The average American home washing machine is used more than 400 times a year. That's a lot of energy and money when you think about it — especially if you have an electric clothes dryer. Some money-saving tips:

• Match the water level to the size of your laundry load.
• Wash only full loads of clothes.
• Use cold water wash and rinse cycles. Use hot water only when necessary.
• If you must wash a partial load, use a delicate setting to ease the work load of your appliance.
• Don't use too much detergent. It will make your machine work harder and use more energy.
• Avoid two-wash cycles by pre-soaking heavily-soiled garments.
• Dry only full loads of clothes.
• Avoid overloading your dryer. If clothes don't have room to tumble around, your drying cycle will take too long.
• Clean the lint screen in the dryer after each load.
• Use the dryer's moisture sensor setting to shut off the appliance automatically.
• Keep the outside exhaust fan of your dryer clean. A clogged exhaust fan will lengthen the drying time and waste money.
• Take advantage of retained heat. Dry your clothes in consecutive loads.
• Separate heavy from lightweight items so clothes will dry all at once and the appliance doesn't have to run as long.
• Dry your clothes on a clothesline or indoor rack.
• Don't throw in wet items to a load that's already partially dry.