Unless you want to get an old-fashioned tub and wringer to wash your clothing, you will be using up electric or gas energy when doing laundry. But there are some great energy-efficiency tips to help you save money on doing so. Read on to learn ways you can save energy when washing and drying your clothing:
Use cold water
Did you know that according to Energy Star, 90% of the energy used in washing your clothing is involved with heating the water? These days, between better detergents and more efficient washers, you can use cold water for most of your washing, even for whites. Or at least switch from hot to warm water. For greasy clothing items, you may still want to use hot water, though.
Wash full loads
It takes roughly the same amount of energy to do a small load of laundry as it does to do a big one. So go ahead and run a full load of laundry in your washing machine. It will save you time, too.
But separate your wash for the dryer
This may sound contradictory to the previous tip, but separate your clothes out, if you can, for drying them. It does not make a whole lot of sense to have panties and quick-drying spandex shorts go through the drying cycle for an hour taking up space with towels and blankets, when the clothing items that dry quickly do not need that much time in the dryer. Keeping them in for a shorter period of time will make the clothing items last longer, too.
Use the moisture sensor function on the dryer
Some dryers can automatically sense when clothing is dry, and then shut off. This is a great way to make sure your clothes are not overdried. It also means a savings on your energy costs.
Clean your lint trap
Make it a habit of doing so each time you dry clothes. Not only will doing so make your dryer run more efficiently, but it will guard against fire or other malfunctions.
Buy high-efficiency detergent if you have a high-efficiency washer
HE detergent, whether it is by Tide or some other brand, is one of the products worth the hype. What the high-efficiency detergent does is create less suds. This means less wear and tear on your machine, but now and in the future.
