Cold wash and air dry clothes

• Wash your everyday loads on cold: clothes, sheets and towels
• Dry on the line or a clothes rack instead of the dryer
• Wait for a full load before you hit start
• Snap a photo of your washing on the line or rack to log this pledge

Heating water is one of the biggest energy users in a washing machine. Your Home says a warm or hot wash uses roughly 50% to 85% more energy than a cold one, and can cost 80% to 90% more. Most of what’s in the basket isn’t that dirty, so cold does the job.

Then there’s the dryer. CHOICE testing found the average vented dryer, used just once a week, costs about $1,930 to run over ten years. A sunny Aussie backyard does it for free.

Your clothes come out ahead too. University of Leeds researchers found shorter, cooler cycles can significantly extend the life of garments and help them keep their colour. So the good sheets and your favourite tee hang around longer.

Because protecting the places we play can start at the Hills Hoist. 💙

• Make cold the default: Most loads are only lightly worn, and a cold wash gets them clean. Save warm for the really grubby stuff.
• Fill it up: Lots of machines use about the same water and power for a half load as a full one. Wait until the basket’s full.
• Crank the spin: A faster spin wrings out more water, so things dry quicker on the line, or in the dryer when you really need it.
• Let the sun do the big stuff: Sheets and towels love a sunny line. On rainy days, a clothes rack near a window does the job.
• If you do use the dryer: Clean the lint filter every load, and hang things out first so the dryer has less work to do.
• Shopping for a new machine? Front loaders are usually more water and energy efficient. For dryers, every extra star cuts about 15% off running costs, and heat pump dryers cost far less to run.
• Already washing your kit on cold? Bring the rest of the basket along, and make cold the default setting for everyone in the house.