Going Green: Help save the planet while doing laundry

Stepping away from politics for a while, I'd like to inform the student body about washers and dryers since we all have to wash and dry- at least I hope- our clothes sometime during the month.

The Sierra Environmental Club Web site offers a quiz or two every so often to see how green you really are and suggest ways you can improve so you can become more environmentally friendly. Currently there is a quiz regarding washing and drying your clothes.

Energy Star qualified appliances are found more and more in every major appliance store, including Best Buy, Home Depot, etc. These washers use at least 40 percent less energy than standard washers and almost half the water. These results are determined by the MEF, Modified Energy Factor.

Energy Star qualified washers may be a bit more pricey, but as with most eco-friendly appliances and improvements it turns out to be a huge advantage with energy and money savings and environmental protection.

Dryers are a different story. They are not Energy Star rated due to the fact there is a little variation in energy usage between models.

Air drying, however, is always a good idea especially if you live in the country with a breeze you can always count on. You will save money on your energy bills by not using the dryer, and air drying your clothes is generally easier on fabrics because over-drying breaks them down.

If you use a laundromat, which I know much of the sorority housing have at the moment, they generally use energy-efficient washers to make the most of their profits. In general, I do not know if the university uses energy-efficient washers in the dorms, but the last time I lived in a dorm I doubted that fact.

Unless you go out every single day and roll around in the mud, you really don't have to wash all your clothes after every single use. Jeans and certain shirts, especially hoodies and long-sleeved shirts worn during winter, do not have to be washed after every use. We usually don't sweat enough in the winter time in order for our clothes to qualify for washing. But please, wash your underwear and other such intimate articles because that is just gross!

Wash with a full load, but don't overfill the washer because that makes it more difficult to get the clothes clean. Washing with a full load wastes less water and conserves energy.

Also, when washing, about 90 percent of the energy used goes into heating the water that you'll be using. Except for getting the toughest stains out, it is unnecessary to use hot water or for that matter even warm water. Plus, detergents are being formulated to clean more efficiently in cold water. Using the hot water setting can account for 13 percent of home energy costs. That's a fairly large percentage for just washing your clothes.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the most common dry-cleaning solvent, perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene, is a potential carcinogen and ends up in the groundwater and soil. So, try buying more clothes that do not need to be dry-cleaned and in turn you can reduce the amount of the solvent contaminating our soil. All we need is one more thing to be in our soil that doesn't belong!

Last but not least, please clean the lint screen after every load! It takes two seconds, it saves time and energy which we all can afford to do. Also, if you throw it out in the yard, birds will use it to build their nest. It's non-hazardous to anything, and it helps nature out a bit.