Dry-cleaning clothes can take toll on the environment and the people doing it. Doing laundry at home can use a lot of water and energy. There are ways to spend less and still get clean clothes.

About 90% of washer's energy use is spent on heating water. As most stains do not need hot water to be washed in, try using cold water with appropriate detergent (use environment-friendly soaps that are also gentler on your skin). Try to wash full loads whenever possible. If not, adjust the load size settings. Dry your laundry on clothlines.

When buying new appliances, it’s worth purchasing a front-load washing machine as it uses much less water than a top-loading machine. Remember to check the energy ratings (in USA purchase the ones with Energy Star).

Whenevery possible, wash your clothes at home as dry-cleaners can be potentially hazardous for both your health and for the environment. Nearly 90 per cent of the dry cleaners in North America use a poisonous chemical called perchloroethylene that has categorized by the International Agency for Research in Cancer as a potential human carcinogen. It is also capable of contaminating both the soil as well as the groundwater.

To make sure you don’t need to clean your clothes at the dry cleaners, check the labels before buying new clothes and opt for the ones that can be cleaned at home – that’s especially important for the clothes you are planning to use often. Plus, cleaning them at home saves you money and time that you would spend on driving to and from the dry cleaners. When you do have to use dry cleaners choose the ones that do not use PERC.