Even things as simple as washing your clothes can create a huge impact on our environment. The power that washing machines and dryers use produce carbon dioxide that we know is harmful to the environment. On top of this detergents used when washing clothes contain chemicals which may remain behind within waste water as it is washed through our water system. But, even if it sounds like the negative effects of washing clothes outweigh the positive ones, it doesn’t entirely mean that we have have to have limited access to clean and fresh clothes!

Here are some sustainable and environmentally friendly things that you can do when washing your clothes.

1. Lower your washing temperature! Many detergents nowadays work well with lower temperature settings. You can save about 40% on your electricity use  if you switch from 40 to 30 degrees and you still get the same results!
2. Wash in bulk! Don’t do small loads of washing but wait until you get a full load of laundry before washing it. Although it may sound like a huge job, it can save you a lot of power, detergent and water. If you can’t wait for it to be full, hand wash smaller washes.
3. Never leave the machine on standby. This does not only apply to washing machines but to every appliance you own. Even on standby appliances continues to draw power so turn it off and unplug your washing machine and other appliances when not in use.
4. Use a washing machine that has an energy saver feature. Look for the energy saving labels and do some research to identify recommended models. Energy efficiency not only lowers your energy consumption, but it also emits less carbon dioxide making them more eco-friendly.
5. Replace chlorine bleach. Choose environment friendly detergents. As an alternative to bleach, you can use ½ cup of baking soda as an ordinary or eco-friendly detergent. It produces similar whitening and cleaning effects to your clothes. You can also try soaking your clothes overnight in a mixture of 1 part white vinegar and 6 parts warm water. The sour odor of the vinegar will just evaporate and leave unnoticed. Another alternative is oxygen bleach. Although it works slower than chlorine bleach, it has gentler effects on your clothes and environment as well.

As much as we want to keep our clothes clean and fresh, we should not forget to protect our environment too. Utilise these environmentally friendly washing tips and see how far they go in saving you money and the environment.

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This year is the 20th anniversary of Clean Up Australia Day and the charity organisation is hoping to make it the biggest ever – with your help!

Sunday March 7 is Clean Up Australia Day but there are separate days for businesses and schools.

Business Clean Up Day is on Tuesday March 2 and School Clean Up Day is on Friday March 5.

Below is some information on how to get involved in this unique day.

You can help by simply picking up one or two wrappers – or by picking up countless amounts of rubbish.

Many people every year get involved to help keep our country clean.

There are also business and individual and team initiatives. Here is how to join from cleanupaustraliaday.org.au

Organising a Clean Up Site

1. Create a site
Select a site in your local area that you think needs a Clean Up. Local councils may be able to assist you to identify a potential site. Register on cleanupaustralia.com.au

Unfortunately our website doesn’t hold information on registrations from previous years, so even if you have taken past before, you will need to enter all your details to ensure your site is fully registered.

2. Receive your Clean Up Kit
Once you have registered we will send you a Clean Up Kit containing everything you need for your event. 

3. Promote your Clean Up site to attract volunteers
Read the site guide in your Clean Up kit for ideas on how to promote your site and download additional materials.

4. Preparation for your Clean Up event
Read the site guide in your Clean Up kit for information on how to prepare for your event and make sure conduct a site inspection beforehand, ensuring you have implemented any risk controls.

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It has now segregated into three days where there is the main Clean Up Australia Day. There is also a Clean Up your Business Day and a Clean Up your School Day.

Clean Up Australia’s 2010 campaign is now well underway and the organisation are hoping to make it the biggest community event to date; marking it the 20th annivesary of the day

 Every year hundreds of thousands of Australians get stuck in and clean up their local environment by collecting and removing rubbish on Clean Up Australia Day.

It’s not just your residential area, but it’s parks, bushlands, schools, businesses and land everywhere that Australia is responsible for cleaning.

Many individuals team up with different groups in different towns to help clean up their area.

Last year  Clean Up Australia picked up 2 million pieces of rubbish.

Just picking up one piece of rubbish can help but the more the better.

After all, we want Australia to be one of the cleanest countries in the world and also environmentally friendly.

Clean Up Australia week kicks off from March 2, 2010.

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It is environmentally safe and 100 per cent biodegradable and natural which protects the environment and the cleaner.

The secret ingredients in Bebrite’s cleaning products on www.naturalcleaningproducts.com.au are lemons, beeswax, honey, camphor, lavender, tea tree oil and vanilla essence. Also available are bi-carbonate soda, sugar soap, methylated spirits, borax, and the list goes on.

Visit Bebrite’s website for more information on obtaining your environmentally friendly products such as everyday cleaning use products, health care, fabric and upholstery, carpet cleaning products, hard surface cleaning products, car cleaning products, pet care and boat cleaning products.

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Porcelain and Tile-
Keep the kitchen and bathroom tiles spotless and clean without using harsh chemicals. Try these green remedies to remove dirt and grime.

Baking Soda and Water ( kosher salt included): Make sure you dust all surfaces first with baking soda. After this scrub them with a moist cloth or sponge. If you have tougher dirt, add some kosher salt and scrub it with a firmer brush.

