Washing clothes can be expensive but there are a number of ways to save money, water and electricity. Changing some of your everyday habits can make a difference in your energy usage and bills (1). Here are a few tips to energy saving when washing:
- Drying your clothes outside instead of using a tumble dryer saves energy. Solar energy is free and could save you around £15 a year.
- Use lower temperature settings. Most of the energy used in washing machines goes towards heating the water. Washing at 30 degrees instead of a higher temperature can save around 40% electricity and £10 per year. The temperature of the water does not affect cleaning and modern detergents work just as effectively at colder temperatures so there’s no reason to use a hot wash.
- Turn down the thermostat on your water heater to save energy and money on your bills. A setting of 120 F is adequate for most home needs.
- When possible, load the washing machine to capacity. Washing one large load will use half the energy needed to wash two half-loads and you could save around £4 per year (2).
- If you must use a tumble dryer, be sure to clean the dryer filter after each use as a clogged filter will restrict air circulation and reduce drying performance. It could also cause a fire hazard (3).
- Dry full loads so as not to waste energy but still allow enough room for air to circulate around the clothes (4).
- Dry clothes with similar fabrics together to reduce drying times.
- Do not over dry clothes. Use the moisture sensor if your machine has it which will automatically switch the machine off when your clothes are dry. This will also save your clothes from wear and tear from over drying
- Use the cool-down cycle to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer.
- Take full advantage of the energy settings, for example, use an economy programme on your washing machine whenever possible
- Do not dry clothes on radiators as this makes your boiler work harder than it needs.
- Switch washing and drying appliances off rather than leaving them on standby.
- Hang up your washing as soon as the cycle has finished to reduce the need for ironing.
- Only wash clothes if absolutely necessary.
Following as least a few of these easy tips for going green when it comes to your washing machine will save you money and be kind to the environment (5).
Moreover, here are some useful products to help conserve energy when doing laundry:
- If you do not have a garden (or it’s raining) or space to hang clothes around the house, a ‘Sheila Maid’ is ideal. It is made from traditional pine rails and cast iron and works with a rope and pulley so you can raise and lower the rails and dry clothes out of your way. It is an age-old solution to a modern problem and is around £55.
- The ‘Aquaball’ is a green alternative to normal laundry detergents. It works by releasing ionised oxygen which increases the PH level of the water and activates the water’s molecules which lift dirt away from clothes. It is cheaper than regular laundry detergents. They leave your clothes smelling fresh and have an effective cleaning power.
- ‘Eco Balls’ are designed for the tumble dryer. They make gaps in the washing to allow the heat to move more freely so clothes will dry quicker. They reduce drying time by 25% (6).
- The best way to make long-term savings is to buy an energy efficient washing machine or tumble dryer. They will cost less to run and help prevent climate change. Be sure to look out for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo as these will have the best energy efficiency, spin efficiency and wash performance. They will also draw less energy when on standby compared to traditional machines. If everyone in the UK replaced their old washing machines with an energy efficient model over £12 million could be saved per year on energy bills (2).
View our range of eco-friendly laundry products to reduce your environmental impact even further when doing the washing.
(1) www.ehow.com
(2) www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
(4) www.care2.com
