Wash all your clothes in cold water (the whites too)

Between 80 and 90% of the energy used to wash clothes is used for heating the water.

By switching from warm to cold water washing, you could save around $50/year in water heating costs. Plus, clothes washed in cold water retain their colour longer. And don’t worry about the clothes not being cleaned properly – new detergents have been developed to work in specifically cold water.

As well, did you know that with Vancouver’s very soft water, we only need to use about half the manufacturers’ recommended amount of laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, other similar cleaners and even toothpaste?

Save even more energy by hanging your clothes to dry! Did you know that 6% of a household’s electricity is used by dryers?