Washing up is a chore we all love, right? :)

Unfortunately, it's also a chore that can be decidedly unfriendly to the environment on a number of levels. Here's a few tips to make your washing up duties a little more earth friendly:

1. I've been guilty of this often myself; rinsing off a plate for whatever reason - you can use litres of water in a short space of time just trying to wash a bit of gunk off. To help cut down on wastage from this sort of activity, short of not doing it at all; you may want to consider an aerator which can help give the stream of water coming out of the tap a bit of oomph, but using less water to do so. Somewhat unrelated, but an aerator can help make your water taste a little better too - the addition of air bubbles into water helps get rid of a "flat" taste.

2. Detergent use. Aside from using a phosphate free detergent from a recyclable bottle; only use enough detergent to cover the surface with a fine layer of suds - anything more is just overkill.

3. Hot water temperature. If you find you have to add a lot of cold water after adding hot, it means that your hot water system is set too high. Your hot water system should be at a temperature so that the water doesn't start scalding your skin when in contact for 5 seconds. There's really no point to having it set any hotter. By reducing your hot water service temperature, you'll save energy, save money and have just that little bit less impact on the environment. You'll also reduce the risks of scalding accidents.

Have some green washing up tips? We'd love to read them, please add your comments below.