KEY POINTS:
1: Wear it more than once
It doesn't go for everything, but you can consume up to five times less energy by wearing your jeans at least three times, washing them in cold water, and skipping the dryer or the iron.
2: Use green laundry detergent
Conventional detergents can contain ingredients that aren't good for you, your clothes, or aquatic ecosystems where the dirty water we wash down the drain can end up.
3: Choose concentrated detergent
Concentrated laundry detergents have reduced packaging and a smaller carbon footprint and deliver more bang for your buck.
4: Maximise your washer for energy efficiency
If you have a top-loading washing machine from the last century, chances are it uses twice as much water per load than a newer machine. For an older one, wash in cold water and only full loads.
5: Make your own laundry detergent
You'll need just a handful of ingredients that can all be found at most grocery stores, and you don't need a masters degree in chemical engineering to put them together.
6: Hang it out to dry
Dryers account for more than a tonne of carbon dioxide per year. Because the dryer uses so much energy, skipping it altogether can make a real difference.
7: Maximise your dryer
Line-drying doesn't have to be an all or nothing choice. If you're sticking with the dryer for part of the time, cleaning the lint filter frequently will increase efficiency and shorten drying time.
8: Don't iron if you don't have to
Not only is ironing a tedious chore, it also consumes energy and can degrade fabric. So you probably won't mind if we put the kibosh on this boring activity. Simply hang clothes up immediately after washing.
9: Head to the laundromat
Commercial washers and dryers tend to be more efficient than domestic versions, so taking your bundle to the neighbourhood laundromat - where there is one - may use less energy.
10: Don't bother with dry cleaning
Conventional dry cleaning is a decidedly un-green process; most businesses use the chemical perchloroethylene which studies have shown may be dangerous to our health.
