Getting your washing to dry quickly over winter isn’t easy. Particularly when we’re all a lot more conscious of energy costs, meaning you might feel the need to cut back on using your tumble dryer. But did you know there are some simple steps you can take to improve the energy efficiency of your tumble dryer each time you use it? Here are Hotpoint’s top 5 tips for saving energy while drying your clothes during these winter months and beyond:
1) Remove excess water
Putting sopping wet clothes in your tumble dryer will extend drying times, increase energy consumption and put unnecessary strain on your appliance. So before moving your laundry into the dryer, use the spin cycle on your washing machine to remove as much excess water as possible. It might take another 10 mins to do an extra spin, but it’ll save significant drying time and energy costs.
2) Avoid overloading
It’s tempting to fill your dryer to the brim, but overloading is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. It puts stress on your machine, drastically reducing its efficiency and increasing its energy consumption. It’s also one of the main causes of your laundry still being wet after a cycle. Your clothes need ample room to move in the dryer for quick drying times. So, in this case, less is more! A good rule of thumb is to fill the drum just over halfway, as this will allow your laundry to move freely and dry effectively.
3) Remove laundry straight away
Don’t be tempted to leave your laundry in your dryer. Functions like ‘crease care’ periodically rotate the drum after the cycle has finished, preventing your washing from creasing. This is an ideal solution if you’re not around at the end of the programme, but it obviously uses more energy. Removing your laundry as soon as it’s dry and switching your appliance off will help you to save energy.
4) Empty the water tank after each use (for condenser and heat pump tumble dryers)
Your tumble dryer extracts water from your laundry and stores it in the water tank. If your water tank is too full, your machine may not operate or stop part-way through a cycle. Your tumble dryer will have a warning light to tell you when the tank is getting full, but it’s best to get into the habit of emptying it after each use to avoid a full tank interrupting the cycle and increasing the drying time and energy usage.
5) Clean your dryer regularly
Keeping your tumble dryer clean will help ensure it runs efficiently every time you switch it on. Cleaning the lint filter, drum, sensor, and either the condenser, evaporator filter, or vent hose (depending on the type of dryer you have) will help save energy and keep everything working as it should. Check out Hotpoint’s step-by-step guide on how to clean your tumble dryer for a cleaning routine you can easily incorporate today.
.png)
