You are now making the effort to live a more green life, even to the point of investing in reusable grocery bags and the new energy-saving light bulbs, along with decreasing the amount of water you use in the shower. However, reducing your washing machine water usage during your usual laundry routine may be a puzzle to you, since your machine seems to use a lot of water during its various cycles.

I will share a fairly easy solution with you, if you have the time. Sadly, you can only use less water with washing clothes by doing smaller loads, but unless you are going to give some of you clothes away, this is not that effective because you will just wash clothes more often. You could do the more effective option, which is to purchase a new machine that is more energy and water efficient.

It is really just basic mechanics. All the models of washing machines contain a pressure switch, which gages the quantity of water used in the machine with the various kinds of loads. You control this switch by setting the dial on your machine. Many of the older models fill their tubs to a preset level, in spite of how many clothes are in their baskets. Today, many of the newer models have modern technology, which senses the exact amount of water needed for the amount of clothes in the machine\’s basket. Models like these still contain a pressure switch as in older models, but are designed to save some water at the same time.

You will need to do some research to discover which category your machine fits into for how it regulates water. Do not fret, if you have misplaced your owner\’s manual. Today, many of these manuals are located online at the website of the manufacturer. You could also just Google your washing machine\’s make and model to find out the pertinent information from other owners\’ forum posts or news articles.

Do not worry in the event you decide to stay with the washing machine you have. Below are some suggestions for how to reduce washing machine water usage with your less green machine. Shorten your time and water it take to wash your clothes by pre-treating the dirtiest of them. Wash your clothes by hand when possible. This cuts down on the load size in your washer and is gentler on your clothes, which makes them last longer. Make sure to set the correct load size on your washing machine, if the settings are available. You are still advised to do a small number of large loads opposed to a large number of small loads, but make sure to set your dial to the right size of load each time you do laundry. This way, you will ensure that your washing machine uses only the water needed for the load, instead of an excessive amount of water.

When you do your laundry next time, analyze what is being washed. Through this, you may be able to cut down on your water usage in the washing machine. For instance, do you wash the bath towels after just one use? This is most likely unnecessary you can get more than one use of these items by hanging them up to dry in between baths. What other clothes can be worn more than once that are being washed too often. Jeans are one example of clothing that can be worn more than once before washing. Question your kids and spouse about what they are wearing once and throwing in the dirty clothes, and find out where you can decrease your wash loads.

When your goal is also to save energy, as part of your effort to be green, then wash your loads in cold water as much as possible. This will lessen the electricity it takes to warm up the water. However, all your clothing items are not washed in cold water though, but the good thing is that more laundry detergents today are made to get dirt out without the need for hot water. When your machine is the type that uses the same quantity of water regardless of the load size, then do as large of loads as possible each time you wash clothes. In this manner, you will get best results for the money you spend on water output.

Another way to increase the efficiency of your machine is to look at your hose screens. These screens will cause you washing machine to labor harder trying to filling its tub, when the screens get blocked or dirty.

Unplug the washing machine and pull it out from the wall, you can access and unscrew the hoses. Just do one hose at a time though, so you do not get confused. Take the screen and clean it using a shop-vac, faucet or wire brush. If it is crusted with debris, it is best to replace it with a new one. Once you have the screen cleaned, replace it onto the hose and reconnect the hose to your washing machine. Repeat the procedure with the other hose to make your washer work more efficiently.

Kirt Harrison is an appliance repair technician at Harrison Appliance, an appliance repair company in Wayne, Michigan. Visit his website for more information.

Kirt Harrison is an appliance repair technician at Harrison Appliance, an appliance repair company in Wayne, Michigan. Visit his website at http://www.harrisonappliance.com for more information.

Author Bio: Kirt Harrison is an appliance repair technician at Harrison Appliance, an appliance repair company in Wayne, Michigan. Visit his website for more information.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: harrison appliance, reduce washing machine water usage