Laundry

Clothes Washers

To reduce the amount of energy used for washing clothes:

• Wash your clothes in cold water using cold-water detergents whenever 
 possible. Even switching your temperature setting from hot to warm can cut 
 a load’s energy use in half¹.
• Wash full loads. If you are washing a small load, use the appropriate 
 water-level setting.

Replace an old machine with an ENERGY STAR® certified clothes washer which uses about 40% less water and about 25% less energy than a regular washer². They also have a greater tub capacity which means you can wash fewer loads to clean the same amount of laundry.

Sources: 1. U.S, Department of Energy; 2. ENERGY STAR®

Clothes Dryers

To reduce the amount of energy used for drying clothes¹:

• Dry full loads but avoid overfilling the dryer; a lack of air circulation can 
 decrease efficiency.
• Dry towels, blankets and heavier cottons separate from lighter-weight 
 items.
• Avoid over-drying your clothes. Some dryers make this easy by providing 
 a moisture sensor option.
• Use the cool-down cycle to allow your clothes to finish drying with the 
 heat remaining in the dryer.
• Clean the lint screen in the dryer after every load to improve air 
 circulation and efficiency and use your vacuum cleaner periodically to 
 remove any lint that may collect below the lint screen slot.
• Ensure your dryer vent is not blocked.
• Consider air-drying clothes on clothes lines or drying racks.

Sources: 1. U.S, Department of Energy