In short: washing machine water use ranges from about 13 gallons a load for an ENERGY STAR-certified front-loader to 40–45 gallons a load for an older top-loader. Six loads a week at 20 gallons per load, typical of a high-efficiency top-loader, comes to about 120 gallons a week — roughly 17 gallons a day. Enter your own loads, machine type and load size above for a figure tailored to your laundry.
These are planning estimates from typical gallons-per-load figures. Your metered bill is the true measure — use it to fine-tune the inputs.
How the estimate is calculated
Washing machine water use is gallons per load multiplied by how many loads you run, adjusted for typical load size, plus any extra rinse cycles. The calculator multiplies your weekly loads by the effective gallons per load, then adds extra rinses at roughly 40% of a full load's water each:
weekly use = loads × (gal/load × load size) + extra rinses × (gal/load × 0.4)
The weekly total is divided by 7 for a daily average, then scaled by 30.44 days for a monthly figure and 365 days for a yearly one.
Worked example. Six full loads a week in a high-efficiency top-loader at 20 gallons per load, with no extra rinses, comes to 120 gallons a week — about 17.1 gallons a day, 522 gallons a month, or 6,257 gallons a year.
Typical washing machine water use by type
The defaults above use a common high-efficiency top-loader. Front-loading and ENERGY STAR-certified machines use significantly less water per load than older top-loaders.
| Machine type | Gallons / full load |
|---|---|
| Older top-load (pre-efficiency) | 40–45 |
| Standard top-load | 27–33 |
| High-efficiency top-load | 18–25 |
| High-efficiency front-load | 12–20 |
| ENERGY STAR-certified (average) | ≈13 |
Why machine type and load size change the answer
Front-loading machines use a tumbling action that only needs enough water to wet the clothes, while older top-loaders fill a full tub around a central agitator, using far more water for the same load. That single design difference explains most of the gap between a 41-gallon older top-loader and a 13-gallon ENERGY STAR front-loader.
Load size matters on machines with automatic sensing, which measure the load and adjust the fill level, so a half load genuinely uses less water. On older, non-sensing machines the tub often fills to a fixed level regardless of load size, so a half load doesn't save water the way it does on a sensing machine — check your model before relying on smaller loads to cut usage.
Worked scenarios
Efficient household, ENERGY STAR washer. Five full loads a week at 13 gallons per load, with no extra rinses, comes to 65 gallons a week — about 9.3 gallons a day, 283 gallons a month, or 3,389 gallons a year.
Large family, older machine. Eight full loads a week at 41 gallons per load, plus three extra rinse cycles a week at 16.4 gallons each, totals 328 + 49 = 377 gallons a week — about 53.9 gallons a day, 1,640 gallons a month, or roughly 19,668 gallons a year.
Switching machines. At six loads a week, moving from an older 41-gallon top-loader to an ENERGY STAR-certified 13-gallon washer cuts water use from about 12,827 gallons a year to about 4,067 — a saving of roughly 8,760 gallons a year.
How to bring the number down
Run full loads. On a machine with automatic load sensing, washing full loads instead of several partial ones makes the best use of the water your machine already draws. On a non-sensing machine, combining loads has an even bigger effect since partial loads don't get a smaller fill.
Skip the extra rinse when you don't need it. It's a real convenience for heavily soiled loads or sensitive skin, but running it by default on every wash adds up — see the worked scenario above for how much.
Replace an aging machine. The gap between an older top-loader and an ENERGY STAR-certified model is the single biggest lever in this calculator; see the water conservation savings calculator to weigh the numbers for your own laundry.
Frequently asked questions
How much water does a washing machine use per load?
It depends heavily on the machine. Older top-loading washers use about 40 to 45 gallons per full load, standard top-loaders around 27 to 33 gallons, and high-efficiency front-loaders as little as 12 to 20 gallons, with ENERGY STAR-certified models averaging around 13 gallons.
How much water does laundry use per week?
It depends on how many loads you run and your machine's water use per load. Six loads a week at 20 gallons per load, typical of a high-efficiency top-loader, comes to about 120 gallons a week, roughly 17 gallons a day. Enter your own loads and machine type for a figure tailored to your laundry.
Does load size affect how much water a washer uses?
On many modern washers, yes. Machines with automatic load sensing use less water for smaller loads, so a half load can use noticeably less than a full one. Older, non-sensing machines often fill to the same level regardless of load size, so check your model before assuming savings from partial loads.
Does an extra rinse cycle use a lot of water?
Yes. An extra rinse cycle typically uses a substantial fraction of a full wash's water; this calculator assumes about 40% of your machine's gallons per load for each extra rinse, so running it regularly adds up over a year of laundry.
How much water can I save by switching to an ENERGY STAR washer?
Replacing an older top-loader using about 41 gallons a load with an ENERGY STAR-certified machine at about 13 gallons a load saves roughly 28 gallons every load. At six loads a week, that's about 8,760 gallons saved a year.
Does this calculator include the water used to rinse out detergent?
Yes, a normal wash and rinse cycle is already included in the gallons-per-load figure. The extra rinse field is only for an additional rinse cycle beyond your machine's standard cycle, such as one selected for heavily soiled loads or sensitive skin.
Sources & references
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ENERGY STAR: Clothes Washers.
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Water Q&A: Water use at home.
- Water Research Foundation. Residential End Uses of Water Study (REUWS), Version 2 (2016).
Sarah Bennett, MS
Water Quality & Sustainability Specialist · Portland, Oregon
Environmental scientist (MS, Water Resources) with 9+ years in residential water quality, treatment, and usage efficiency, and 150+ completed assessments. Sarah writes and reviews the treatment, usage, and cost calculators on watercalculator.us. Read full bio
MS Environmental Science, Water Resources (2018) · BS Environmental Engineering (2016)