How Can I Make My Laundry Room More Energy Efficient?

Often overlooked, the laundry room plays a vital role in your household’s energy consumption, using substantial amounts of electricity to keep your clothes fresh and clean. Fortunately, there are a few easy tricks that tell you how you can make your laundry room more energy efficient.

To enhance energy efficiency in your laundry room, adopt several practices, such as using lower heat settings, washing full loads, employing cold water rinses, and cleaning the lint filter regularly. Additionally, investing in energy-efficient washers and dryers and using dryer balls can also reduce energy consumption and costs over time.

Making your laundry room energy-efficient is rather simple, and doing so will prevent you from having to spend hundreds of dollars on power, detergent, and water. Here are some suggestions I have for enhancing your current laundry room once you have relocated.

18 Tips to Make Your Laundry Room More Energy Efficient

Let’s face it, doing the laundry is not anyone’s favorite task, but your clothes washing machine and dryer contribute to a sizable part of the energy used by large appliances.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average home uses about 11,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year. The following table shows the estimated monthly energy consumption and cost of some common household appliances.

Appliance	Monthly Energy Consumption (kWh)	Monthly Cost
Refrigerator	37.5	$5.61
Microwave	2.3	$0.35
Oven & Stove	48.8	$5.85
Dishwasher	43.7	$5.24
Clothes Washer & Dryer	152.5	$18.30

As you can see, the clothes washer and dryer consume the most energy among the listed appliances. They consume an estimated 152.5 kWh of electricity per month, which is equivalent to $18.30 per month.

So, How can you make your laundry room energy efficient?

By using the following pieces of advice you can save money on suds.

· Invest in a Washing Machine and Dryer That is Energy Star certified:

Investing in an Energy Star-certified washing machine and dryer is the best method to reduce your water and power costs each time you do laundry. Energy Star-certified washers use 25% less electricity and 33% less water than conventional washers, according to Department of the Energy.

During the course of the product’s life, Energy Star machines can help consumers save an average of $370 on energy bills. According to the Department of Energy, Energy Star-certified dryers use 20% less energy than conventional dryers and save consumers $215 in energy bills over the course of the product.

Due to moisture sensors, these Energy Star dryers recognize when the clothes are dry instead of turning off after a set dry cycle, which reduces wasted drying time.

· Choose Wool Dryer Balls:

Dryer sheets are often single-use, non-biodegradable, and filled with hazardous chemicals. A much better alternative is dryer balls made of wool. They will soften garments, lessen creases and electrostatic discharge, and speed up drying. To give clothes a lovely aroma, lightly drop some essential oils on them.

· Think about a Front-loader:

Compared to their top-loading siblings, front-loading washing machines use about 7500 gallons less water annually. That is roughly the equivalent of 50 full conventional bathtubs. Your energy use can be greatly decreased by front-loaders as well.

By first utilizing less water, which requires less labor from heaters, and then by using quicker spin cycles. Because front-loaders extract more water from your clothes, they do not need to dry for as long.

Certainly, front-loaders often cost more than top-loading machines, but the long-term savings make the extra expense worthwhile.

· Avoid Using Hot Water While Washing Clothes:

According to researchers at Harvard University, washing clothes in cold water is just as effective as washing them in the heated water for daily loads. Going cold is better for the environment and your money since, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, 90% of the energy used by a washing machine is used to warm the water.

Colder water also helps your garments last longer by preventing color bleed and shrinking of your clothing. Win-win for environmentally friendly washing.

When trying to cut costs on utility bills, washing clothes in heated water is a big no-no. To save energy costs, choose warm or cold water instead of hot. Shifting from warm to cold water without making any other modifications reduces the cost to $1.18 for each load, according to Money Crashers.

According to the paper, this saves the typical household $136 a year. According to the Department of energy, washing clothes in warm water instead of hot water reduces energy consumption by half. Even more, energy can be saved by using cold water.

· Get a Quality Drying Rack:

Not all items must be dried in a dryer. In actuality, not every piece of clothing should indeed be put in the dryer because the intense heat might harm or shrink some fabrics. Make sure to let all things air dry on a drying rack for delicate materials like silk, linen, leather, elastic, wool, and faux fur.

Although these products can take more time to dry than standard cotton clothes, they will not only assist your apparel in preserving its quality and shape while also reducing energy expenditures.

· Mix Loads Whenever You Can:

You do not want to underload or overload your washing machine and dryer, but you also do not want to do either of those things. When you divide your laundry into several different load conditions, it will take forever to dry. We strongly advise only cleaning and drying full loads of clothes in order to preserve water and electricity.

My recommendation is to hold off until you have enough filthy clothes to warrant a load. If you have something you absolutely need to clean right away, you can always manually wash specific things.

· Employ Fewer Cycles and Less Vigorous Spins:

Another significant step to adopting a more sustainable practice is doing laundry in shorter cycles. The University of Leeds researchers discovered that a 30-minute cycle at 20 degrees Celsius is “much better” for your clothing than an 85-minute ride at 40 degrees (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Also, 52 percent fewer microfibers break away during shorter, cooler cycles.

