How To Conserve Energy When Doing Laundry

Ingredients

• 1 Eco-friendly laundry detergent
• 1 A laundry line
• 1 An energy-efficient washing machine

Steps

1. Get a green machine - If your washer is more than 10 years old, consider replacing it with an energy-efficient one. Energy-efficient models use half the water and about 35% less energy per load. (21 sec. )
2. Look for washing machines marked with the Energy Star logo. (32 sec. )
3. Buy eco-friendly detergent - Buy eco-friendly laundry detergent. You can even make your own—recipes are readily available online. (37 sec. )
4. Only wash full loads - Don’t do laundry until you have a full load. (45 sec. )
5. Wash in cold water - Unless you’re washing baby clothes, wash in cold water. Ninety percent of the energy used in washing clothes comes from heating the water. (48 sec. )
6. At the very least, use cold water for the final rinse, which uses almost half the 50 gallons needed to do a load of wash. (56 sec. )
7. Line dry - Line dry as much of your laundry as often as possible. (63 sec. )
8. Clean the filter - When you do use the dryer, clean the lint filter every time so it runs efficiently. (68 sec. )
9. Check clothes in the dryer often so you don’t run it longer than you need to. (75 sec. )
10. Wash at off hours - In the summer, do laundry in the early morning or late at night, when energy demand is lowest. (79 sec. )
11. The average American family does eight loads of laundry a week. (85 sec. )