Save the World
ONE CLOTHESPIN AT A TIME

Published: November 26, 2008

Grab Grandma’s Clothespins, channel households of years past, and save a buck or two in the process. It’s OK, the neighbors won’t gossip this time.

Go ahead and air your laundry for all to see.

Not your dirty laundry though – rather, start hanging your laundry to dry and enjoy the wrinkle-free, water-saving throwback to a simpler time.

“I had clotheslines in my basement, and even in the cold Boston winter my clothes would dry in 24 hours,” says Susan Donohoe, co-founder of Boston-based Conscious Consuming, which is an organization that aims to educate consumers on their buying decisions and options. “They also come out wrinkle free when hung on hangers on the line!”

In the future, breakthroughs in technology may allow us to wash our clothes in virtually waterless washing machines. Several concepts have appeared in recent years, including one recently from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, which will be marketed by a spin-off company called Xeros Ltd. in 2009. This washing machine uses roughly 1,000 tiny plastic chips to wipe off stains – and uses only about a cup of water in the process.

In other words, the future of green-friendly laundry looks quite sunny. “New eco-friendly materials are on the horizon and they really do work,” says Valerie Reddemann, president of Chico, Calif.-headquartered Greenfeet, a supplier of eco-friendly products.

– Jeff Schnaufer
© CTW Features

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