One of the most effective ways to lower our carbon footprint is to reduce, reuse, and recycle the items we use. That includes when we do our laundry. 

• Reduce the amount of laundry you do
• Reduce the temperature you wash at 
• Reuse detergent bottles 
• Reuse dryer balls and sheets
• Recycle containers 
• Recycle your clothing
• How Laundryheap is doing their bit 

Reduce the amount of laundry you do

On average a washing machine uses 350 to 500 watts of electricity per hour. The average person does two loads of laundry per week, which translates to 36,400 to 52,000 watts of electricity in just one year. By reducing the amount of laundry you do you could half your yearly electricity usage. There are several ways to reduce your laundry load, including waiting until you have a full laundry basket, spot treating stains, and freezing your jeans.

Reduce the temperature you wash at

Washing your laundry at 60 degrees will kill bacteria, but use 40% more energy than washing at 30 degrees. You may have noticed when shopping for laundry detergent that many brands now make cold wash detergents. These are detergents that work just as effectively at 30 degrees as they do at hotter temperatures, meaning that you can reduce the temperature you wash at without affecting the cleanliness of your laundry. Be aware that if you are laundering items that are stained it is best to pre-treat them before washing at 30 degrees. 

Reuse detergent bottles

Once you have used your laundry detergent, don’t throw your bottles away, reuse them. There are a multitude of ways that you can reuse detergent bottles, including making a watering can, a bird feeder, or weights. You can even use your empty detergent bottle to store homemade laundry detergent. Just remember that before you reuse your detergent bottles you need to make sure that they are fully rinsed out. 

Reuse dryer balls and sheets

Dryer balls and sheets are used to reduce the drying time of your laundry, meaning that you use less energy per load. Rather than using one-use dryer balls and sheets, invest in reusable options. They may be slightly more expensive, but will save you money in the long run. To be even more environmentally conscious you can make your own dryer balls using tin foil or old clothing. 

Recycle containers

If you don’t want to reuse your detergent bottles, make sure that you recycle them as well as your other laundry containers. Most laundry containers are made from cardboard or plastic, both of which can be recycled. Make sure that you adequately rinse and/or empty your containers before recycling them, ensuring that there is no residue left in the bottom. 

Recycle your clothing 

It’s not just laundry containers that can be recycled, you can also recycle your clothing. If you notice that you have clothing that you don’t wear often, donate them to a local charity. This will ensure that your clothing gets rehomed rather than being added to the 92 million tons of textile waste created each year. Alternatively, if your clothing is becoming worn or ripped, you could create something new from your scraps. Whether you are an avid sewer and can create a new garment, or you simply use your ripped clothing as a cleaning rag, you can give even the most worn down piece of clothing a new life. 

How Laundryheap is doing their bit

At Laundryheap we are dedicated to improving the way we work to be more environmentally friendly. For example, we offer our customers the option of an eco friendly route. This means that our drivers are given a wider time slot to collect and redeliver customers laundry so that orders can be grouped together and we can use less fuel. As well as our eco routes, Laundryheap also uses e-bikes in certain areas to reduce the carbon emissions emitted whilst picking up and delivering laundry.

To book your Laundryheap service simply head to the Laundryheap website or download the free Laundryheap app.