method ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent is now available. The 20 ounce bottle is good for 50 loads of laundry.  Smaller bottle = less cost, less 50% post-consumer recycled plastic, less fuel burned in shipment. They claim a 35% smaller carbon footprint than conventional 2x concentrated detergent. Dye-free, hypo-allergenic, and 95% plant based formula helps make it more green. method is open about the ingredients it uses, no need to do sleuthing to find the MSDS documents. The bottle is even recyclable. It is the world’s first Cradle to Cradle certified laundry detergent.

Clorox Green Works has a money back guarantee on their Green Works Natural Laundry Detergent.  $3 off greenworks coupon. The products show a Sierra Club logo that was paid for.

Green Works openly list their ingredients unlike most Clorox products:

Water, plant-based cleaning agents (methyl ester sulfonate, alkyl polyglucoside, cocodimethyl amine oxide), glycerine, water softener (sodium citrate), plant-derived soap (oleic acid), enzyme stabilizer (boric acid), natural enzymes, alkalinity builder (sodium hydroxide), fragrance with essential oils, salt, calcium chloride, biodegradable preservative, blue & yellow colorant. Contains no phosphate or bleach.

Their MSDS (Material Safety Document Sheet) document shows several hazardous ingredients and petroleum-derived ingredients.  Clorox Green Works products are not perfect, but a step in the green, eco friendly direction.  Clorox has wide distribution so they will allow more mainstream customers to access greener cleaning products. We prefer the slightly more green Method ultra concentrated or Seventh Generation products ourselves as they do not  have petroleum derived products. What exactly is a natural cleaning product?

Don’t forget to wash your clothes in cold water.

We use seventh Generation laundry detergent in our washer and noticed that the box suggested saving energy by using cold water for washing all clothes. US Dept of Energy calculates that 90% of energy used in washing clothes goes toward heating the water.

The Seventh Generation FAQ’s do state that amount of sudsing is affected by temperature though.  You might have to use warm water for those pesky stains like those from oil. So check your laundry detergent’s label to see if it is compatible with mostly cold water washing.

Make sure you do full loads of laundry. Use the Moisture-sensing option if available. Save 5% on your electric bill by conserving.

Dryer

Save energy in your dryer by using the sensor dry option if your dryer has one.  Also try avoid using fluffy towels as they take longer to dry.  Waffle towels are thinner and will save you money. Be sure to clean out the lint trap.  Using clothes line to dry clothes helps even more.

Amazon has discounts and free shipping on Seventh Generation products.

If your Clothes Washer was made before 1994, a new high efficiency one will use about half the energy. Energy Rebates are available with a new washer or dryer.

Be sure to read: Ways to Save Energy, Money on your Energy Bill