Nowadays we are searching for more ways to be energy efficient at home, work and elsewhere. Our resources are not infinite, even if they are renewable. And, as such, we should be seeking ways to reduce our energy and water consumption, not only to be a good citizen but also for the money it saves which can be utilized elsewhere.
Yesterday I did my laundry, packed all my smelly and soiled clothes in a plastic garbage and headed off to the laundromat in Canmore. I chose a double loader which cost $4 + another buck for the heavy soiled clothing option. Not sure how this thing worked, I bought two small boxes (it’s a double loader after all so two boxes should do, I thought) of Tide for a buck apiece.
Figure 1. Image of a Samsung’s WF210 HE Washing Machine top loading washing machine. (1)
The instructions on the machine were not clear, so I opened the boxes and sprinkled them on my clothes, set the temp for warm and started the machine. It was a 30 min cycle, and after about 5 minutes I did not see any appreciable amount of water in the washer, also I noticed that there was a slot for the detergent. So, I decided to buy another box of detergent and put it into the pull out. The machine was on 10 minutes now, and still no water… wtf?
Figure 2. Graphic comparing a HE washing machine to a traditional top loader. (2)
Okay, so I call the management which operated the local motel, informing them that the machine is broken, and a girl comes out to see what is going on. She assures me it’s fine and working, that the machine uses very little water. Okay, I am skeptical and concerned that with so much detergent and very little water my clothes would not get clean and be covered with a residue.
In the meantime a nice German lady comes over to me and says that she has never seen a top loader before and they only use front loading machines where she is from. I laughed and told her that in Canada we have a tendency to waste our resources as we have so much, whereas in Germany they have a larger population crammed in a small country. The government of Canada has a tendency to give lip service to energy and water efficiency.
The end result was that the clothes came out brilliantly clean with no residue. Most of the water was spun out and the clothes were only slightly damp, which meant that my dryer time was greatly reduced. The amount of heated water and energy used for drying is greatly reduced. Is it not time to get rid of the energy hogs?
References:
(1) High Efficiency Washing Machines Save Money With Less Water, Energy
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