How to efficiently & ecomomically use your tumble dryer to save you money

The tumble dryer is now relied upon by many households, including myself, but have you thought about how energy intensive they are? Not only does this impact on the environment but the pennies in your pocket too! According to goodtoknow.co.uk, on average we use our tumbles for an hour a week at a cost of 45p. This may not sound like much but once you consider all the other electrical appliances in your home and if you use it more, it all adds up. I asked my followers over on Instagram how often they used theirs, on average it worked out as 6 hours a week, this is nearly £3 a week working out as just over £140 a year!

I do try and naturally dry my clothes when possible, but the convience of a tumble when space is tight and with the weather being unpredictable, does mean it can get used at least once a week. So how can we reduce its energy usage and save some pennies? Below are some tips.

🍋 An obvious one, but one that saves you the most money, dry clothes naturally whenever possible. If you have a washing line, check out forecast for next to day one to it suitable to dry. I often wash my clothes the night before, fold and then hang in the morning. You can also dry using racks or heated airers which are more economical then a tumble.

🍋 To reduce how damp your clothes are, and to reduce drying time, set your washing machine to a longer spin cycle or spin again.

🍋 This isn’t always possible, we’ve all been there when something needs drying last minute! But try and wait until you can load your dryer to it’s maximum capacity.

🍋 Whilst maximum capacity is best, also don’t over fill! When too full air will not circulate properly and your clothes will take longer to dry.

🍋 De fluff your filter after each use.  The lint collected also prevents air circulating effectively which will make your clothes take longer to dry.

🍋 Dryer balls help air to circulate and  reduce drying time. They also help to fluff things up like towels. Don’t have any dryer balls? Tennis balls also work!

🍋 If your ironing items after they have been in the tumble, use the ironing setting. This is the optimum dampness for effective ironing. So not only will it reduce your drying time, it will make ironing easier too!

🍋 When drying things like duvet covers, fasten up so items don’t get trapped inside causing them to stay damp.

🍋 When pulling your washing out of the machine ensure nothing is tangled. When tangled it will take longer to dry and also crease really badly!

🍋 Try to wash similar items together, the reason for this is because some items will take longer then others. For example, a large towel will take a lot longer to dry then a tshirt.

🍋 If you use your dryer more than once a week, multiple drying loads are more efficient. This is because your drum will still be warm when you go to dry your next load.

🍋 If you don’t have an automatic timer on your dryer, or if it isn’t very reliable, check your laundry so the tumble doesn’t continue once dry. You could even set your own timer to remind you to check.