Eco-friendly yacht laundry: Tips, tricks and products for crew

Add half a cup of white distilled vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser or during the last rinse to break alkali residues left by detergents and soaps that cause colours to fade.

For black clothes that are starting to fade, add two cups of brewed coffee in the rinse cycle.

Of course, washing less regularly and in cooler temperatures will keep colours vibrant and treats the environment better, and while this may not be feasible on board a busy charter yacht, it is worth keeping in mind.

Whites

Give stained cotton socks and unsightly dishcloths a new lease of life by boiling the articles in a hot pan of water with a cup of white distilled vinegar. Turn the heat off and let the articles soak overnight before laundering as usual for bright white cotton.

Lemon and lime juice are also effective nontoxic fabric whiteners; a soak in a gallon of hot water mixed with half a cup of lemon juice will whiten garments. 

Softening

Commercial fabric softeners with intense artificial scents are often toxic to marine life and cause irritation to sensitive skin.

Reduce your use of toxic fabric softeners by adding half a cup of white distilled vinegar in the final rinse cycle. To add a fresh scent, a couple of drops of lavender oil will do the trick - and as a bonus, lavender scent is purported to have a calming effect.

Baking soda put into the rinse cycle is a simple and effective way to soften fabric by preventing mineral salts in the water stiffening clothes. For added power, mix baking soda with vinegar and essential oils.

Lint and microfibers

Lint

Lint can make a clean wash look scruffy and unprofessional, but adding half a cup of white distilled vinegar in the rinse cycle can stop lint and other small fibres sticking to clothes.

Micro fibres

Micro fibres from clothes, some too small for the eyes to see, can slow down washing machines and make their way through  filters into the ocean where they are ingested by sea life, causing immense damage, and even finding its way into our food and water.

Cora Ball, created by Rozalia Project, is a consumer solution that aims to solve the microfiber problem – a hotly researched subject and something just about everyone contributes to.

Inspired by coral in the ocean, Cora Ball grabs the tiny microfibers that come off clothes and stops them from being flushed into the ocean, where they pollute habitats, damage sea life, and eventually make their way into our food.

The little ball can make a big difference; Yachting Pages spoke to Rachael Z. Miller, co-founder and executive director of Rozalia Project, “It’s all about the big picture. Lots of little actions make a big difference. For instance, if 10% of US households used Cora Ball it would prevent the equivalent of 30 million plastic bottles worth of plastic microfibres going into oceans and rivers every year.”

Simply put one ball in a regular wash, or three in a large industrial wash, and remove the ball from the laundry before you dry. As the ball collects fibres, many that are too small for the eye to see, those fibres then grab even more fibres, meaning the ball gets more effective with every use. For delicate items be sure to put Cora Ball in a mesh delicate bag to stop the little arms grabbing onto anything they shouldn’t.

Cora Ball started as a kickstarter project, with all proceeds going back into Rozalia Project’s efforts to clean and protect the oceans. According to Rachael Miller, hundreds of pre-orders have already been placed. Backers of the kickstarter campaign will get the first batch later in the year, Rozalia Project hopes to sell Cora Ball worldwide online somewhere in the near future. Anyone who really wants a Cora Ball can contact Rozalia Project directly.

Odours

Unfortunately, part of dealing with yacht laundry means facing some particularly potent stenches and tenacious yellow pit stains. These can require a lot of work and use of toxic products to blast through the stench. Natural substances provide effective alternatives to squash odour and kill bacteria.

Body odour and armpit stains

Spraying vinegar onto the underarm of a stinky top can get rid of stinky sweat smells. And if you want an alternative to trusty vinegar for odour control, tea tree oil, eucalyptus and lavender oil not only smell delightful but combat the source of the smell by fighting the bacteria.  For yellow underarm stains, squeeze lemon and lime juice onto the fabric then wash or dry clean.

Smoke

If the guests are keen on smoking cigarettes and cigars, add half a cup of white distilled vinegar to the wash cycle. For smoky smells on furnishings such as pillow and drapes, hang clothes above a hot bath with one cup of white distilled vinegar, leaving the door closed so that the steam can seep into the fibres.

Wet Towels

Wet towels in a hamper or washing drum can quickly cause mildew growth and with it a sour musty smell. To freshen towels, fill the washing machine with hot water, then add two cups of white distilled vinegar before putting on a wash cycle. Do this before washing towels regularly with an eco laundry detergent. While this method is effective for smaller mildew problems, it is worth outsourcing large mildew issues.

You don’t have to reach for toxic cleaning products to achieve fantastic laundry results. Small changes can make a big difference to the environment, so consider making some changes today.

For larger laundry issues, it is always worth seeking advice from laundry professionals.