Washer: Sustainable Use

Using your washer to its full potential is not only about getting the cleanest clothes, it’s also about finding the most efficient way to get the most out of your machine. Sustainability is important for both the environment and your wallet, and even little things can help.

How Can You Sustainably Do Your Laundry?

The first step for sustainable washing is to buy the right washer. Choosing a model with a high energy-efficiency rating will help cut down on both energy and water use, which is good for the environment. There are some very efficient, water-saving machines out there, so keep an eye on the specs to make sure you're buying the best.

Other things to look out for are the machine's features and functions. Machines with cold cycles, quick washes and eco monitors can help you save on some washes and get sustainable use out of your machine.

Caring for Your HE Washer

Choosing the right machine is only the beginning. It’s also important to keep your washer clean, because an unclean washer can lead to garments needing a second wash. So it’s best if you give your washer a clean once a month to remove any buildup or impurities lurking in the machine.

Efficient Detergent

Using the right laundry detergent not only plays an important role in sustainable use, but also delivers better results. With the wrong detergent, your clothes can appear dingy and dull. When your machine does not have enough water to interact with the detergent to fully wash the dirt off your garments, your clothes are left with that dingy and dull look. Since most detergents are not optimized to work in a low-water environment, and this can result in the unwanted dingy appearance in your laundry when you use an HE washer.

While it’s common believe that all detergents that carry the HE label are suitable to use in a HE machine, not all HE detergents are created equal. U:MOM is designed to address the issues that consumers face the most with their HE machines.

Since the quick-dissolving Smart Suds™ technology helps prevent HE Machines from running additional rinse cycles, U:MOM detergent that creates fewer suds and disperses quickly to give you the best cleaning performance, while using only 20% to 66% of the water used in traditional machines.

U:MOM is a low-sudsing detergent that yields brilliant results, even in a cool wash. Not only that, but it’s concentrated, meaning you'll need to use less in each wash, while still getting that U:MOM clean.

This first-of-its-kind formula is available in U:MOM liquid detergent, Now that you've found the right detergent, you'll need to use it correctly. Using too much detergent will cause oversudsing in the machine, and using too little will not get the job done. Make sure you are using the right amount of detergent by measuring the dose in the cap or by following the dosage instructions on the label. This can help prevent the need to re-wash your clothes.

If you want to learn more about how to get the most out of your high-efficiency appliances, see Tide’s tips for Understanding High Efficiency.