How Green Is My: Laundry.

In the One Green Generation Green Your Insides Challenge the author states:

The Green Your Insides Challenge Is:
*To start greening your own home.
*First, start paying attention to what you put on your body, in your body, and around your body. Right now.
*And then over the next few months, put it all into practice: take solid steps to green your indoor environment.

I'm going to jump in saying that I do pretty well with "in my body". I buy a lot of organic foods, but generally when they're convenient (we have specific diets). We eat a whole of whole foods, tending towards very healthy. So I'm going to start with my home. I figure the Easiest would be Laundry! My lil page "Its EASY being Green!" has various tips I've found about Greening this or that, but this will be like a Project page. I'll list the things I have in my Laundry room right now, why I got that one, and try to research an Earth Friendly product that can replace it without being too expensive (I must be Frugally Green!)

*Oxyclean - Booster for Badly dirty Laundry. Seems to be natural (mostly, unsure on fragrances that may be in it) as it's Sodium Bicarbonate and Sodium Percarbonate which seem to combine in water to form Hydrogen peroxide. So, natural, but ultimately just another slightly bleaching agent. Seems to be good for cleaning just about anything; so, Borax-Lite (and maybe slightly safer). [L]
*Borax - Bought it for puppy pee, now sits unused. Turns out its a natural occurring (yet kind of hazardous) cleaning crystal that can do just about everything around the house O_o Links below.

*Seventh Generation Free & Clear Bleach.

*Woolite for Darks - According to EnvironmentalLeader.com the makers of Woolite work to reduce its total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions AND has a carbon offset project Trees for Change. Though they're not a "Green" chemical (and refuse to disclose the ingredients to EarthJustice), they at least work to offset. Tips for darks seem to be tips for being green! Wash them Cold (inside out to reduce abrasion); hang dry (inside to avoid sun-fading); if drying use lowest heat setting available, remove while damp and lay flat to dry. There seem to be some Eco-Detergents that say they work on darks as well, but I'm having a hard time finding any specifically for them. However: MommyGoesGreen says the darks saying dark is all about the cold water and careful drying! I'll be Nixing the Dark Detergent.YAY! One less item in the laundry room!

*Purex Lavender Ultra Concentrate Detergent - Bought in a pinch. Will not buy again.

*Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear Detergent - Supposedly a Green-Friendly company, yet they purportedly refused to disclose ingredients to UnEarthed-EarthJustice in June2010 (though required to comply by New York Law...) They're being sued for the information and fighting it... No offense, but I'm probably not going to eat the cookies when someone refuses to tell me what they put in it.
I'd love to go nuts and try some Soapnuts - There's actually a soap that grows on trees. "Soap berries" which are derived from the Chinese Soapberry tree species closely related to the Bodhi Tree. (the tree the Buddha sat under while meditating)."-Associated Content -SoapBerrysSoapNuts.Until I get brave, probably Seventh Gen detergent or a mix of borax and baking soda. I have some time to think about it; I have tons of regular detergent to go through first: can't just throw it away!

*Ultra Downy Free & Clear Fabric Softener - Unused in this washer. No spot for it and I can't remember to add it to the rinse. While I can't find much information on this, I stopped looking so hard when I learned that 1/2 Vinegar is a natural fabric softener that removes soap residue as well, though you still have to add it to the final rinse. So I'll probably move to that (cheaper too!) Stretcher.com also quote a recipe of 1 Part Baking Soda, 1 Part White Vinegar, and 2 parts water. Mix, store safely, and add 1/4c to a load. You can also use Borax (Hey! I already have that!)

*Faultless Premium Starch - For Ironing certain items. I figured Starch would be... Starch! Turns out the ingredients read "Water, Propellant, Patented Film Former, Ironing Aids, Quality Control Agents, Fragrance." That's, um, very vague, and starch isn't even LISTED! I don't use Starch enough to replace the product I have, however, as throwing it away to buy another product would be just wasteful too. If I WAS to buy a new product I might try something like Earth Friendly Spray Starch, which contains purified water, Corn starch, cotton blossom oils.

*Black & Decker Iron (Green Plastic Siding!)
*Washer is a Roper, with only 14 (Heavy Duty, hot), 10 (Regular, warm), 6 (Cold), Rinse.
*Dryer is Estate, and doesn't dry well. Needs two runs for towels or very wet items. Waistbands are always damp after 1, but can't bring myself to rerun for those. Hang-Drying is of course the perfect way to go. In FL, however, you run a risk of showers at any possible moment and serious sun-fading. Indoor hang-drying requires room and makes your clothes subject to whatever smells it can get it's fibers on. Did I mention all the room it would take? Indoor racks seem to be a wee bit pricey, and there really is no place to put a line outside. If we had to dig/bury a standing one.. oi. Even makeshift ones (cord and wall hooks anyone?) would end up costing $30+. While it wouldn't pay off in one month, it will definitely pay off over time. Alright... I'll pick up a rack until I can think of else.

We tried to keep stuff Free & Clear but not for environmental reasons. The instructions for ACU's required no optical brighteners due to a possible risk of making soldiers glow in the dark under infrared. Debunked, but we like the No-Dye-or-Fragrance thing.

So after my research, what WILL I be using in my Laundry room?

*Detergent: Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent, til I study up more on Soapnuts!
*Softener: 1/4c Vinegar!
*Bleach: Seventh Generation Free & Clear Bleach.
*Stain/Spot Remover: Borax.
*Starch: Recommend Earth Friendly Spray Starch.
*Washer on the shortest, cold, setting!
*Hang-Drying is of course the way to go. Wooden drying rack.

Please note: I am psychologically and financially unable to waste. I wasn't brought up to waste money and cannot simply throw out the products I currently have. I can, and have however, purchased the products I plan to use in my Green Laundry. I will use the products I have til they are gone, recycle the packages if possible, and transition into the new Green products.


Borax - Greenfootsteps - Recipes for just about everything -
Coupons Seventh Generation Laundry Detergents
Associated Content's great tips on Efficient Laundry
EarthJustice - Companies That Haven't Disclosed Chemicals in Cleaning Products
EcoBalls & their like - Mineral filled laundry balls (Close, but still not good enough.)
Fabric Softeners - Homemade etc
Gaiam on Eco-Friendly Way to get Laundry really clean
Green Works (a Clorox product); but I thought Clorox tested on animals. Apparently it does though it's lines Green Works and Burt's Bees are Earth Friendly (I read a blurb stating Burt's packaging claims to be a Bunny friendly line though it's Parent Company is not. I need to find it again.)
Grist.com reviewed six Green Detergents and gives you her opinions. 
LowCostLiving.co.uk/GreenGear! TONS of Earth-Friendly products!
Re-Nest's list of Green Laundry Products