Washing Machine - Saving Money Tips

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Re: Washing Machine - Saving Money Tips

"Check the instructions that came with your washer. When we did, we found that the regular cycle uses mush less electricity and water than the permanent press cycle."

Does anyone agree with this? On my washer, you can select the time and speed of "swishing" in both permanent press and regular wash. The water level, too, of course. Permanent press does not have an extra rinse compared to regular. I just don't see where the extra water or energy use could come into play. The only difference I see is that permanent prees has a "cool down" period where the clothes rest before the rinse water comes in. If you've washed in hot or warm water, this gives clothes a chance to cool off so that the cold rinse water does not then set in the wrinkles. The only thing using electricty during cool down would be the timer.

But if I'm missing something I really would like to know.

[Cindy in NY]

Re: Washing Machine - Saving Money Tips

It could be the age of the washer. Ours is about 20 years old. The instruction booklet has a chart which shows how long the different cycles are and how much total water they use. For us, the regular cycle is shorter (thus less energy) and uses less water. Not everyone's will be like this but it's worth checking.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Re: Washing Machine - Saving Money Tips

Gotcha, Cindy. I had to use my neighbor's washer today and yesterday to do some wash for her. Boy, are our machines different. Her looks to be from the seventies but works really well. I'm afraid this is one of those things to which applies the line, "They just don't make 'em like they used to."

[Scamper]

Re: Washing Machine - Saving Money Tips

Hi guys. I'm new here. Would like to share some things with you. Just need to find the right categories.

For starters this is for your detergent.
Take that plastic insert out of the top of your bottles. There is enough product inside for one or two more loads.

The manufacturers just want you to go back sooner than needed.

Also a repair man told me one day, forget the name brands. It's the agitation that cleans the clothes. Not the name. They all work.

[Scamper]

Re: Washing Machine - Saving Money Tips

Was thinking. I also take that scoup out of the dry detergent. Then glue on four milk caps for a wheel barrow. Put in some top soil, and a small plant. Last stick it in my windows. Have seven now. so cute.

[Scamper]

Re: Washing Machine - Saving Money Tips

When you buy new jeans, rinse them in 1 cup of white vinegar. This will keep them from fading.

You can wash a whole load of colored clothes with 1 cup of white vinegar. They won't run. No you won't smell like a pickle, trust me.

You can also wash sweaters in 1 cup of white vinegar. No fur balls.

[acezz4e_tish]

Re: Washing Machine - Saving Money Tips

you can presoak socks, undys and such in peroxide, u can get 2 bottles for a dollar so why not, right? I only use tide coldwater. I use the he for my shampooer. Soap also depends on ur skin, for me its cause i break out, what looks like scabies, but it is from soap, with alot of soaps. cheer, all, surf, im allergic to all that, and my kids are allergic to stuff with alt bleach, like xtra w/ bleach alt in it, they come home bumpy from my mothers house. on my front loader, perm press uses less energy then regular cycle. it also has a second rinse for any cycle i want. i would get a drying rack for the tub if all else fails, some rules with ur living situation are illegal and they cant enforce them. such as satellite, they cant deny you the use of that, otherwise cable would be an only choice and only choice is illegal in the usa. thats why there are so many phone companys now. they pay rent to at&t, its thier own service, but u need repair, its the main company in your area that fixes.like for me, swb does repairs, but im using a telfamily set up. I would think thier concern prolly falls under blight, and u can read ur areas blight ordinances to be sure exactly what they can tell u what u cant do legally. the point im trying to make, is just that dont accept their bottom line as law, check with your commerces and such, if u cant save money from thier demands, seems fair to me that they should reimburse the difference to your costs. just like jobs that require certain clothing, if you have to buy it, they have to reimburse you. my hubby pays 6 dollars a week for his clothes at work, they clean em and thats a good thing, cause i use softener and u cant use it on clothes for his type job, its a fire hazard. he welds pieces on barges, it goes in your boot and u could lite right up.

[Scamper]

Re: Washing Machine - Saving Money Tips

More Laundry tips.

Lighten Your Laundry Load

Make sure your children know to, put their own clothes in the hamper when they're dirty. You might also suggest that they hang up, their clothes after the first wear.
Teach them to examine the items for stains or odors.

Instead of using one big hamper, give each family member their own basket, tied with a ribbon color of their choice. They are responsible for their own basket.

Have a stain stick near the hamper area so that family members, can treat their own clothes before placing them into the appropriate bin.

Be sure to read the care label before purchasing clothing for your family, to make sure that the items are machine washable.

Sizing spray is used on synthetic fabrics, while spray starch is used on natural fabrics. Spraying while ironing will help the clothes, resist stains and make cleaning much easier.

Use lingerie bags for each family member's socks. That way they are kept all together and you don't have to sort later. Make sure to keep the lights and darks separate.

If you only have a few items to dry, throw in a large dry towel to absorb some of the moisture. The clothes will dry faster. Make sure it's a white towel or one that has been laundered many times, or the color from the towel could leak onto your clothes.

A general rule is to always launder in cold water using a minimal amount of detergent.

To make sure each load is dry at the same time, wash and dry items of similar weight together.

[jossiegas5]

I just want to say thank you for sharing with me that tips on how to save in using a washing machine. Actually I have realized that I did not save water and electricity every time I uses our washing machine. So next time, I will follow your tips. Thank you!

[zhuwh]

Thank you for sharing the news with us , if we do it according to what you have said , then i think we can save the water and the money .

[Elena C.]

If you can do:
Single Household
One load, every 5 or 6 days that’s 73 or 60 loads per year.
Two loads every 9 days that’s 80 loads per year.
Three loads every 10 days that’s 111 loads per year.

Nice math! That really puts it into perspective. If you multiply 80 loads per year x even a little bit of savings, that shows how small changes in our habits can really add up.

[nck4857]

Making Homemade Laundry Soap

I've been making my own laundry detergent. It works fine, even my picky wife uses it now and it comes out to like a penny/load or something ridiculous.

[Rainbow Traveller]

Here’s a few tips on saving money and energy when you’re chucking that next load into your machine:
1.Laundry sorting. Sort your washing into darks and lights, heavily soiled and everyday. It will require more washing than if you just bundled them all in to the machine together, but you will be able to hone your washing and your clothes will last longer.
2.Cold water washes. The benefits of cold water washing are clear. The energy required to heat the water in your washing machine is a huge percentage of the total running costs of the machine itself. Choosing the cold wash option on your machine (if cold wash doesn’t exist, opt for the lowest temperature you can, e.g. warm wash) will drastically reduce the amount of energy, thus money, required to run it. Using hot water to wash your clothes has a negligible effect on their cleaning. Hot water can also discolour, fade and shrink your clothes, which all just adds up to more money you’ll have to spend.
3.Pre-soaking. Washing machines aren’t miracle workers, so if you chuck mud-covered clothes in with your usual wash, it’s likely you’re going to need a few more washes to clean everything else again. Have a bucket handy to soak dirty clothes before throwing them into the machine. This will hopefully loosen and remove the majority of the dirt much easier.