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Going green in the laundry room has never been easier! With a wide variety of products now on the market, doing laundry greener can be as simple as a trip to your local supermarket and a few minor changes in your laundry routine.

In general, products that are safe to eat are safe for the environment and two great laundry products might be lurking in your kitchen right now: baking soda and vinegar. Baking soda makes a great laundry booster and freshener. By using baking soda, you can reduce the amount of detergent you use. On the opposite end of the pH spectrum is vinegar. You can use vinegar as a rinse agent in place of fabric softener. Since vinegar washes away detergent residue, your clothes will feel softer, especially when used over time. Vinegar also helps eliminate underarm stains by breaking down and removing deodorant residue. If underarm stains are a problem, apply vinegar with a spray bottle as a pre-treatment.

Laundry detergent doesn't grow on trees, or does it? For a truly green alternative to synthetic detergents, you can try soap nuts. Soap nuts can be purchased online or at some health food stores. Soap nuts are a product of the Asian Sapindus tree and many soap nut distributors buy the product only from free trade cooperatives. They are used by dropping a few in a small fabric bag and adding to the wash. If, however, detergent from a tree does not appeal to you, you can try something more traditional: very traditional! You can try making your own detergent at home just like great grandma did. There are many recipes available online and many of them do not require the use of special equipment or harmful chemicals such as lye. If, however, you prefer someone else make your detergent, try to find concentrated detergents to reduce the burden on landfills and require less energy to ship.

Hand wash small and delicate items to save electricity and use cold water except on the dirtiest clothing. Soaking and pre-treating heavily-soiled items can help prevent laundry "do-overs" that waste laundry products, water, and energy. If possible, always wait until you have a full load before beginning a cycle but do not overload your machine as overloaded machines clean less efficiently. Since drying clothes outdoors is not an option for many because of community restrictions, lack of space, and weather, you can still reduce your dryer usage by hanging some items in an out-of-the-way space in your home such as a bathroom or laundry room. If your washing machine has variable spin levels, increase the spin level or spin your clothes a second time on a spin-only cycle. When buying a washer or dryer, opt for Energy Star appliances and high-efficiency (HE) washing machines use less water and electricity.

Doing laundry greener will not only help the planet, but will ensure all your clothes looks their best, regardless of color.

Learn more about this author, LaVonne Redelinghuys.
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