Whether you’re using a new machine or an old one, a few practices will save money and energy each time you do your laundry

Save Money and Energy While Cleaning and Drying Your Clothes

Photo of a home laundry room

Whether you’re using a new machine or an old one, a few practices will save money and energy each time you do your laundry:

• Do your laundry correctly the first time, so you don’t have to re-wash it.

• Pretreat or presoak stains and heavy soils before washing.

• Launder full loads, but make sure the washer isn’t overloaded. The washer’s water level should match the load size.

• Whenever possible, wash loads in cold water. Rinse all loads in cold water. Make sure that your laundry detergent is compatible with your washer. Because high-efficiency (HE) washers are designed to save water and energy, check to make sure that your laundry detergent is compatible by checking the bottle for the HE symbol. Using traditional laundry detergents in an HE washer can result in lower cleaning performance and a sudsy mess.

• To lessen drying time, use a higher spin speed for items such as towels and sweatshirts. It takes less energy to spin water out of fabrics than to dry the water out.

• Do not overload the dryer.

• If you can, dry loads one after another to take advantage of a dryer that is already heated.

• Be certain to clean the lint filters after drying each load, and make certain the dryer exhaust vent is clear of obstructions.

• Select a high speed spin option or extended spin option to remove more water from the clothing prior to drying.

• Consider drying clothing on a clothes line outside on warm, dry days.

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