Save the Hot Water

Another week has gone by and I am still trying to cut that electric bill down. Laundry always seems to be on my list of "to do" and I found a few great tips to save energy and money this week when I decided to look into washing machines and dryers. Although I can't afford a energy efficient washing machine and dryer there are a few things that I can do to help the environment and save money! Hey maybe if I keep saving money from my electric bill then I will be able to buy a new washer and dryer!

If people do have the money to spend on an energy efficient washing machines, they should. Energy Star qualified washing machines use about 40 percent less energy than the standard washing machine. Also it only uses 18 to 25 gallons of water compared to the 40 gallons that the standard washing machine uses. So not only are you saving energy, but you are saving tons of water at the same time.

Washing clothes with cold water is also another good idea for saving energy. By using cold water you will save almost 40 percent on your electric bill. According to GREENPEACE "Up to 90 percent of the energy used for washing clothes goes to heating the water." There are also laundry detergents that are designed for cold water use.

When drying your clothes, don't put very wet clothes in before either spin drying them or wringing them out. This will save energy from having to dry them longer. However, most of the energy star qualified washing machines extract more water during the spin cycle.

Since I don't have the money to buy an energy smart washing machine I decided to buy a clothes rack for the laundry room and I put a clothes line outside. Since summer will be gone in a month or so I will not be able to line-dry my clothes outside. However, I will have the clothes rack in my laundry room. The clothes rack is for my shirts and delicates and the clothes line outside is for my pants. When it gets cold outside I'll start drying my pants in the dryer but I'll still be able to dry my shirts on the clothes rack. According to Eco Mall "Line-dry your clothes in the spring and summer instead of using the dryer. Save 700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $75 per year"(Eco Mall). Good news about not using a dryer is that it helps with keeping clothes from fading and there is less wear and tear on the clothes.

Here are some tips from The Electric Company when doing laundry:

• Try and always wash on a full load. If you need to wash a smaller load then set the water according to the load size. Don't use unnecessary water.
• Wash on cold. There are detergents that are made for cold water
• Line dry your clothes if you can
• Check dryer vents
• Clean the dryer filter
• Don't overdry clothes

I hope these techniques give you a few ideas how you can save energy while doing laundry. Maybe soon someone will come up with a way that we won't have to fold our clothes!