How much Would You Guess?

How much would you guess? Water required per wash load?

10 gal.

20 gal.

35 gal.

65 gal.


I was curious about how much water is required to wash one large load of clothes in my home washing machine. In order to answer my question, I purchased 40 feet of 1.5" flexible drain hose, attached the hose to the machine drain hose, laid the hose across my kitchen and dining room floors, through the sliding doors onto my deck, across the deck and into a large barrel.

During a period of three weeks, I collected the wash and rinse water from three loads per week. The load size for each wash was "large" and included one wash and two rinses. The amount of water used was around the 65 gallons each load. The fifty-five gallon drums overflowed with each load. I removed two, five-gallon buckets from the barrel during the rinse cycles to keep it from spilling over the top.

Conclusion: The correct answer is 65 gal. I was surprised at how much water is consumed with each wash. Water conservation should include planning to reduce the number of loads if feasible.

Have a good week!