Clothes Washing and Drying

Here are some tips for reducing your energy costs when washing and drying your clothes. Also, if you're in the market for new appliance, consider an Energy Star qualified product.

Clothes Washing

• Wash full loads, but don't overload. Your washer will work less efficiently and your clothes won't be clean.
• Wash clothes in warm or cold water. Rinse clothes in cold water. Washing and rinsing in cold water can save as much as 90 percent of the energy used with warm and hot settings. A separate rinse water temperature setting allows cold water rinse with any wash temperature.
• Check the hose and faucet connections frequently for leaks and loose fittings.
• Pretreat stains, use the soak cycle, or let the washer fill and then turn it off to soak. All are less costly than rewashing.
• Match the water level to the load size. Some washers have a mini-tub feature that allows for very small loads and low water usage.
• Use high-speed spin when possible to remove more water so the dryer doesn't have to work as hard.
• Use the correct amount of detergent. Too little results in clothes that aren't clean; too much causes the washer to work too hard and may require an extra rinse. Washers with suds-saver control allow reuse of the initial wash water for lightly soiled laundry.
• Consider a horizontal-axis washer if you need to replace a top-loading washer. The front-loading washers use as much as two-thirds less water than top-loading washers.

Clothes Drying

• Dry like-weight items together.
• Clean the lint filter after every load.
• Dry full loads of clothes without overloading. Generally, a washer load is a dryer load.
• Don't over-dry. It wastes energy, sets in wrinkles, and stiffens fabrics. Use the automatic drying cycle. It determines when clothes are dry and automatically turns off the dryer.
• Put the next load in before the dryer cools from the first load. That way the dryer does not have to heat back up again.
• Consider the cool-down cycle for clothes that may need ironing. It tumbles clothes in room temperature air during the last five to ten minutes of the cycle to reduce wrinkles, ironing, and energy consumption.
• Keep the outside dryer vent clean.
• Never add wet items to a partially dry load.
• Vent the dryer outside. Inside venting can cause moisture and lint buildup in your house.