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Eco-Friendly Laundry

The laundry accounts for about 15 per cent of the water used in Australian homes. But this water usage can be significantly reduced by buying a front-loading washing machine, connecting it to a rainwater tank and then connecting the outlet hose to a greywater diverter that will channel the used water into your garden.  And you can save energy by washing your clothes in cold water and drying them on a clothes line instead of a tumble dryer.  You can also reduce chemicals by using natural detergents and microfibre mops for washing clothes and general household cleaning.

Washing machine

When buying a washing machine, look for both the WELS water rating and the Energy Star energy efficiency stars. Go for a model with the highest number of stars you can afford. An energy-efficient machine, in particular, will ultimately save you money via lower electricity bills.
Front-loading washing machines are better for the environment than top-loaders: they use up to 60 per cent less energy, 40 per cent less water and about half the detergent of a top-loader.

Save more energy by washing your clothes using cold water only, and on economy wash settings if they are not particularly dirty. Try to only wash full loads – if you only have one or two items to wash, then hand-wash them in the laundry basin or a bucket instead of running the machine.  If garments such as jackets and jumpers aren’t really dirty, try airing them on a clothes line for a couple of hours instead of washing them every time. The sun will remove stale smells such as cigarette smoke.

Use natural washing powders

Buy natural washing powder to reduce the amount of chemicals you use around the house. Natural cleaners are made using non-toxic ingredients from plants and minerals. Try to avoid washing powders containing petro-chemicals, phosphates, chlorine bleaches and optical whiteners.  Similarly, use natural home cleaning products to clean your house, and buy microfibre mops and cloths to clean floors, tiles and other smooth surfaces. Microfibre cloths contain a variety of fibres of different lengths, which are effective at removing dirt without needing any detergents at all.

Use the sun to dry your clothes

A clothes dryer can generate up to 3kg of greenhouse gas emissions per load. Use a clothes line instead. Sunlight dries your clothes for free with no greenhouse gas emissions.
Use water from your rainwater tank for washing machine.  Rainwater tanks can be plumbed in to your toilets, dishwashers and washing machine. There are often extra government grants available if you do this when installing a rainwater tank – a rainwater tank supplier will be able to tell you what grants are currently available in your state.

Recycle greywater from your washing machine

You can divert the greywater from your washing machine into your garden. Greywater is a term for water that is not fit to drink, but is usually clean enough to use on your garden (unlike waste water from your toilets, which is not safe to recycle without proper treatment).

A simple greywater diversion valve costs from $50 and can be installed yourself if you have basic plumbing competence – or you can get a plumber to do it. The diverter can be connected to a hose running into your garden so you can switch the water from your washing machine’s outlet to drain into the garden. The diverter should have a filter to catch hairs, soap and link. If your garden slopes up from your home you may also need to fit a small pump to the hose.  More sophisticated greywater recycling systems will have built-in filters, pumps and surge tanks, which hold the water from your washing machine and can release it slowly into undersoil or drip irrigation systems.  A plumber will be able to advise you on greywater systems and devices.  Or you could simply point the outlet hose from your washing machine into a bucket during the final rinse and then empty the bucket into your garden.

If you recycle your washing machine’s greywater into your garden, then you should use a low-phosphate or phosphate-free natural detergent. Too much phosphate will upset the chemical balance of your soil.

Locating the laundry when building

You don’t spend much time in the laundry, so it isn’t so important that it remains at a comfortable temperature. If you are building a new home, you can use the laundry as an insulating space to reduce the amount of external heat or cold reaching your home’s living areas.   For instance, putting the laundry on the west side of the house will help block the afternoon heat from reaching living areas in summer. Alternatively, if you live in a cooler region, putting the laundry on the south of the house can help insulate the colder side of the house in winter.

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