TURN YOUR WHOLE WASH "GREEN" Laundry is no one's favorite chore, but there's no reason to add injury to insult by polluting in the process. There are environmental considerations on Wash Day, including the energy used to wash, dry, and iron clothes, and the products used to make clothes come out whiter, brighter, and smelling like a sunny day in May. Here are some tips to consider: Warm up to cooler water. Using hot water for both washing and rinsing uses three and a half times more energy than washing in warm water and rinsing in cold. Get efficient. The newest, most-efficient washers use four times less energy than the least-efficient machines, and save up to $70 a year in energy costs. GREEN MACHINES If every U.S. household used the most-efficient washers, it could save the equivalent of up to 40 million barrels of oil a year! Don't overheat. Lowering your water heater's temperature to 120 will suffice for most household needs and cut energy costs. Get loaded. It takes less energy to do one big load than two smaller ones. But don't overload the machine or nothing will get clean. Go with the flow. Check your dryer's outside vent. Make sure it is clean and closes properly, or it could allow cold air into your house. Hang it up. Reduce the need for ironing by taking clothes out of the dryer slightly damp and hanging them up. That can save energy - including yours.

PRODUCTS FOR THE AGES Some greener cleaners have been around for years. Chances are good your grandparents used them, and they may be in your cupboard, too. Armed with these five products, you can clean just about anything. 1. Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, introduced in 1846, is a mild abrasive that provides economical and ecological alternatives to many cleaning chores, from removing scuff marks on linoleum floors to rinsing hairspray and shampoo buildup from hair and brushes. 2. Bon Ami Polishing Cleanser, sold since 1887, contains no chlorine, phosphates, dyes, or perfumes. Because of its mild abrasive quality, it can be used on porcelain, stainless steel, cookware, glass-top ranges, cultured marble, and fiberglass. It also can be used to clean butcher-block tops, woks, food processors, white shoes, luggage, boats, and swimming pools. 3. Fels Naptha is a rugged bar soap invented in 1894. A staple of some laundry rooms, it also can be used to help deter the effects of poison ivy, especially if you wash with it directly after exposure to the weed. Some gardeners use it as an insect repellent, shredding it and sprinkling it around plants. 4. Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap is biodegradable and extremely versatile. The label lists 18 uses, from shaving and shampooing to treating athletes food and purifying water. Invented in 1935 by Bronner to kill the odor of diapers, it has been on the market since 1941. 5. 20 Mule Team Borax, sold since 1890, is a good disinfectant and mold killer and a very cheap household cleaner. It can be used as a polish for stainless steel, as a toilet bowl cleaner, as a fabric whitener and softener, and as a stain remover for blood, chocolate, and grease. Some people use borax to kill fleas by sprinkling it on their carpet, then vacuuming it up. The list of products above was developed through independent research. Earth Share does not endorse these or any other brands.