It seems like energy bills are always on the rise. As such, many of us are looking for ways to cut back on energy use and save on important bills. For many people, this often means cutting out the use of certain appliances. Especially those with energy-hungry reputations. In fact, you might even consider no longer using your trusty tumble dryer.
But if you make frequent use of your tumble dryer, and you couldn’t imagine living without it, you might not be ready to do without it entirely! Luckily, there are actually quite a few ways to cut down on tumble dryer operating costs!
We put our Reliant tech experts to the task, to find some of the most effective cost-cutting measures that will let you keep using the handy appliance. Read below to see what they found out!
How Do You Save Money With A Tumble Dryer?
Fill It Up
If you want to save money with your tumble dryer, it helps to fill it up efficiently! Every time you run a drying cycle, your tumble dryer uses the same amount of electricity, no matter how much laundry is placed within it. As such, underfilling it only serves to put all of that electricity to waste!
Make use of every bit of electricity by ensuring you fill up your tumble dryer properly. Fill it up to the designated maximum every time. Half-filling your tumble dryer is simply a massive waste of electricity!
Whenever you load your tumble dryer, make sure you fill it up to its maximum. Don’t run the tumble dryer with only half a laundry load in there. Just make sure to also not overfill it! If you can’t fit your hand into the drum once all of your laundry is inserted, then it’s too stuffed!
Spin Your Laundry
Of course, you’re likely going to be filling up your tumble dryer with clothes fresh out of the washing machine. You can make your tumble dryer’s job much easier by giving your laundry an extra spin in the washing machine.
The spin cycle on a washing machine is specifically programmed to wick moisture out of your laundry. Extending the spin cycle by even a few seconds can help to reduce the amount of moisture left in your clothes, which in turn reduces the amount of moisture that the tumble dryer needs to deal with!
Load Efficiently
Earlier, we mentioned just how important it is to fill up your tumble dryer before starting a cycle. However, this does not mean that you should simply bundle all of your clothes into the drum right out of the washing machine. Instead, you should load them all efficiently!
It might be tempting to simply grab that bundle of clothes from the washing machine, and stuff them into the tumble dryer, as one big ball of laundry! However, you should instead separate each of the items, and carefully drop them into the unit instead. Doing this ensures plenty of air can get to your clothes in the tumble dryer. In turn, this helps your tumble dryer to more efficiently dry your clothes, and in less time!
Clean The Lint Filter
You’d be surprised at just how many tumble dryer owners totally neglect the importance of the lint filter. This small removable element is specially designed to catch all of those loose bits of dust and lint from your clothes, to keep them from clogging up the unit.
However, it’s important that you don’t leave the lint filter to do all the heavy lifting. You should make sure to remove it after every cycle and clear it out of collected lint. When the lint filter fills up to an extreme level, it becomes very difficult for hot air to move around the tumble dryer. And without that crucial hot air, your tumble dryer simply won’t be able to effectively work.
This is particularly risky if you are using a very modern tumble dryer. Many modern tumble dryers have humidity detectors that can tell when your clothes are dry. If your clothes are taking forever to dry due to a lack of hot air, the tumble dryer will simply keep going, until they dry! This could result in the unit operating for hours at a time, and sending your bills skyrocketing!
Upgrade!
Finally, one of the top recommendations for saving money while using a tumble dryer is simply to upgrade! If you’ve been using the same tumble dryer for more than a decade, it’s well past time to opt for a newer model. When tumble dryers age, they naturally become much less effective in all areas. This means that they might have to work extra hard to get the job done, resulting in excess energy use.
It’s worth looking for a more energy-efficient tumble dryer. You’ll know a tumble dryer is efficient if it has a solid energy rating. “A” ratings indicate appliances that operate at peak efficiency!
When replacing an older tumble dryer, you should make sure you’re opting for a new model with a focus on efficiency. The efficiency of any appliance is based on an “A” to “G” scale, with “A” representing maximum efficiency. You should do your best to look for tumble dryers that are rated as close to “A” as possible. Efficient tumble dryers use less electricity, and cost less to operate!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Save Money With A Tumble Dryer?
To save money with a tumble dryer, you should make sure to use it efficiently. The first key thing to do is to fill up the drum to the maximum limit designated in the appliance’s user manual. Making full use of the space ensures no electricity goes to waste. Make sure to also keep the appliance’s lint filter clear. A clear lint filter makes it easier for hot air to travel around the unit!
