greenbaby

Yesterday I talked about buying (or making) green baby clothes. Well, the next logical step would be washing those clothes. Babies are nothing if not efficient at getting a clean outfit dirty. So what’s the best way to handle all that dirty laundry greenly?
At the very least, only run the washing machine when you have a full load. It may be tempting to toss in that baby blanket along with a couple of onesies, but keep in mind that one load of laundry uses at least as much water as a bath. So resist the urge to do a load until you have enough to fill the machine (having a baby in the house, this won’t take too long!). Additionally, lower the temperature of the water if you can. You’ll be cutting back on the amount of electricity needed to heat the water.
You have several options when it comes to laundry soap. I’ve heard about and seen something called “laundry balls” or “soap nuts.” I’ve never tried them, but apparently they are natural and reusable. If anybody reading this has used them, what did you think? If you are going to use laundry detergent, as I do, look for dye and fragrance-free soap. The chemicals used to make the dyes and fragrances can irritate your baby’s skin and respiratory tract. You can also cut way back on the amount of soap you use. You really need much less than the bottle may claim. Remember, it’s in the detergent company’s best interests that you use up their soap as quickly as possible so you can buy another bottle of it. I only use a few tablespoons per load and my clothes come out clean and minus the residue that can occur when you use too much soap.
Also, try to cut back on the amount of clothes you wash so you can do fewer loads. I don’t change Sweet Pea’s clothes unless she’s gotten pee or poop on her clothes. Spit-up, milk, etc. isn’t so bad that you need to change the baby’s whole outfit. If your baby spits up or drools excessively, use bibs. A bib will protect your baby’s clothes and takes up much less room in the laundry hamper. Above all, don’t automatically throw your baby’s clothes in the laundry at the end of the day! They only need to be washed if they got dirty! If they are seriously soiled (spit up or worse), put them away to be worn again.
Finally, what’s the best way to dry your baby’s clothes (or yours for that matter)? If you can, line dry them. Sunlight is an incredible bleaching agent, and the fabric will hold up better than if they are consistently put in the dryer. We have a clothes line in the back yard, but because we don’t have much of a back yard it’s not very long. Additionally, we live in a climate where line drying is not practical year round. But in the warmer months I line dry as many things as I can. Otherwise, the same rules apply to the dryer as the washer: only run it when you have a full load. Try putting two loads from the washer in the dryer - some dryers are efficient enough to handle them both, and you’ll cut the number of loads you dry in half! Also, find out what the shortest amount of time is that you can run a load and still have the clothes come out dry.
To do your laundry in a really green manner, you may need to experiment a little and see what works with your machines, but I strongly encourage you to do so - washers and dryers are some of the least efficient machines in your house!

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