Today’s post is from contributing writer Sam Davidson, co-founder of Cool People Care and author of the book New Day Revolution: How to Save the World in 24 Hours.
The next time you are ready to clean those dirty dishes or wash those dirty shirts, make sure your dishwasher or washing machine is full. By waiting to use these appliances when they are full of plates or pants, you will maximize your use of water, detergent, and the energy used to heat the water.
For your washing machine, always check to see how much water you’re using, and use cold water as often as possible. For an added boost of caring, buy an energy efficient model the next time these need replacing and properly recycle your old ones.
I practice this a lot! It’s an excellent tip.
Don’t forget the post-wash practice – drying.
If you don’t have the option to hang dry those clothes, be sure to investigate an energy efficient dryer. Many manufacturers offer models that reduce the amount of gas or electricity used to dry your clothes.
Instead of heat blasting the loads of laundry until the inner drum glows red, these dryers cycle a little smarter.
My gas dryer heats up the clothes, then stops for a bit when the temperature gets high enough to allow water to evaporate from the fabric. In between heating cycles it tosses the load around a couple of times. If needed, it heats them up again.
I’ve found my dry times are shorter, they use less energy, and my threads last longer because their not torched like a crème brûlée .
@ James – That’s awesome, thanks for sharing your tips. I definitely required my appliances to be Energy Star when I moved into my condo. And okay, creme brulee isn’t good for clothes, but that does sound good right now ;)