March Just One Thing

If you can do Just One Thing to help sustainability efforts this month, try washing your clothes in cold water! According to TerraPass, the great majority of energy used in washing our clothes is in heating the water that the washing machine uses. Washing in cold water saves the average household $60 a year in electricity, and keeps 1,281 pounds of CO2 out of the environment each year! Here at the Mia-Beo household, we do virtually all our loads in cold water. I confess that once in a while I let the first run of water on towels or sheets run on warm, but then switch over to cold. I know logically that the heat of the water won't make a difference germ-wise, but it's a mental comfort I have nonetheless. It's silly because when I do use cold-water only, our clothes and linens come out perfectly clean! Plus, it helps keep our energy bill low. Running your wash cycles on cold is a simple thing you can do to make a difference. Thank you!