How Green Is Your Laundry?

I've been thinking a lot about laundry detergent lately, I know, the exciting life of a mom.

Anyways, what I've been thinking about specifically is the fact that cleaning products aren't required to list ingredients and I found that some of the ones that do still use questionable ingredients like “fragrance” and not so green preservatives.

Of course not all companies do that, some really do use good ingredients. My doctor recommended a brand called Ecos to me so I went online to check them out. They list their ingredients and there was nothing unpronounceable in the list. And something I liked even better was that the list was very short.

I went to The Nugget Marketplace to buy it and got a bottle that would do 100 (high efficiency) loads for $12, that comes out to 12 cents a load. Not bad.

During my search I found some even greener alternative.

One was soapnuts. They're dried fruits from a fruit of a tree, you can't get much greener then that! You throw a couple in the pouch that comes with them, toss in your washing machine and then add them to your compost pile. I liked this site for their selection and packages.

Another alternative is to make your own laundry soap. You just need washing soap, borax and Fels soap. You can get all three together on Amazon. I searched for washing soda, then clicked on the Arm & Hammer box and on the page Amazon had them grouped together so you didn't have to search for the other items. All you need to do to make it is combine 1 cup grated Fels soap, ½ cup Borax & ½ cup washing soda. Then add 1 tablespoon per load (a little less for HE machines or a little more for heavy soiled loads). That ratio makes enough for 32 regular loads which comes out to about 3 cents per load.

I also got an email about a new laundry product called the Ionic Laundry Ball. The ball works with pellets that ionize the water, breaking down the dirt to clean clothes. According to the site, because there's no detergent there is no need for a rinse cycle, so you save water and electricity. One ball lasts for up to 700 loads and they're on sale today here for $26.95, so that's about 4 cents a load.

Another water saving cleaner I found out about is the Refreshn' Dryer Towel. All you do is put 1 towel with up to 3 items of clothing (up to 8 with 2 towels) in the dryer, set for 10-15 minutes and you're good to go. The towels last for up to 25 uses and then can be used as cleaning cloths later. Now I don't think these would work for everything, but I think for shirts that just need to be refreshed and aren't soiled they would be great. I could see using these for shirts and Todd's work clothes. One pack costs $11.99 so that's about 48 cents per use, but think of all the water you'd be saving.

Do use use any of these? Are there any you wouldn't use? Have another option to add? Feel free to share!

Next time: dryer sheet alternatives.