Eco ways to go about laundry

Most of us know how to do laundry, but do you know how to do laundry the eco friendly way? Doing laundry the eco friendly way means that you concentrate on biodegradability and less waste with water and laundry products.

So, how do we do laundry the natural or "green" way? You use soap nuts, dryer balls and eco balls. If you don't know what I am talking about, you are not alone. Many people suffer from allergies and by doing your laundry the natural way, can help a great deal. Below is a description of these items and how you use them to do your laundry.

Soap Nuts

Soap nuts are actually nuts that come from the Chinese Soapberry Tree. The tree grows in the mountains of India and Nepal. The people who live in these areas have used these soap nuts for generations. The scientific name for the soap nuts is Sapindus Mukorossi.

The seeds are removed from the shells of the soap nuts and they are dried in the sun. Once they are dry, they are ready to use. The soap nuts come packaged in a cloth bag. You put the nuts into the bag and then put the bag into your washing machine. These soap nuts are very economical to use because the nuts can be used for several wash loads before you need to replace them. To dispose of the used nuts, just put them into your compost pile.

Dryer Balls

Most of us have seen these specially-designed, rubber balls in the grocery store. They are the ones sold in the laundry aisle with the bumps all over them. These dryer balls take the place of fabric softener or dryer sheets and they also reduce drying time. The bumps on the balls help to separate fabrics while they are drying so your sheets don't wad up into a big ball in the dryer.

I prefer these dryer balls to fabric softeners and dryer sheets because you can use them for a very long time and they do not contain fragrances or chemicals. By reducing drying time, they save energy and money. Since they do not contain chemicals, they become a very integral part of your eco friendly way to do laundry.

Eco Balls

Eco Balls are probably something that you may not have heard of. They are commonly referred to as laundry balls or wash balls. The theory behind the eco balls is that they use the cleaning power of the water to wash your clothes. The secret is in the design. The eco balls are clay balls that have a plastic cover on them. The balls react with the motion of the washing machine agitator and the water to produce an ionization cleaning process.

When you use eco balls, you do not use liquid or powder laundry detergent and they last from 60 to 120 loads. When the eco balls wear out, you need to put them into your recycle bin for recycling. Do not throw them into the trash.