Eco washing – Easy ways for a more sustainable laundry routine!
At Nimble, we’re all about bringing some practical solutions for the everyday task.
And we know it’s probably full of laundry bags these days.
But if we can help you take some small steps to do it more sustainably along the way, we’re all for it! Every little helps to be kinder to our babies and the world they’ll grow up in.
Here are our team’s top tips with your washing machine, whether you have a little explorer or not!
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Do fewer loads ✨
“That sweater… should I wear it one more time or should I put it in the dirty bag?” We’ve all been there!
Sometimes, it’s easier said than done, but doing fewer loads will inevitably help you reduce the energy and water use (as well as your power bill!). So, knowing how often we should wash our garments might come in handy!
This is our guide on how frequently we should wash our grown-up clothes. Of course, it will depend on everyone’s lifestyle, how’s the air pollution in your city, and your tendency to sweat.
- Jacket: once or twice per year
- Sweater: after 2 uses
- Denim: after 5 or 6 uses
- Work out garment: after 1 use
- Baby garment: after 1 use
- …or you can adopt our ops manager Alex’s tip – the “LOOK AND SMELL” test 😊
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Skip Drying 💨
Tumble Drying is definitely faster but consumes a lot of energy.
If you can skip drying and opt for a drying rack, that’s a good step forward (especially on these sunny days). Of course, it depends on your house setting, we understand that not everyone has a garden to hang clothes, but if you have a clothes horse, please consider using it!
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Don’t use too much detergent 🤏
Because if you use too much, it won’t get your clothes cleaner. It will just add an unnecessary liquid that could damage faster your washing machine (resulting in having to change it faster) and that can leave more deposits on the fabric.
Plus, you’ll have to buy another liquid detergent quicker too!
For instance, you only need 40ml of our Laundry Lover for a 4-5 kg load.
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Don’t overload your washing machine 🧺
Don’t get us wrong, we don’t recommend running a half-empty load either. But overloading your tumbler will end up sticking your clothes together: they won’t have enough space to do their little “washing dance” and may not get them cleaned properly.
Our Nimble top tip: 3/4 full is just about right!
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Try shorter, colder washes 💧
Try turning down to 30 degrees your wash cycle, and you might be surprised to see no difference! This means that your laundry detergent gets the job done equally at a colder temperature, yay! This results in less power used, and a cheaper power bill 😊.
As for shorter wash, if your washing machine has a quick setting, you might want to give it a go as it will save water while washing your clothes.
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Choose an eco-friendly detergent 🌱
There are a lot of elements that you can consider when looking for an eco-friendly detergent.
It is the quality of the ingredients, the number of ingredients used in the formula, the packaging, where the bottle is made. On top of the energy you use, consider checking the ingredients present in your detergents.
Some traditional detergents can contain up to 30 ingredients. And some may also have ingredients that will end up harming the ocean life. The worst part is that by law, they don’t have to declare their ingredient list on the labels. This is why you may have seen a jargon like “5-15%: Anionic Surfactants”. We believe it makes very little sense to keep this information from our consumers. We know that we’re far from perfect, but from day 1 we’ve decided to declare all our ingredients on our labels so you can choose wisely knowing what’s inside our bottles.
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Keep your washing machine clean 🧼
Nothing smells better than clean and fresh laundry! And keeping your washing machine squeaky clean will ensure it to be still fresh and tough on stains. This will help to keep your washing machine longer, and not damage your clothes too!
A few tips to keep the washing machine spotless:
- Don’t forget to clean every month the drawer, the door seal, the door, the filter, the descale drawer
- Check your manual to check if you have a cleaning mode
- Descale your machine using a quick empty hot wash with white vinegar or lemon juice instead of the laundry detergent.
- Between washes, keep the door open so it aerates and dries inside.