These days there are thousands of "green" alternatives with your laundry. When whitening clothing user non-chlorine products like Oxyboost, which are made of more natural substances. When softening you can use 1/2 a cup of baking soda, or use commercial green fabric softener like Ecover's Natural Fabric Softener. Little things like using more environmental safe products is going to be what makes a change.

Be prepared to defend yourself and smile, but first and foremost, think about ""uniformizing"" your wardrobe, at least a little bit. As a child I was ""forced"" to wear a uniform to school, and my friends and I thought nothing of wearing the same outerwear again, and again, and again.... I still do this somewhat. Folks very timidly and mildly disapprovingly try to suggest that I work on my personal hygiene... I gently tell them the above. Just tell folks you went to private school; you can't help it.

Another option for reducing laundry piles is to keep a collection of long-sleeved simple dresses or shirts, made of thin cotton. When weather permits, you can wear these under your clothes, so that you can fit more into your washing machine.

If you use a washing machine, use cold water as much as you can. 90% of the electricity used for machine-washing is simply used for heating the water.

If you want to hand-wash, I recommend investing in a series of large tubs for clothes. Before wash day, fill one or two tubs 1/2 - 3/4 full. Let this/these tub(s) be your hamper. The soaking offers some passive washing. When you get to the actual active part, hold flat the most soiled part of the tog in the hand you use least, grab some other part of the tog in your dominant hand, and with soap and plenty of water, gently rub the soiled surface. Soon you'll develop a technique second-to-nature. When washing a shirt, it's usually not necessary to clean anything but the armpit area.

Make hand-washing clothes a community activity. A penny saved is a penny earned. Be your own boss, at least part of the time.

For stains, make a thick mixture of baking soda and water, apply to stains, leave on for half an hour, then wash.

For clothes which need no ironing, you can put them away at the very same time you hang them to dry. This is done with either a large closet or a rolling long rack, like those for transporting hanging clothes in stores. Whatever you decide, be careful of mold risk, (which is why I recommend a large, versus small closet).

If you have used a washing machine, usually the clothes should dry without dripping, as the spin cycle sucks out a lot of water. If not, and your clothes need no ironing, wring your clothes out fairly well, and place cardboard/newspaper under hang-drying clothes. Cardboard and newspaper will dry for re-use. Of course, hanging clothes outside is also an option.

If some of your clothes must be flattened to be flattering, instead of ironing, hang them up fairly wet. Gravity and water-weight will smooth out most, if not all, wrinkles. Fold where you'd like them creased, and store under other clothes, or telephone books, for more flattening.

Finally, avoid buying clothes that require polluting dry cleaning! Thanks for reading; I hope this helps.

The best way would be the least likely to be used. That would be hand wash to everything. Take nothing to the dry cleaners. This is because dry cleaners are not eco-friendly. Another thing is that you aren't wasting electricity running your washing machine and dryer. You can turn off your water while you put detergent on the clothes. You can hang them to dry also.