Green Hands USA: America Volunteers

How many loads of laundry to you do every week? Two? Four? Five? Ten? No matter which number describes you, that's a lot of water, a lot of energy, and a lot of detergent. It's necessary, sure -- we can't all go around wearing dirty, smelly clothes -- but just as laundry piles up, it also adds up to create a very large environmental impact.

Don't worry, though. There are things you can do to reduce that impact, and they're all easier than getting out grass stains.

1. Wash only in cold water. Naturally. If you're reading this site, you know this already.

2. Only run your washer when you have enough laundry for a full load. Again, this one's a no-brainer.

3. Use concentrated, dye-free, fragrance free detergents. Concentrated detergents have as much cleaning power but come in small bottles. Those smaller bottles use less plastic, weigh less, and are easier to ship to your local store, all of which reduces the carbon emissions of the product cycle.

As for fragrances, some of you may enjoy smelling like lilacs or spring rain, but those fragrances are created by potentially dangerous chemicals. There's also evidence that those fragrances are one of the reasons everyone's allergies are so much worse the last few years.

4. Use the dryer sparingly. Some things obviously need to be dried, or won't dry on their own if you live in a humid environment. But air-drying clothes saves energy -- and also often extends the lives of your clothes. Not convinced? You could just run the dryer for half its normal cycle and then hang things up to dry the rest of the way.

5. The sniff test? Not every item of clothing you wear needs to be laundered every time you wear it. For example, if you dress in layers, the outer layer might be good for a second or third wear. Don't get all religious about doing this, but every item you can wear again is one less item that needs water and electricity to wash.

6.  Do your laundry at night. Energy is most demanded (and most expensive to produce) during the day. Right now, we don't get charged more for using energy at different times of day, but as the so-called smart grid comes into play in the next couple of years, that will be a possibility. So save running your appliances for the evening after peak energy demand times are over.

7. Pay yourself. Remember having to collect enough quarters to do your laundry at school or at a Laundromat? Well put that back into use at home. Every time you need to do laundry, put a few dollars in a jar. Then, when you have $10 or $20, buy some carbon offsets online. You'll negate the effect of running your laundry machines.

There you go -- seven ideas to a more eco-friendly laundry experience.

Got other ideas? Post them in the comments!