Why Zero Waste Laundry ?
So, why should you change to Zero Waste Laundry. And, what does that actually mean?
We all know the problem with plastic pollution and the majority of laundry products come packaged in plastic that has to be disposed of. Also, a lot of commercial laundry detergents aren’t very environmentally friendly and can have a detrimental impact on aquatic life when they get into the water system.
And, not only is it the detergents that you use but it’s also the clothes you are washing. Did you know that synthetic clothes release billions of mircoplastics, tiny bits of plastic smaller than a millimeter, when washed. These microplastics make their way into oceans and can eventually end up in the food chain.
Now that you know the reasons why you should change, here are my tips for Zero Waste Laundry.
Laundry Detergent
When it comes to laundry detergent there are a few alternatives that you can try.
Here are my suggestions for Zero Waste laundry detergents:
- Switch to an eco friendly refillable laundry detergent, if you have a refill shop near you
- Try an eco friendly laundry detergent in a box or bag. BioD, Ecoleaf and Ecover are good ones to try
- Try using Soap Nuts, they are 100% natural and very gentle and come plastic free – if you want to use them on a cool wash it may be best to make them into a liquid first. Just boil a handful of soap nuts in 2 to 3 cups of water, simmer for an hour and then strain.
- Switch to an Eco Ball
- Make your own laundry detergent
Home Made Laundry Detergent
You may want to try making your own natural laundry detergent. If you do here’s my recipe:
YOU’LL NEED:
- Empty jar or container
- 2 cups Washing Soda
- 1 cup Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1/2 cup of Soap Flakes (or grated bar of Castile Soap)
HOW TO:
Mix together in a large bowl and pour into your container. It’s that simple !
This recipe works best on a 40 degree heat and use one scoop for a normal load, you can use double if you have some tougher stains to shift.Â
And, with any homemade laundry recipe that uses Soap Flakes or grated Castile Soap it’s best to run a load on a really hot wash once a month to ensure there’s no build up of soap. Â
Fabric Conditioner
There’s really no need for a fabric conditioner. If you like the smell of fabric conditioner then you can make up some muslin sachets of dried herbs / flowers such as Rosemary and Lavender to pop in your drawers or wardrobes. You can also add a few drops of essential oils to the dried herbs / flowers.
However – you shouldn’t add essential oils to your washing machine or dryer as they are flammable.
If you find that your towels feel a bit scratchy without a fabric conditioner then just add a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Stain Remover
When you switch to a gentler more eco friendly laundry detergent you may find that you need a little extra help with tough stains.
A great way to tackle stains is to treat them with a soap / stain removing bar before you pop them in the wash. Use something like Dr Bronner’s castile soap.
Or, another great way to tackle stains is to use a Natural Bleach, also known as oxygen bleach, in your wash. It’s a a safe, non-toxic, biodegradable alternative to harsh chlorine bleach. When dissolved in water it releases oxygen which acts as a powerful stain remover and deodoriser. It breaks down harmlessly to oxygen, water and sodium carbonate. It brightens both whites and coloured fabrics and prevents them from yellowing. It’s great at removing organic stains like tea and coffee, fruit juice, food sauces, grass stains, pet stains, blood and red wine.
How to deal with microplastics
As I mentioned above, when you wash synthetic fabrics they shed millions of microplastics which end up in the water ssytem. As these are so tiny they don’t tend to get filtered out in the water treatment plants and can eventually end up in the Ocean.
Obviously, the best solution is to buy natural clothes with natural fabrics but this isn’t always possible. Here are some other ways you can help reduce the amount of microplastics entering the water system.
- Wash your clothes less and make sure when you do wash them you have a full load. The fabric gets agitated less when there’s a full load
- Use a Guppy Bag to wash your clothes in. You pop your clothes in the bag before putting them in the washing machine and the guppy bag filters and captures the microplastics before they enter the water system.
- Cora Ball, this is designed to do the same thing as the guppy bag by catching the microplastics before they enter the water system.
- Make sure your washing machine has a good inbuilt filter and that you clean it regularly. Also, think about purchasing a washing machine lint filter.
Drying your clothes
The best way to dry your clothes is out in the fresh air on a line. However, that’s not always possible. If it’s wet outside you could hang your clothes on a clothes horse indoors to dry, make sure the room is well ventilated to stop condensation.
If you have to use a tumble dryer then make sure you use it on a low heat and don’t over dry your clothes. To make your towels etc feel soft use a wool dryer ball.
I hope this has given you some ideas on how to have a more Zero Waste Laundry routine.
I’d love to hear your tips and recipes so please feel free to share below.
We don’t have a tumble dryer so we already dry everything outside when we can
We’re having great weather at the moment for hanging the washing outside 🙂
Excellent tips, many of which I already do. I have struggled with Eco-Balls, though, as our water is very hard and they don’t cope well with body odour on clothes. You’ve reminded me to give them another go with my less smelly clothes though.
Hard water is so hard to cope with, we also have very hard water !
Wow, so many great options out there. A friend is trying a new subscription having washing capsules delivered I can’t remember the name – Smol? I would like to try and make my own detergent.
I’ve heard a lot of people talking about Smol, I haven’t yet but they sound like a good idea
I’d never thought about making my own laundry detergent before but I’m going to have to give it a go now. I’m trying my best to reduce our plastic consumption.
I’ve tried the soap nuts and eco ball, but the laundry never feels 100% clean. We buy laundry detergent in large cardboard boxes though, and we don’t own a drier so everything gets air dried anyway.
sounds like you’ve got it sorted 🙂
Some great tips here, I have recently been looking into one of the eco balls and we have a trial coming from smol.
There’s some good suggestions here. I’ve never liked tumble driers, so it all gets hung outside to dry!
For the homemade laundry detergent – can I use liquid castile soap instead of grated soap/soap flakes? (What I currently have at home)
Hi, sorry for the late reply. If you want to use liquid Castile soap you’ll need to use a recipe that adds water. I like this one from Bren Did. Remember that with any recipe that adds water make up in small batches and use within a week as there are no preservatives.
INGREDIENTS
Washing Soda – 2/3 cup
Baking Soda- 3 Tbsp)
Liquid Castile soap – 1/2 cup
Water– 5 cups
DIRECTIONS
Bring water to a boil.
Pour washing soda into a large glass bowl then slowly stir in 2 cups of boiling water until washing soda is completely dissolved.
Use the baking soda to thicken, add one tablespoon at a time and stir well to combine. The mixture will thicken as baking soda is added until it is a pudding-like texture.
Stir in Castile soap until well combined. Slowly stir in remaining 3 cups of boiling water.
Cool to room temperature, the mixture will separate while cooling.
Combine separated mixture by blending or whisking until smooth
Store liquid detergent in a glass bottle. Use 1/3 cup per load of laundry. You may need to shake before use if it separates.