Almost every American home does laundry on a daily or weekly basis, but it also accounts for a significant portion of household water and energy consumption. Laundry actually uses a large amount of electricity and 15–25% of a household’s water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Reducing your laundry’s resource usage is both economical and environmentally responsible, especially since energy and water prices are expected to rise further in 2025 and environmental concerns are only going to grow. The good news? You can reduce waste without sacrificing fresh, clean clothes by making a few easy changes.Whether you’re using a high-efficiency washer or a conventional top-loader, we’ll provide practical advice in this guide on how to save water and electricity when doing laundry in the USA.
Why It’s Important to Use Less Laundry Resources
📌 12 Ingenious Ways to Do Laundry While Conserving Water and Energy
1.Invest in a High-Efficiency (HE) washing machine.
Your washer is probably consuming twice as much water and energy as a contemporary HE model if it is older than ten years. These washers spin clothes more quickly and use less water per load, which shortens the drying time.
Pro tip: Choose an ENERGY STAR®-certified appliance, which can save up to 33% more water and 25% more energy than typical models.
2️⃣ Wash all loads.
Almost as much water and energy are used by a half-empty washing machine as by one that is fully loaded. Wait until you have enough laundry to fill the washer (without packing it too full) unless your machine has an auto-sensing feature or an adjustable load size.
Note: To ensure adequate agitation, leave a hand’s width of space at the top of the drum.
- Whenever possible, use cold water.
Water heating accounts for about 90% of a washing machine’s energy consumption. Cold water cleans just as well as greasy or highly soiled items, and the majority of contemporary detergents are designed to function well in cold water.
Bonus: Cold water is kinder to textiles, extending the life of your clothing.
Change to High-Efficiency Cleaners
Because HE detergents are made to rinse out easily and create fewer suds, they use less water. Regular detergent can produce too much suds in a HE machine, resulting in more rinse cycles and water waste.
- Make Use of Proper Cycle Settings
Steer clear of long or heavy-duty cycles unless absolutely required. Use eco-friendly cycles or a quick wash for lightly soiled clothing to save energy and water.
Expert advice: Learn how to use your machine’s eco modes; the majority of more recent models have settings made especially to conserve resources.
6️⃣ Air-dry clothes to cut down on dryer use
One of the household appliances that uses the most energy is the clothes dryer. Hang clothing on an indoor laundry room, outdoor line, or drying rack whenever you can.
When using a dryer, make sure to: ✅ Use the moisture-sensor feature to avoid over-drying ✅ Dry similar types of fabric together ✅ To increase efficiency, clean the lint filter after each load.
Reduce the Frequency of Clothes Washing
It’s not necessary to wash every item of clothing after just one wear. Lightly used tops, jackets, and jeans can frequently be worn several times before being washed. This prolongs the life of your clothing while also saving energy and water.
8️⃣ Regularly inspect hoses and fix leaks
Gallon after gallon of water can be silently wasted due to a loose connection or leaking hose. Every few months, check for cracks, bulges, or leaks in the hoses and connections of your washing machine.
Pro tip: For extra protection, swap out your old rubber hoses for strong, braided stainless steel hoses.
9️⃣ Purchase dryer balls
A few wool or silicone dryer balls can help separate clothes, increase air circulation, and cut drying time by up to 25% if you must use a dryer.
Bonus: Without the use of dryer sheets loaded with chemicals, dryer balls naturally soften textiles.
For delicate loads, use a lower spin speed.
Although they can consume more energy, high spin speeds can extract more water. A lower spin speed saves energy and still gets clothes sufficiently dry for air drying when used on delicate or lightly soiled loads.
Clean your washing machine on a regular basis.
A machine that is clean runs more smoothly. Lint, hard water deposits, and detergent buildup can all impair your washer’s performance and increase the amount of water and energy it uses each cycle.
How to clean it: Use baking soda, hot water, and a cup of white vinegar to perform a monthly maintenance wash.
Plan Your Laundry for Off-Peak Hours
During off-peak hours, which are typically overnight or early in the morning, some utility companies offer cheaper electricity rates. You can lower your total energy costs by running your washer and dryer during these periods.
Advice: Inquire about time-of-use rate plans and potential savings options from your neighborhood utility provider.
📌 Extra Advice: Make Use of Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Making the switch to plant-based, biodegradable detergents lowers the chemical load on water systems and frequently necessitates less rinsing, which conserves water. Seek out companies such as Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, ECOS, or Seventh Generation.
Conclusion
One of the simplest and most significant changes you can make for your home and the environment in 2025 is to use less water and electricity when doing laundry. These suggestions help you save money and lessen your environmental impact, from switching to a high-efficiency washer to adopting easy practices like washing with cold water and letting your clothes air dry.
These wise practices will help you prolong the life of your clothing and appliances in addition to saving you money on utilities. Start today to improve the efficiency, cleanliness, and environmental impact of your laundry routine!