Do you ever wash your clothes and find them stretching out, looking worn in, or faded? Well we have a few simple steps to not only keep all of your family’s clothing looking their best and lasting longer. Also, these tips are eco-friendly and will help you become a greener household.
1) Use Cold Water: Using hot water for your laundry accounts for 85-90% of the total energy use for your machine. By using cold water, you will cut back on that energy use, and your clothes will stay brighter and fabrics will not stretch out. And don’t worry, your clothes will be just as clean! 
2) Use a Concentrated Detergent: Concentrated formulas have less water per weight, so they can do more with less. You will get more product out of each package, and you will get less soapy residue that can make clothes look worn and colors dull.
3) Hang-Dry and Air-Fluff: The dryer accounts for a lot of your home’s energy use, and heat can shorten the lifetime of your clothes. But nobody likes the feeling of stiff and air-dried clothing against your skin! The solution? After hang-drying your clothes, use the air-fluff function available on most machines. This will add softness and reduce wrinkles without the energy use.
After separating the fabrics by color and weight, set the water level in your machine to the appropriate load size chose cold water, and dropped in only 2 tablespoons of a concentrated detergent.
In the wintertime, try hanging your clothes on an indoor drying rack overnight. In the morning, just throw your jeans and other tougher materials in the dyer to air-fluff. This will keep your clothes fresh-smelling and and comfortable, while saving their color and shape.
Check out the rest of our green solutions and other do-it-yourself projects for your home on Totalhousehold.com. Let us know if these tips work for your family, or if you have any of your own tips and tricks to share with us!