At the end of last month, we launched our lucky dip competition for our regular customers and we were so pleased to announce our first ever winner of a Lucky Dip Millimopps Ironing Service £15 Gift Voucher. We will be holding a lucky dip draw at the end of each month and this month is no exception, we're happy to announce that our second lucky dip winner is......(drum roll please!)

Jane Baker of Almondbury!

Congratulations Jane, your voucher will be sent to you with your next delivery of ironing! Remember, this voucher entitles the winner to £15 off our laundry and ironing services. 

To be in with a chance of winning next month, you need to be counted as one of our regular customers. A regular customer is someone who has a pre-arranged weekly or fortnightly collection. So if you're already a regular customer, keep your fingers crossed and you might just be a winner next month!

Though it may seem like a pedestrian chore, doing the laundry has a bigger impact on the planet than you might think. Between 75 and 80 percent of our clothing's lifecycle impact comes from washing and drying, according to reports by Proctor (pdf) and Marks & Spencer, because it takes so much energy to heat the wash water and run the dry cycle. So there's huge potential to reduce your personal energy and water use, and therefore your environmental footprint, by simply greening your laundry habits.

There are a number of easy ways to save energy with laundry, whether you’re buying new appliances or not. Follow these suggestions whenever possible to keep energy use to a minimum when doing your washing....or of course you could let us take care of it for you! 

Use warm or cold water for the wash cycle instead of hot (except for greasy stains), and only use cold for rinses. Experiment with different laundry detergents to find one that works well with cooler water. By pre-soaking heavily soiled clothes, a cooler wash temperature may be fine. The temperature of the rinse water does not affect cleaning, so always set the washing machine on cold water rinse.

A setting of 120°F is adequate for most home needs. By reducing your hot water temperature, you will save energy with either hot or warm wash cycles.

Most people tend to under load rather than overload their washers. Check your machine’s load capacity in pounds, then weigh out a few loads of laundry to get a sense of how much laundry 10 or 18 to 20 pounds represents. Then use your eye to judge the volume of clothes for a load. Washing one large load will take less energy than washing two loads on a low or medium setting.

This saves the wash water to be reused in the next load. Only use this feature, though, if the second load is to be washed right away.

Lightweight synthetics, for example, dry much more quickly than bath towels and natural fibre clothes.

Take clothes out while they are still slightly damp to reduce the need for ironing – another big energy user. If your dryer has a setting for auto-dry, be sure to use it instead of the timer to avoid wasting energy.

You're just creating more work for yourself and for your dryer!

 Take advantage of the heat still in the dryer from the first load.

A clogged filter will restrict flow and reduce dryer performance.

Drying small loads wastes energy. Air should be able to circulate freely around the drying clothes.

Make sure it is clean and that the flapper on the outside hood opens and closes freely.

Making your laundry more eco-friendly has multiple benefits: It's better for your wallet, your wardrobe, and your planet. Everybody wins when you 'green' your laundry!