People in Switzerland wash an average of roughly 300 kg of laundry per year. At this volume, it is clear that this places a burden on wastewater systems while also requiring high water and electricity consumption — all of which comes at the expense of our environment.
With simple tricks and small changes, you can reduce your environmental impact: during Laundry, drying, and even when choosing your detergent. You can also save money as a result..
During Laundry
To keep electricity and water consumption during Laundry as low as possible, there are three simple approaches:
- Skip the "pre-wash"
- Wash at the lowest possible temperature
- Optimal filling
Pre-wash
The "pre-wash" program uses a lot of energy and is generally unnecessary under normal circumstances thanks to today's laundry detergents and modern washing machines.
Tip: Instead, pre-treat the Stains immediately. We'll explain how to do this further down.
Laundry at lower temperatures
The same applies to the washing temperature: you do not need to wash anything at 95 °C to wash. You can easily wash your colored laundry at 30 °C, and white laundry generally at 40 °C. This saves roughly 35 - 40% energy compared to a 60 °C wash cycle, and up to 70% energy compared to a 90 °C wash! You also gently protect the fabric of your clothing.
Use the bluu silvertrooper! The silver laundry cloth lets you lower your wash temperature by 20 °C and effectively eliminates bacteria and germs thanks to its powerful antibacterial effect. This means you get the same cleaning performance from a 40 °C wash cycle that you previously only achieved at 60 °C. Discover the bluu silvertrooper now!
Tip: To prevent germ buildup in the washing machine, you should every few Run an empty washing machine cycle without detergent every month.
Have you already discovered our bluu-Laundry Detergent Sheets? They are the best choice if you want to wash at low temperatures, and they are incredibly helpful for saving energy!
Loading the washing machine correctly
It is not worth running your washing machine with only three or four pieces of clothing inside. Underloading your machine is not only a waste of electricity and water, it also puts excessive strain on the fabric of your garments.
But overloading isn't good either: Too much laundry in the drum prevents water from circulating fully through every part of the load, and your clothes won't get clean.
This applies: You should still be able to fit an upright, spread hand above the laundry inside the drum. This means your washing machine is filled to its optimal capacity.
The laundry detergent
Every Swiss resident uses around 8 kg of laundry detergent per year. That is a substantial amount that enters wastewater each year — roughly 70 million liters in Switzerland alone. While most of the chemicals contained in these detergents are broken down in wastewater treatment plants, not all of them are.
Overdosing is also harmful: The more detergent used during Laundry, the more ends up in our waterways. Additionally, if you use too much detergent, the machine cannot rinse all residue out of your clothing: the fabric will start to develop an unpleasant odor, which in turn means you will need to do Laundry on that garment again much sooner.
Our Laundry Detergent Sheets are readily biodegradable and free from microplastics, preservatives, optical brighteners, bleaching agents, and chlorine. Additionally, the pre-dosed strips make accidental overdosing impossible.
Tip: Fabric softener is also toxic and bad for the environment. It is best to avoid it entirely. Instead, add a tablespoon of vinegar during Laundry: this will also leave your laundry soft and supple.
Sustainably remove Stains
You do not need any chemicals to remove Stains from your laundry.
These are the best home remedies for removing Stains:
- Our stain-removing soap: Rub the stain with this solution before Laundry, then wash the garment as usual after a short waiting time. We use high-quality plant-based Ingredients, such as olive oil from Greece and soapwort from the Alps. This allows us to not only achieve an excellent washing result, but also a great result for our blue planet.
- baking powder: Also a proven Stain removerTo do this, sprinkle a little baking powder onto the stain, let it sit overnight, rinse it out with cold water, then wash the clothing normally in the washing machine.
- Sun: At Discolorations For grey haze discoloration, you can lay your clothing out in the sun — under ideal conditions, it will "bleach away" the stain.
During drying
And what about drying the clothes?
With our bluu balls can you do your laundry Dry more easily and efficiently! With these four balls, your laundry dries faster and comes out of the dryer fluffy and wrinkle-free, so you no fabric softener you need more! Furthermore, our bluu balls free from chemicals and fragrances, which makes it a safe and eco-friendly choice. It is also gentle on your wallet. You can find out more about this here.
