Top tips to save energy on laundry day
01 July 2012
With the amount of energy used when it comes to laundry day – House of York has some great tips to save energy:
- Use lower temperatures. Use warm or cold water for the wash cycle instead of hot and only use cold when rinsing. Heating the water to wash clothes amounts to 90% of the washing machine's power consumption.
- Load the washing machine to capacity when possible. Washing one large load will use less energy than washing two loads on a low or medium cycle.
- If washing lightly soiled clothes, use the suds-saving feature if you have one. This saves the waste water to be reused in the next load. Only use this feature, though, if the second load is to be washed right away.
- Avoid the washing machine and hand wash delicate garments in a tub of soapy water and use the waste water to feed flowers, the lawn or houseplants.
- When drying, separate your clothes and dry similar types of clothes together. Lightweight synthetics, quicker than towels and natural fibre clothes.
- Don't over dry clothes. Slightly damp clothes are quicker and easier to iron – ironing is a big energy user.
- The simplest way to avoid excessive energy use is to hang your clothes on a drying rack or clothes line when you can.
- If you have to use a tumble dryer, don't add wet items to a load that is partially dried.