Clothes washers and dryers can eat up a lot of your home’s resources, increasing heating and electric bills and generally contributing to fuel costs. If you’re looking to save energy in your regular laundry routine, there as several things you can do to reduce water and heating usage. Here are a few best practices for clothes washers and dryers.
Wash your clothes in cold water. This one of the simplest energy saving tips for your clothes washer and dryer, and the results can be dramatic. About 90% of the energy consumed by washing clothes is due to water heating . Unless you're dealing with oily stains, the warm or cold water setting on your machine should be just fine for cleaning your clothes. Switching your temperature setting from hot to warm can cut energy use in half for just one load. Using the cold cycle when you can reduces energy use even more.
While basic, limiting the amount of hot water you use in the wash will greatly affect your utility bills. Follow these energy saving tips for your clothes washer and dryer to save even more:
Clothes Washer Tips
- Fill it up: Clothes washers use relatively the same amount of energy regardless of the size of the laundry load.
- Avoid the sanitary cycle: This super hot cycle significantly increases energy usage. Only use it on highly soiled clothing.
- Activate the high spin speed option: If your clothes washer has spin options, choose the high or extended spin option to reduce the remaining moisture in your clothes after washing. This decreases the drying time for your clothes.
- Air-dry clothes: Indoor or outdoor drying racks help clothes last longer and save energy.
- Leave the door open after use: Front-loading washers use airtight seals to make sure no moisture leaks while the machine is in use. When the machine is not in use, however, this seal can trap moisture in the machine. Be sure to leave the door ajar for an hour or two after use to allow any of the remaining moisture inside the machine to evaporate. Make sure children do not climb into the machine while the door is open.
- Always use HE (High Efficiency) detergent: Front-loading clothes washers are designed specially to use only High Efficiency detergent. Using regular detergent in a front-loading washer will create too many suds in the machine, decreasing washing and rinsing performance. Over time it can lead to mechanical problems .
Clothes Dryer Tips
- Use the moisture sensor option: The moisture sensor automatically shuts off the machine when the clothes are dry, saving energy as well as your clothes by preventing over-drying.
- Clean the lint filter: Cleaning the filter after every load will improve air circulation and increase the unit’s efficiency.
By following these simple best practices for clothes washers and dryers, you can reduce your utility bills and greatly increase the longevity of your laundry appliances. Using less water and heat also reduces your eco footprint, which helps the planet just as much is does your wallet.
