Conserve Energy in Dishwashing and Laundry Habits

If you've already done your best to conserve energy and water around your house and think you have all of your bases covered then kudos to you! But if you are one of the many still hungry for more tips to be applied in and around your home, then you may want to take a critical look at your laundry and dishwashing habits. In fact I may venture to say that nearly everyone could improve on their consumption habits, as I know I certainly learn new ideas and tricks all the time. The thing is, living green is a process and over time implementing new tactics as you pick them up and then spreading what you've learned to other interested parties.

That being said, there are plenty of easy things you can do in regards to your washing habits. Did you know that the average family will do about 400 loads of wash each year? And if you aren't operating off of a more energy efficient washer and dryer set you could be contributing about 50 percent more of unnecessary energy and water use over that year and generating a larger carbon footprint. Home laundry is the third greatest contributor to your home's energy consumption so in order to conserve energy you should definitely invest in an Energy Star Label washing machine first and foremost.

You want one that is also front loading, as this can dramatically cut down the amount of loads you do each year as they can handle bigger amounts. And on your part you want to do your best to only do a load of wash when there is enough dirty clothes to constitute and full load. When you are in a pinch and need just that one special outfit right then and there, there are these little features called automatic sensors that you can find in certain washer models that will then adjust the size of the load to the amount of water and energy needed. That way you can make sure you aren't simply wasting a ton of unnecessary resources. Finally you will want to run your cycles on cold water to cut out the energy expenditure needed to heat up that hot water.

Now when it comes to your dryer, most everyone loves the warm and cozy feeling of a shirt fresh out of the dryer especially on a cold night. Yet if you were able to take advantage of a clothes line or drying rack when you are able to you will be doing wonders in conserving energy and reducing your carbon footprint. Of course this may not be practical all the time, but for smaller items, or when you don't need the clothes or towels right away this could be a step to at least cut back on how much you use the dryer.

The same idea could be applied to your dishwasher. Skip the drying cycle whenever you can and instead place your dishes on a drying rack; this will conserve energy and your dishes will be just as clean. In fact if you don't mind gloving up and scrubbing then down yourself you could hand wash as often as you can; just don't keep the water running the whole time. Obviously this isn't going to be practical for everyone and even the most ethical consumers need a dishwasher now and then, so try to only run it when it is full to avoid wasted run throughs. Alright folks, I hope that's given you some ideas to chew on, and keep coming back for more tips to make you and your family more ethical power consumers!