Buying eco-friendly clothing is a smart and stylish way to do your part to help the environment—but those clothes need to get washed, too. Washer/dryers use an enormous amount of energy, making your environmentally considerate purchase only half of the gesture.

As SmartPlanet points out, there’s really no greener way to wash your clothes than in natural water and air drying. But if you are going to use a washer/dryer, it’s important to use as little heat as possible. Heating from these machines uses a lot of energy, as does the water used for two separate loads. And if you live in a city, try hanging a clothesline from your apartment building, giving it a retro feel that others may want to try as well.