Energy-Saving Laundry Dryer Tips

In most homes, a clothes dryer is a necessity. It serves as a convenient appliance that makes cleaning your clothes and linens a cinch! However, this is also a home appliance that can eat up quite a bit of energy. Thankfully, there is a myriad of ways to cut back on the amount of energy your dryer uses without having to sacrifice getting clean and dry clothes quickly and conveniently. Read about the best efficiency tips below to save both energy and money!

Do all the Laundry at One Time

This tip goes further than just putting as much as you can in one load—although that is a helpful tidbit, as well. What this idea means is that you should dry one load of laundry after another consecutively, taking advantage of the fact that your dryer is already heated up. This means it will expel less energy to get started and will dry your clothes quicker as you can take advantage of residual heat in the machine.

Clean the Lint Screen

Cleaning the lint screen regularly is an important safety measure (a dirty lint screen is a fire hazard) that also saves energy. The great thing about this tip is that it requires very little effort to follow it. Just remove your lint screen between washes and clear off any lint that’s been collected, discarding it into the trash. This small yet effective measure can result in your dryer being up to 15 percent more energy efficient.

Use the Moisture Sensor Setting

Not every machine has one of these, but if yours does, you should take advantage of it. When in use, this setting tells your dryer if it should turn off before the entire cycle is actually finished. The way that it works is that it senses whether moisture is present in your dryer. If there is moisture, the dryer makes the safe assumption that your clothes are not yet dry. Once the sensor does not detect further moisture, it knows that all of your clothes are dry and that it can turn off. This means that your dryer can turn off before it’s full run time is complete, saving energy. Often, your clothes don’t require the full dry time of a cycle to accomplish the goal, so this can help you save quite a bit of energy.

Untangle Clothes When You Swap Them

When you change your clothes over from the washing machine to the dryer, take the time to untangle them in order to ensure that they can dry quicker, thus saving energy. Sure, this takes a bit of effort, but it’s worth it to lessen the required dry time. Plus, it makes folding easier!

Dry Similar Fabrics Together

Similar fabrics should be dried together in order to save energy. For instance, start with a load of fast-drying fabrics, such as nylon or anything designed to be “moisture-wicking.” Delicates are also known to dry quickly because of their small size and lightweight fabric. Then, dry thicker or larger fabrics or items together, such as towels or bedding. This makes the process more efficient as the items in the machine should dry together in similar times.

Take Clothes Out Early

If you don’t need to wear the clothes you’re drying right away, consider taking them out of your machine to hang dry. You can take them out about 15 minutes before the cycle ends so that they are damp. Hang them on a drying rack or protected surface to dry flat.

Use Helpers

Adding a clean, dry towel and a clean tennis ball to your drier will allow the machine to dry wet clothes quicker than normal. This can be attributed to the fact that the towel will absorb moisture throughout the cycle, and the tennis ball helps to circulate air between the clothes, speeding up the overall process.

These tips are all simple to carry out, but they make a big difference in the amount of energy your clothes dryer uses. Also, make sure to put your machine on the energy-efficient mode in order to ensure it’s working as efficiently as possible, saving you money and helping the environment!