· After Each Load, Clean the Lint Filters:

This is one of the laundry process’s most uncomfortable steps, especially if you have allergies. However, you may increase the effectiveness of your dryer by cleaning your lint filters (also known as lint screens) prior to or after each load.

In order to achieve a temperature warm enough to dry the clothing, dryers must work harder when their lint filters are clogged. They also pose a fire risk. Although you can do this roughly every three to six months, ventilation pipes and dryer lines should also be cleaned of lint and dirt.

· Separate Clothes That Dry Quickly and Slowly:

Gentler clothing, such as blouses, and undergarments, can suffer a great deal of damage from heavyweight, rough fabrics, particularly those with zip and buttons. Also, according to the professionals, they dry far more slowly. This is because the heavier materials require more effort from both machines to clean and dry.

This not only consumes a significant amount of energy, but it frequently results in one portion of your load being moist and the other being over-dried. Consider dividing up your loads according to the fabric’s weight rather than just its color. You will probably end up using a significant amount of energy this way.

· Have a Look at Microfiber Filters:

Little plastic particles known as microfiber filters are shed by synthetic fabrics as they are squeezed and twisted in the washer. They ultimately end up in our waterways and soils due to wastewater treatment plants’ failure to catch them, which has a negative impact on both the environment and human well-being. Find out more about microfiber contamination and the solutions available.

A Planet Care filter is one option that blocks about 90% of microfibers. The filter is simple to install and does not call for complex technical knowledge; all you have to do is fasten it to the exterior of the washing machine or a neighboring wall.

· Reusing Water for a Greener Laundry:

This is a more “radical” but practical, suggestion: do not let all of the washing machine water go into the drain. You can physically bucket the water before it is pushed into the wastewater treatment system, for example, if you are a gardener. Of course, using chemical-free cleansers and perhaps a municipal wastewater filter that removes lint and other contaminants must come first.

· When Possible, Use the Fastest Spin Cycle:

The spin cycle, which comes towards the conclusion of the washing process, removes moisture from the clothing to get them ready for drying. Your drying time will be shortened, and moisture removed as the spin speed increases.

According to a recent study, using a faster spin cycle for your washing machine saves energy and positively impacts the environment. (The same research demonstrated that selecting faster spin cycles can also extend the life of your clothing.)

While heavier materials like jeans, towels, and blankets are best suited for ultra-fast spin cycles, most ordinary clothing may easily withstand such a cycle. Just be careful around fragile things.

· Maintain Dryer and Washer Maintenance:

By doing routine washer and dryer maintenance, you can maximize the performance of your laundry room’s appliances. To maintain your washing machine free of bacteria, do this by clearing the lint trap and performing a clean cycle.

If the machines are still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, you must be able to arrange for a cleaning and upkeep check to identify any leaks or malfunctioning components. Getting your dryer vent tubes checked and cleared at least once a year is something else I advise.

By doing this, fires and poisoning with carbon monoxide can be avoided.

· Invest in High-performance Laundry Detergent:

The purchase of high-efficiency detergent is one of the simplest methods to design an energy-efficient laundry room. When used with the right kind of detergent, Energy Star washing machines perform at their peak.

This HE (high efficiency) washing detergent uses less water and produces fewer suds. The most effective approach to cleaning your clothes in a high-efficiency washer is using HE detergent because it can effectively clean clothing in a small amount of water.

· Employ Drying Racks and Clotheslines:

Whenever possible, hang your garments and linens outside to dry. You will use lesser dryer sheets and less electricity, and your clothing will smell better as a result. It is an easy, cost-free method to get rid of pungent smells and assist sanitize your clothing.

Look for a retractable clothesline if you are concerned about it being an eyesore or if your Homeowners association prohibits them so you can tuck it away when you are not using it.

· Place Reusable Dryer Balls at the Beginning of Each Drying Cycle:

They certainly create a lot of sounds, but they also aid in keeping your garments separated, allowing them to dry more quickly and with less energy consumption. They work well with light to medium loads so that there is space for the pellets to move around.

· Reduce Your Ironing:

A solid method to prevent wrinkles is to take clothing out of the dryer as soon as possible and hang or fold it afterward.

While creases can be readily avoided, ironing should be a last resort.

· Last but not Least: Do Not Open the Dryer’s Door:

It may be alluring to check on how your drying is coming along, but every moment you lift the door in the middle of the cycle, heat departs, and the machine must work more to reheat the load.

So the next time you are tempted to look, consider all the energy savings you will enjoy if you just refrain from doing so until the dryer’s alarm indicates that its cycle is complete.

Final Thought!

The environmental cost of doing laundry is high: washing and drying machines use a good amount of electricity, and toxic detergents may be hazardous to the environment and human health. Wearing clothing longer and doing less laundry is the most straightforward ecological answer. While doing laundry, use colder water, shorter cycles, and larger loads.

The majority of detergents employ natural, amiable, and eco-friendly substitutes for their hazardous chemicals. I demonstrated some of my favorite sustainable examples for you! As garments are laundered, they drop small plastic strands called microfibers. These are not captured by washing machines, but rather by specialized filters like Planet Care.

Top-loaders are less environmentally friendly than front-loaders. Moreover, instead of using a conventional dryer, line-dry your garments or use a heating system.