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Being clean isn't always green, especially when it comes to laundry. The dirt: The average household does 400 loads a year, consuming 13,500 gallons of water.
And most laundry detergents contain solvents, optical brighteners, colorants, builders, and surfactants-in short, pollutants. Washing machines also expend lots of energy, especially when you use warm water. Dryers are even worse, consuming, on average, 875 kilowatts per year-6 to 10% of total residential energy use.
The good news: A few easy changes will make a huge difference: