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While your washing machine does use electricity to run, it's the cost of heating the water (85-90% of the energy used) that costs you the most money.
1. Always use cold water for the rinse cycle. Using warm or hot water for the rinse cycle has little effect on the cleaning of your clothes and is basically a waste of money.
2. Use a cold wash - cold rinse cycle whenever possible. Assuming that you average about a load of wash a day, running your washing machine with a hot wash - cold rinse setting will cost about $100 - $125 a year. Doing the same number of loads with a cold wash - cold rinse setting will cost about $10 a year. That's over $100 in savings and can be much more if you have kids and do more frequent wash loads.
3. If a cold wash - cold rinse cycle is not possible, opt for a warm wash - cold rinse cycle over a hot wash - cold rinse cycle. A warm wash - cold rinse will cost about $65 a year - still a $35 - $60 savings over a hot wash - cold rinse cycle.
4. If a warm wash - cold rinse cleaning isn't getting you clothes clean enough, use a warm water pre-soak before washing. Soaking clothes in warm water should clean the clothes just as well, if not better, than a hot water wash without soaking.
5. By using a cold wash - cold rinse cycle, your clothes should last longer. Hot water tends to shrink, fade and wear your clothes out quicker than warm or cold water.
6. Run the washing machine only when there is a full load. In general, washing one large load will save you more money than washing two small loads.
7. If your washer has variable load sizes and you don't have a full load, set it to the appropriate load size. This will use less water and save you money.
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8. Do not over-wash clothes. clothes that need a light cleaning don't need to be washed as long as dirty work clothes.
9. Pre-soak (or use a soak cycle if you washing machine has one) when washing clothes that are heavily soiled. This will ensure that you don't have to wash the same clothes twice.
10. Use the proper setting for they type of clothes you're washing. If they are delicate or knits, use that setting if offered rather than the "regular" setting. This will use less energy and the clothes will last longer.
11. Don't put in more laundry detergent than you need. While the commercials make it look like you need a full cup to do your wash, many times you can get clothes perfectly clean with a fraction of the recommended amount of washing detergent.
12. Locate your washing machine as close to the hot water tank as possible. The shorter distance, the less amount of heat loss in the pipes.
13. Insulate any exposed pipes from the the hot water heater to the washing machine.
14. Set your hot-water heater thermostat to 120°F. A 10°F reduction in water temperature will cut the cost of washing a hot wash cycle by over 10%.
15. Don't throw clothes into the wash pile if they aren't dirty. If a garment has only been worn a short time, there may not be a need to wash it.
16. Before taking out the wash, set the washer to do another spin cycle. This will get more water out of the clothes meaning they will not take as long to dry in the dryer.
1. Always use cold water for the rinse cycle. Using warm or hot water for the rinse cycle has little effect on the cleaning of your clothes and is basically a waste of money.
2. Use a cold wash - cold rinse cycle whenever possible. Assuming that you average about a load of wash a day, running your washing machine with a hot wash - cold rinse setting will cost about $100 - $125 a year. Doing the same number of loads with a cold wash - cold rinse setting will cost about $10 a year. That's over $100 in savings and can be much more if you have kids and do more frequent wash loads.
3. If a cold wash - cold rinse cycle is not possible, opt for a warm wash - cold rinse cycle over a hot wash - cold rinse cycle. A warm wash - cold rinse will cost about $65 a year - still a $35 - $60 savings over a hot wash - cold rinse cycle.
4. If a warm wash - cold rinse cleaning isn't getting you clothes clean enough, use a warm water pre-soak before washing. Soaking clothes in warm water should clean the clothes just as well, if not better, than a hot water wash without soaking.
5. By using a cold wash - cold rinse cycle, your clothes should last longer. Hot water tends to shrink, fade and wear your clothes out quicker than warm or cold water.
6. Run the washing machine only when there is a full load. In general, washing one large load will save you more money than washing two small loads.
7. If your washer has variable load sizes and you don't have a full load, set it to the appropriate load size. This will use less water and save you money.
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8. Do not over-wash clothes. clothes that need a light cleaning don't need to be washed as long as dirty work clothes.
9. Pre-soak (or use a soak cycle if you washing machine has one) when washing clothes that are heavily soiled. This will ensure that you don't have to wash the same clothes twice.
10. Use the proper setting for they type of clothes you're washing. If they are delicate or knits, use that setting if offered rather than the "regular" setting. This will use less energy and the clothes will last longer.
11. Don't put in more laundry detergent than you need. While the commercials make it look like you need a full cup to do your wash, many times you can get clothes perfectly clean with a fraction of the recommended amount of washing detergent.
12. Locate your washing machine as close to the hot water tank as possible. The shorter distance, the less amount of heat loss in the pipes.
13. Insulate any exposed pipes from the the hot water heater to the washing machine.
14. Set your hot-water heater thermostat to 120°F. A 10°F reduction in water temperature will cut the cost of washing a hot wash cycle by over 10%.
15. Don't throw clothes into the wash pile if they aren't dirty. If a garment has only been worn a short time, there may not be a need to wash it.
16. Before taking out the wash, set the washer to do another spin cycle. This will get more water out of the clothes meaning they will not take as long to dry in the dryer.
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