Doing laundry is a fact of life in most households. Many times it is a daily chore that is necessary so our families have clean clothes to wear. The energy that is used doing laundry can add up over time to a pretty hefty bill. But, there are ways to save money even on laundry:
- Switch to a cold water wash – I wash all my darks in cold water with just my normal detergent, and the clothes come out clean. But, if you’re worried about whether regular detergent will do the trick, there are special cold water detergents. About 90% of the energy used to do laundry comes from heating the water. So, by doing 80% of your loads in cold water, you can save more than $60 per year (or $100 in higher electricity areas).
- Only do full loads of laundry – It takes about the same amount of energy to do a small load vs. a large load, so wait until you have enough laundry to fill the washing machine before you throw in a load.
- If you’re in the market for a new washing machine, consider an ENERGY STAR washing machine. The machine may be more expensive up front, but you’ll need to add the calculation for the energy savings into the cost. An ENERGY STAR qualified machine may save $550 in operating costs over the life of the machine.
- Consider hanging clothes to line-dry (or use a drying rack) rather than using your dryer.
How do you save money on laundry? For more frugal tips, visit Biblical Womanhood.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
We do those same things, wash in cold, wash a full load. In the summer we will get back to line-drying, which I’m really looking forward to. Good tips!
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Washing and drying clothes in “off peak” hours also saves a significant amount of money. Here in California that means after 6pm and before 7 am.
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I have a great tip for when you have to use a dryer. Toss in a few DRY towels with your Laundry. It will dry you laundry faster !!
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Great tips, Tia and HappyHermit!
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