It happens to be time for me to restock on my laundry detergent, so today’s One Change will be to get some eco-friendly laundry detergent, if you do not currently have it.  I have been using Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent Powder, Free & Clear or Real Citrus & Lavender, both have worked well for us.

To check out a number of great options, you can review EWG.org’s laundry ratings at:

http://www.ewg.org/guides/categories/9-Laundry?grade=a&page=1

See how your current detergent rates, and if it is not making the grade, consider changing to one that will be better for you and the environment.  Good news for me, the Seventh Generation I mentioned above scores as an “A”.  Plus, the Seventh Generation states that it is formulated to work well in cold water, so save energy and wash your items in cold.

On an added note for the Seventh Generation Laundry detergent, I have often noted a statement it makes on it’s packaging “If every household in the U.S. replaced just one box of 112 oz petroleum-based concentrated laundry detergent with our [Seventh Gen] plant-derived product, we could save 165,000 barrels of oil… enough to heat and cool 9,500 U.S. home for a year!”  …. and that’s just one box, so if you are looking to make a different in our oil dependence, it is not just through your car, you can start with your laundry through any plant-derived detergent.

Something you might be interested to know, generally anything with “oxi-” and/or “oxy-” are prefixes commonly used for eco-cleaners and detergents, though note, you should still check any product with EWG, as it many have additives that make them less environmentally appealing.