleaning is. thank you for elaborating.
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