Earth Day | Eco friendly washing tips
Today is Earth Day, so we thought we put together a few useful and eco-friendly washing tips for you to implement in your home.
Earth Day is today, a global initiative that’s all about raising awareness and making changes to help take care of our home planet.
To celebrate Earth Day, Merry Maids UK has put together a list of our top tips to save energy and make your washing habits a bit more eco-friendly.
1. Wash at 30°
Of course, you always need to check the care labels before loading up the washing machine. But, high temperatures aren’t always necessary and can waste a lot of energy, and considering the world we’re living in at the moment, this isn’t such a bad thing! Choosing to wash at 30 degrees instead of a higher setting can save you a whopping 40% of energy and will still leave your clothes looking clean and smelling fresh!
2. Use plant-based products
You can help the environment in many ways by using biodegradable plant-based products for your washing.
If you can, use plant-based products that favour biodegradable ingredients to reduce the impact of your wastewater on aquatic life. There’s a chance that on your washing up liquid or cleaning spray, you might have a warning that says “harmful to aquatic life with long-lasting effects”, if this is the case, look for plant-based products that are better for the environment
3. Use shorter cycles where possible
Just as colder cycles can save you energy, washing laundry that’s not stained or completely covered in dirt on a shorter cycle saves energy too and it will clean them just as well! Trust us, change to a quicker cycle for your general clothing and you’ll see absolutely no change in the quality of wash, but certainly save on energy!
4. Avoid chlorine bleach
Chlorine may have plenty of benefits when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting, however, once it’s released into the environment and reaches water, it reacts with other elements to form toxins that are harmful to wildlife.
5. Don’t do half loads
Quite a simple tip this one… Always have a full drum before you start any washing cycle on your machine. This is more beneficial as you’ll still be using the same amount of water and energy as you would if you were to only half fill your machine.
6. Use concentrated detergent
Water is the most valuable resource on Earth, yet every day all over the world it’s wasted by the bucket load! Try and use detergents that are concentrated, meaning they’ve used less water in the production process and a bonus they’ll last you even longer. Concentrated detergents can lead to huge energy and water savings!
7. Wash clothes inside-out
This quick trick will help your clothes to look new, meaning you’ll have to replace them less often. If fewer clothes are purchased then less water and fossil fuels will be used as fewer clothes will be mass-produced.
We hope these tips can in use, if you need your home cleaning then contact your local Merry Maids today.