My Secret Recipe for Green Laundry

You can green your laundry routine without sacrificing cleaning power, we promise.

At my home, I try to use eco-friendly products whenever possible. Household cleansers are often filled with harsh chemicals, but there are less caustic, more natural alternatives available today. So why would you chose a toxic cleaner? In some instances, they just work better, but for the most part, you can find a green alternative for any cleaning task. By now, I've got a routine down for my favorite environmentally-sound household products. Here's my personal recipe for green laundry:

For pre-treatment, I love OxyClean. (Yes, the same product from infomercial fame.) For most soiled fabrics I will soak the piece overnight in a tub of lukewarm or cool water and a heaping scoop of OxyClean -- Most of the time the stain will have vanished. For tougher stains, I apply the powder to the stain directly. I'll also add a scoop of OxyClean to most loads of laundry as a boost to my detergent.

For detergent, I like Seventh Generation's Free & Clear Natural 2X Concentrated Laundry Liquid. I'm not a fan of scented detergent, so I love that this one is free of all fragrances and dyes. Remember, this is a concentrated formula, so you don't need to use a lot. (Most people are using way more detergent than they need! Read the label on your laundry soap, don't automatically assume a full cap is the right amount for a single load. This will save you money, since you won't have to buy suds as often and it means you'll use less packaging, which is a boost to the earth.)

For air-drying, I try to air-dry as many of my clothes as possible. I put my garments onto a folding, wooden drying rack like this one from the Container Store. Air-drying saves energy and money, but it's also better for your clothes; I'm especially careful to never machine dry delicates or darks, which are most effected by the heat of the dryer.

For machine drying, I like to toss two of Nellie's All-Natural Dryerballs into the dryer with a load of sheets and towels. (I machine-dry these items because it would be damn near impossible to air-dry them in my tiny apartment. If you are blessed with a backyard, you could dry these on an old fashioned clothesline.)

For truly white, whites, I cheat. As much as I would love to kick my chlorine bleach habit, I occasionally have to resort to this harsh chemical to get my white sofa slipcover back to its whitest. No one's perfect, and I figure it's only once in a while -- at least I am trying to be earth-conscious.

Note: You don't need to go to a specialty store to find these items: I find most of my eco-friendly cleaners at Target. Kudos to the big-box store for thinking about the environment when stocking their shelves.

More Green Design coverage on Shelterpop:

-Gardening Goes Upright

-Eco Paint: Fab or Fad?

-Cash for (Kitchen) Clunkers