Everyone would like to see their utility bill go down. Did you know that there are some significant savings lurking out in your laundry room? If you own a washer and dryer, here are several things you could be doing that would lead to lower energy costs and less impact on the environment. Let’s start out with your washer.
Are you still washing clothes in hot water? You could probably save quite a bit by switching every load possible to cold water. There may be a few items that need to be washed in hot water from time to time, but new cold water detergents are available that are effective on a wide range of fabrics. Cold water washing saves money because you don’t have to heat the water. Water heaters can be expensive to operate, and you probably use a lot of water on wash day, especially if you have a large family. So head over to your favorite grocery or variety store and grab some of that cold water detergent. Try washing a few loads in cold water and see how it works.
Have you ever thought about the spin setting on your washer? To remove excess water after rinsing, washing machines have the spin cycle. Less expensive washers usually have a fixed amount of time for spending clothes. More expensive washers often have the ability to add minutes to the spin cycle or to program a second spin cycle. When you think about it makes sense to have this ability. The more your clothing spins, the dryer it will be when you remove it. This means that your clothes dryer won’t have to work as hard to dryer clothes, saving you energy and money.
Another bit of advice about washing machines and saving energy is to wash only full loads as much as possible. This all depends on how many people are living in your home contributing clothes to the hamper. If you can wait until you build up a full load of clothes, then you will be washing less often. You’ll be using less water and less energy.
If you apply these three tips — cold water washing, longer spin cycles and full loads — you can count on lower energy costs in your home. And that means your utility company won’t be putting you through the wringer.