The BP oil spill reminds us that our oceans are precious and water is not an infinite resource. 

The Nature Conservancy and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power offer the following tips for conserving water: 

1. Install a low-flow showerhead to limit the amount of water used in your daily shower. You’ll save 500 to 800 gallons of water each month.
2. Shorten showers by 1 or 2 minutes, which will save about 375 gallons per month.
3. Turn off the faucet as you soap your hands, wash your face and brush your teeth.
4. Check your plumbing frequently to ensure there are no leaks. Leaky faucets and plumbing joints waste 20 gallons per day.
5. Run only full loads in your dishwasher and washing machine.
6. After washing fruits and vegetables, reuse the water to hydrate household plants.
7. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks. You’ll save 150+ gallons per month.
8. Adjust sprinklers so only your landscape is watered. Why water sidewalks? You’ll save around 500 gallons per month.

If you live close to your mom, show gratitude for all she has done over the years by tackling her laundry today—and consider giving her an eco-friendly cleaning makeover. 

When doing loads of laundry (or stacks of dishes), remember to use less detergent. Appliance experts say many of the repairs they make can be traced to detergent overuse. Today’s appliances have been created to use less water in their cleaning cycles, so less soap is generally required. 

Far too often, people equate “clean” with tons of suds, but too much soap can make dishes filmy and streaky and leave clothing stiff. Many environmentally friendly detergents are concentrated, which means less is required for thorough cleaning. 

New Technologies 

New laundry technologies and ENERGY STAR ratings also cut energy and environmental costs. 

“Today’s clothes washers are much more energy-efficient than older models, and manufacturers are introducing new features like LG’s 6Motion technology, which cleans clothes while using less water and energy,” says Betsy Poczkalski, a home economist for LG Electronics USA. 

With this new technology, a cold-wash option penetrates deep into fabrics, while providing the same performance as warm-water washing and using up to 51% less energy. 

For Your Organic Bookshelf: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning

Environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo knows a few things about washing dishes.

Seo has written several books, including Conscious Style Home: Eco-Friendly Living for the 21st Century and Simply Green Parties: Simple and Resourceful Ideas for Throwing the Perfect Celebration, Event or Get-Together.

In a recent Better Homes and Gardens column, he discusses eco-friendly dishwashing:

A full dishwasher uses half the energy and one-sixth the water of washing by hand. Go greener by choosing a phosphate-free detergent.

Seo likes Method’s Smarty Dish cubes, which are naturally derived, nontoxic, bleach-free and biodegradable. The cubes are available in several scents, including pink grapefruit, lavender and cucumber-lemon.

Ingredients include natural mineral cleaning salts, fragrance oil blends, nontoxic anti-spotting agents, a seaweed-derived dispersing agent and cleaning enzymes.

You can find Method products in supermarkets, superstores like Target, and natural and organic food stores.

From Our Organic Blog

• Why Phosphate-Free Cleaning Products Matter
• Dishwashing Detergent: Less Is More
• Not-So-Clean Household Cleaners