4 Tips for an energy-efficient laundry day
Reducing your carbon footprint requires you to change your daily routine. When we think about lowering our energy consumption, our minds might go straight to large home appliances like dryers, washing machines, and dishwashers – and you aren’t wrong. In fact, it’s estimated that appliances like these are responsible for up to 16% of energy usage in our homes.
Laundry day is the perfect starting place to help you lower the amount of energy used and get into the right mindset. Here are a few tips to make laundry day ‘greener’ and easier.
Change to cooler wash cycles
It’s no surprise that washing and rinsing your clothing with warm water increases energy consumption. Ditch the hot water and wash garments in lower temperatures instead. Your clothes will come out clean and crisp, and you’ll save energy that would’ve gone towards heating.
If you simply must wash items in warm water, make sure to lower the water levels so as not to fill the entire drum unnecessarily. Follow this up with a cool rinse cycle and you’ll be well on your way to living greener.
Invest in energy-efficient appliances
The laundry room is an area in the house that feeds off electricity and water, mainly because of dated appliances that have not been optimised to help conserve resources. Luckily, LG Electronics is pioneering the industry with washing machines that use water and electricity more efficiently.
LG’s 18kg Smart Inverter Top Loader Washing Machine is designed with cutting-edge technology and features that enhance energy efficiency. This is thanks to the smart inverter technology, which makes efficient energy control possible by optimally adjusting the energy consumption. The Standby Power Save feature ensures that as little energy as possible is used when the machine is not running but is still plugged in at the wall. Another benefit is that the washing machine will automatically restart and continue the cycle that was started before the power supply went off – making it easier to manage your laundry during loadshedding.
It’s usually recommended that you purchase a new washing machine every ten years. LG is the perfect brand if you’re looking for quality, energy-conscious products. As part of their offering, the brand has certified Energy Star products, which means the appliances have been tested globally and found to be independently certified to deliver the efficiency performance and savings that consumers have come to expect. What’s more, Energy Star certified washing machines typically use up to 25% less energy and around 33% less water. Considering that with the modern technology and features of LG appliances, makes LG the best choice when upgrading your washer.
Go light on the detergent
The best you can do for your washing machine, your pocket, and the environment is to use your washing machine the way it was intended. It’s natural to want to overdose your drum with fresh powders and creams to make the laundry smell fantastic, but this could harm your machine. If you keep adding more detergent than is necessary, you risk your machine clogging faster, which affects its ability to work optimally. The machine, therefore, uses more energy and malfunctions may lead to damaged clothes or expensive repairs.
If you’re looking for a brand-new machine, look for appliances with an Auto Dosing setting, a feature the machines use to effectively wash clothes without overdosing on detergent. It can detect how much cleaning product is needed to wash your clothes and applies the correct amount based on the wash. LG features this function in its appliances and coined it ezDispense to differentiate its product from the rest.
Think about how you dry clothes
Dryers are a considerable source of energy consumption, but thankfully, we live in sunny South Africa where we have more warm days and, as a result, opportunities to hang washing outside to air dry.
If your laundry requires the use of a dryer or laundry day falls on a cloudy or rainy day, you may have no choice but to use the tumble dryer. If this is the case, make sure you clean out the lint filter so the machine can work optimally and run more efficiently. Dryer sheets should also be scrubbed once a month to avoid any build-up that might hinder air circulation.
Choosing an energy efficient dryer will also help you save electricity costs. The LG 9kg Heat Pump™ Dryer features excellent energy saving and hygiene features and includes the LG DUAL Inverter Heat Pump™ technology. Not only will you dry your laundry quicker with the EcoHybrid technology that has options for faster drying and energy saving, but this dryer also reduces 99.9% of bacteria and live dust mites that can cause allergies.
Considering the current situation in South Africa it’s in everyone’s best interest to conserve energy where we can for a greener future. You can start by adopting a more conscious mindset, which involves preserving energy and using these tips to make laundry day easier on your wallet and the planet. Change starts at home, and it starts with you.