by Paula Rosenberg

Created on: February 12, 2009   Last Updated: November 16, 2011

With the threat of Global Warming worsening we are constantly challenged to think green. In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint many have been greening their homes. From more efficient shower heads to LED bulbs, every room in the home can be run with an eco-conscience. What about the laundry room?

The most obvious way to green the laundry room is to purchase washers and driers that are energy efficient. Websites such as Energy Star and Affordable Solar offer a variety of earth-friendly appliances. Energy efficiency does come with a price tag. Most of the models sell between the $1,200-$2,000 range. While buying new washers and driers may not be in everyone's budget, there are other methods to reducing the energy you use on your laundry.

If you have the space in your laundry room put up clothes lines in your basement to air dry your garments. If you don't have the space you can reduce the energy you use by using a timed dry as apposed to a drying cycle. With the exception of heavier items such as bath towels and bed dressings most of what you dry does not need to be in the machine for a full hour. Try drying your items for thirty minutes instead.

There are also ways to make your washing greener too. There are dozens of eco-friendly laundry detergents on the market. Brands include 7th Generation, Ecover, and Planet. Most green liquid detergents sell for between eight to ten dollars for a 24-36 load bottle. If you want a more budget free item Tide offers a version of their detergent that is more eco-friendly and is about the same price as traditional tide.

Another idea for saving energy is washing your clothes in cold water cycles. . Some detergent brands even manufacture laundry soap built for cold water cycles. Using cold water and decreasing your drier use will also have a positive affect on your utility bills for the month.

If you don't have the luxury of a home washer and drier, there are now environmentally conscience cleaners. For example, New York's Green Apple Cleaners not only wash and dry laundry in an eco-friendly environment but they dry clean cleaner too. They pick up and drop off your clothes with hybrid vehicles too.

There are eco-friendly options for everyone's budget when it comes to cleaning your clothes. No matter what your laundry needs are there is a way to green your clean

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