Save Water And Energy: Better Ways To Do Laundry

There are simple practices you can adopt to minimize your use of water and energy while still getting your clothes clean. Water is a precious resource and we should not waste it. Follow these tips to conserve as much water as possible and even help your wallet stay full with lower water and energy bills.

Use cold or warm water instead of hot to wash your clothes. The majority of the energy used in washing machines is warming the water. If you are worried that cold water does not work as effectively, then buy specific cold water detergents. They are made with different ingredients that work as efficiently as regular detergents in hot water.

Buy an Energy Star labeled washing machine. Energy Star machines use precisely the amount of water needed for the load of clothes you are washing. These machines use less water in general because they rinse clothes with a high-pressure spray, instead of soaking them. You are assured by the Energy Star label that these washing machines will use less energy to run than most machines.

Reuse your shower towel. You don't need to use a new clean towel for every shower you take. You are clean when you get out of the shower. So after drying off, just hang your towel up to dry. It will be completely dry before you need it again. You will find that many hotels are even asking their visitors to hang their towels up for reuse in order to be more considerate of the environment.

Don't wash your clothes unless you feel they really need it. Many of us sit at a desk all day, breaking a sweat mentally but not physically. So after wearing your clothes one time, are they really that dirty? Wearing clothes at least twice before throwing them in the hamper may help cut down on your amount of laundry altogether. Back in the day, people hardly washed their clothes and had less allergy problems. Perhaps these days we are just a little too clean.

Only use the washing machine for big loads. Don't let a small pile of dirty laundry make you feel overwhelmed. Wait until you get a big pile that you can wash at once. Some older washing machines are not equipped to know how many garments you have in there, so they use more water than necessary.

Hand wash your clothes. This may sound like a hassle and a bit time consuming, but these are tips on how to save water and energy, not time. Washing multiple garments at the same time and using the same water doesn't take much more time than just washing one article of clothing that absolutely needs to be hand washed. And as a result of the hand washing, your clothes maintain their original look longer.

Following these few simple tips can help save loads of money and energy. These little changes can go a long way in helping with conservation.

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Stephanie Siemek is a freelance writer whose work can be found on Examiner.com.