How to Save Water and Energy Washing and Drying Clothes

Did you know that a washing machine can use anywhere between 9 and 57 gallons of water per load? The average washing machine uses 22 gallons of water per load, more or less. The amount of water a washing machine uses depends on the washing machine its self. An electric clothes dryer uses 5,000 watts of energy, depending on the size of the electric dryer, etc. Now the question is, how is it possible to save water and energy with two things that are used so often in a home?

While it is almost impossible to wash clothes without the use of water it doesn’t mean that you can’t save water. Some of the best solutions for saving water when washing clothes would be to only wash clothes when you have a full load of clothes to wash, and always use cold water for the rinse cycle if not the whole time. Using warm and or hot water when washing clothes does not make them any cleaner. Using cold water for the rinse cycle uses around 103 kilowatts a year, using warm water for the rinse cycle uses 825 kilowatts a year, and using hot water for the rinse cycle uses 1,547 kilowatts a year. Another tip would be don’t wash articles of clothing when they aren’t actually dirty. Thoroughly check clothes out before taking it for granted and tossing them into the washing machine.

Ready to save energy when it comes to drying clothes? One of the easiest ways to do that is by always making sure that the lint filter is always clean. This will ensure that the clothes dry a lot quicker, which means less time in the dryer and less energy used. One of the absolute best ways to dry clothes and save a lot of energy at the same time is to hang up your clothes outside. This can be done by hanging the clothes up on a clothesline or something similar to one. You can visit ehow.com to learn how to make one of your own. You can also visit betterbudgeting.com to learn how to dry clothes without using a clothesline.