Lemon Juice or Vinegar: this method is a good way to remove stains, grease streaks and mildew. Spray or douse the area with lemon juice or vinegar (depending on the mess) and let it sit a few minutes before scrubbing.

Disinfectant: instead of using bleach to clean, make your own disinfectant by adding 3 tablespoons of liquid soap an 30 drops of tea tree oil to water. It is easy to do and will work just as well.

Clean Kitchens-
Kitchens must be spotless to ensure no one gets ill. The kitchen is the place where food is prepared, stored and eaten and spills and splatters must be cleaned to remove all harmful bacteria. Give your kitchen the one-over using these natural cleaners.

Baking Soda and Water: same goes for porcelain and tiles, sprinkle the baking soda and scrub with a damp sponge. If there are some harsh stains, knead the soda and water until it is a paste and let it set before you remove it. This also works well for stainless steel sinks, containers, fridges and cutting boards.

Natural Disinfectant: to remove harmful bacteria in the kitchen, mix two cups of water, 3 tablespoons of liquid soap and 20-30 drops of tea tree oil together. Spray r run this mixture on bench tops and other kitchen surfaces.

Windows and Mirrors-
Window cleaning is not usually on the top of anyone’s to do list. Instead of dreading the job and using chemical window cleaners, try this natural solution:

White Vinegar, Water and Newspaper: Get two tablespoons of white vinegar, mix it with a gallon of water and dispense it into a spray bottle. Squirt it on the window and wipe it with newspaper for a no-streak clean. If you don’t like vinegar, try undiluted lemon juice or club soda.

Carpet and Rugs-
Keeping your carpet clean doesn’t necessarily mean using cleaning products daily, and it can be less daunting than you think.

Beat Those Rugs: the best way to remove dust without using the power and energy of a vacuum is to take rugs outdoors and beat them out with a broom.

Club Soda: club soda (aka soda water) works well on carpet stains but you have to make sure you do this straight away. Life of any solids on the carpet or rug and poor on, ensuring you blot with a used rag. The carbonation in the soda brings the mess to the surface.

Spot Cleaner: Make your own spot cleaner by mixing liquid soap (1/4 cup) in a blender with 1/3 cup of water. Mix this until it foams, spray on the dirty area and rinse with vinegar.

Wood Floors-
Harwood floors look good, are easy to vacuum and sweep but you may find it difficult to keep the shine (these floors don’t really agree with the wet mop). So how do you keep their glow without ruining them?

Vinegar: make your own vinegar solution with ¼ cup vinegar and 30 ounces of warm water. Put this mixture in a spray bottle and spray on a rag until lightly damp. After this, you may mop your floors and scrub away the dirt and grime.

Whip up a solution of 1/4 cup white vinegar and 30 ounces of warm water. Put in a recycled spray bottle, then spray on a cotton rag or towel until lightly damp. Then mop your floors, scrubbing away any grime.

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· Don’t tip any cleaning products down the drain. All of these products will be extremely toxic and if they make their way into water systems can be very dangerous. Products like paint, car oil and battery fluid should be taken to the closest recycle centre for safe and proper disposal.

· Instead of cleaning out your fridge with strong smelling cleaning products, put a lemon inside and leave it overnight.

· Open windows regularly to let air into all rooms of the house, rather than spray with air freshener.

· Don’t use a different cleaner for every cleaning task. A good multi-surface cleaner will work well on many different cleaning tasks and wont add extra chemicals to your home.

· Don’t use the strongest ‘kill everything’ chemicals. Baking soda is a good cleaning agent and can be used to scrub sinks, clean stoves and even fridges.

· Dirty roasting dishes don’t need to be washed many times. Simply add a splash of washing detergent and a centimeter of cold water, then have it simmer on the stove for a while before you rinse and wash.

· Before you put dishes in the dishwasher, make sure you scrape off excess food.

· Use old clothing, towels and sheets to clean, rather than purchasing new cleaning clothes each time.

· Read the label on cleaning products. Avoid using harsh chemicals such as chlorine and attempt to purchase products that will biodegrade quickly, especially in waterways. Many everyday products will leave toxic residues behind, so be sure to check the label.

· Soak pots and pans overnight if they are really dirty. Put a little cream cleaner in with water and let is soak, rather than change washing water constantly.

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Now we are aware that the man-made toxic chemicals can be categorized into two main types of toxins: persistent organic pollutants (also known as POPs) and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

POPs- these are chemical based and are products of heavy industry and chemical manufacturing. POPs can be stored in the body fat, meaning the toxins can be passed on to unborn babies. As well as being bio-accumulative the POPs are persistent toxins and are heard to break down, remaining in the environment cleaned for a number of years. These chemicals toxins can travel a long way and the harshness of them means they can cause cancer, affect reproductive, immune and nervous system.

EDC- and EDC is a chemical that has any interference with our endocrine system that controls our body’s growth and functions. These toxins can cause mutation and adverse effects in humans and animals- even during growth, development and reproduction. This means that babies and young children are most at risk and unfortunately customers are not warned of the risks before they purchase these products.

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