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Household
Hints & HELP!
Keepign
the Lid on Laundry and Dirty Dishes
submitted
by Lorene Bartos, Extension Educator
This article appeared in the May 9, 2004
Lincoln Journal Star Newspaper.
As
we enter summer season, many areas are still experiencing
a drought. Regardless of local conditions, water conservation
is a good everyday policy. That way, when water restrictions
are necessary, conservation practices will be automatic.
When
it comes to laundry and dishwashing, water conservation
and energy savings can go hand-in-hand. This brings environmental
and economic benefits, no matter what the weather conditions.
For
energy-efficient laundering and dishwashing, do it right
the first time. Re-washing wastes water and energy. For
laundering, pretreat or presoak stains and heavy soils.
This will give the best stain removal without using extra
hot water or re-washing. Almost all the energy used by washing
machines is for heating the water. If possible, wash most
loads in warm water and rinse all loads in cold water. Match
the water level to the load size. Wash a full load, but
don’t overload the washer. This can result in dingy clothes
that need to be re-washed. If a new washing machine is on
the horizon, check out the high efficiency (HE) washers,
which use one-third to two-thirds less water and one-third
to one-half less energy than traditional washers.
Some
simple practices can make clothes drying more efficient.
Separate lightweight and heavyweight items so drying is
more uniform. Reload the dryer while it’s still warm from
a previous leoad to take advantage of residual heat. Don’t
overload, don’t overdry and don’t let dry garments sit in
the dryer. This causes wrinkling, which means ironing (a.k.a.
using more energy!).
When
using the dishwasher, scrape off excess food particles and
let the dishwasher do the rest. Pre-rinsing wastes water
and is usually not necessary. Wait until the dishwasher
is full before running. It unlike a washing machine, the
water volume on a dishwasher cannot be adjusted to match
the size of the load. However, the “light soil” cycle, which
uses less water, should be used when dishes are lightly
soiled. Select the “air dry” cycle if the dishwasher has
one. To keep the dishwasher running efficiently, clean the
filter as recommended by the use and care guide.
Take
time to review your family’s water usage and develop a conservation
plan. Remember every drop counts.
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