Home Laundry Vs Laundromat
Energy saving in the home is not difficult. Laundry is certainly a necessity. This article is about how energy costs can be achieved with the task of doing laundry without breaking the family budget, and without a great deal of family sacrifice.
Due to the poor economy, we are all looking for ways to save money. Many of us watch as our utility bills soar, forcing us to cut back on heat and air conditioning.
These are some tips for saving energy doing laundy at home. One costly venture is that of the laundry.
Using the laundromat for laundry, even for a single person, can be a costly venture. In the long run, going to a laundromat will not be a money saver. There is one reason to use the laundromat that will save money.
Heavy items such as washable area rugs, blankets, pillows should be done at the laundromat. Most home washers hold about 18 pounds of wash. However, it is 18 pounds of wet wash, not dry.
Once rugs, comforters, pillows become saturated with water, the weight is tremendous, too much for a household washer to have to deal with year after year. Going to the laundromat with these items a few times a year, is much cheaper than having to replace your washer.
Another reason, is that items like rugs, blankets, comforters, pillows, and the like, is that they need plenty of room to circulate in the washer which they can't do in a household washer, even if you only wash one item at a time, which will increase your energy costs for water and electric.
Due to the poor economy, we are all looking for ways to save money. Many of us watch as our utility bills soar, forcing us to cut back on heat and air conditioning.
These are some tips for saving energy doing laundy at home. One costly venture is that of the laundry.
Using the laundromat for laundry, even for a single person, can be a costly venture. In the long run, going to a laundromat will not be a money saver. There is one reason to use the laundromat that will save money.
Heavy items such as washable area rugs, blankets, pillows should be done at the laundromat. Most home washers hold about 18 pounds of wash. However, it is 18 pounds of wet wash, not dry.
Once rugs, comforters, pillows become saturated with water, the weight is tremendous, too much for a household washer to have to deal with year after year. Going to the laundromat with these items a few times a year, is much cheaper than having to replace your washer.
Another reason, is that items like rugs, blankets, comforters, pillows, and the like, is that they need plenty of room to circulate in the washer which they can't do in a household washer, even if you only wash one item at a time, which will increase your energy costs for water and electric.
LG Front Load Steam Washer And Dryer
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Energy Saving Tips At Home With Laundry
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There is one way to begin seeing energy saving at home. If it fits your budget, or if you are considering replacing your old laundry appliances. The average cost of high efficiency washers range from $500 – 1600. Most HE washers and dryers are front loading.
One of the money savers is the cost of water. Ahigh efficiency (HE) washer uses approximately 20 gallons less water, per load, than the traditional, older automatic washers do. An HE washer can save up to 70 percent of your energy costs, while getting your laundry even cleaner.
Cold Vs Hot Water
Laundry, especially for a large family can drive up the cost of water and electricity with an electric washer. Only use hot water when absolutely necessary. Unless your laundry is extremely dirty, a cold wash is just fine. Of course, we have the warm wash on most washers. But, if you have ever felt the temperature, when using warm water, the water is cold.
One of the money savers is the cost of water. Ahigh efficiency (HE) washer uses approximately 20 gallons less water, per load, than the traditional, older automatic washers do. An HE washer can save up to 70 percent of your energy costs, while getting your laundry even cleaner.
Cold Vs Hot Water
Laundry, especially for a large family can drive up the cost of water and electricity with an electric washer. Only use hot water when absolutely necessary. Unless your laundry is extremely dirty, a cold wash is just fine. Of course, we have the warm wash on most washers. But, if you have ever felt the temperature, when using warm water, the water is cold.
Proper loading vs Overstuffing
Believe it or not, one of the major energy saving at home tips involves the proper loading of your washer. Make sure the washer is filled, but not overstuffed.
Most washers have a small, medium and large load capacity. In most cases, it is not worth using the small load capacity because the cycle is just as long as those of the larger load, requiring the same amount of electricity as the larger loads.
The small load capacity does not allow for many pieces of clothing such as shirts, slacks, skirts or even linens. It is cheaper to wait until you have a larger load before you do your laundry. Otherwise, you are usually increasing the cost of electricity and water for these small loads.
Of course, those delicate washables, or clothing with colors that run, it is best use the small load setting, unless you have enough of these articles, where you can wait until you can use the larger load capacities.
Another reason to not overstuff is that the clothing will not have enough room to be moved about, in the washer, by the agitator, therefore, they will not come out clean.
The Missing Socks
There is nothing more frustrating than losing a mate to a brand new pair of socks, or many mates to socks. There is a solution to the mystery of the missing sock. More than likely, the washer has been overstuffed. The missing socks have been pushed out and over the washtub leaving them between the metal and washtub. These missing socks will eventually get into the inner workings of your washer and destroy it, causing an expensive replacement of repair of your washer.
Most washers have a small, medium and large load capacity. In most cases, it is not worth using the small load capacity because the cycle is just as long as those of the larger load, requiring the same amount of electricity as the larger loads.
The small load capacity does not allow for many pieces of clothing such as shirts, slacks, skirts or even linens. It is cheaper to wait until you have a larger load before you do your laundry. Otherwise, you are usually increasing the cost of electricity and water for these small loads.
Of course, those delicate washables, or clothing with colors that run, it is best use the small load setting, unless you have enough of these articles, where you can wait until you can use the larger load capacities.
Another reason to not overstuff is that the clothing will not have enough room to be moved about, in the washer, by the agitator, therefore, they will not come out clean.
The Missing Socks
There is nothing more frustrating than losing a mate to a brand new pair of socks, or many mates to socks. There is a solution to the mystery of the missing sock. More than likely, the washer has been overstuffed. The missing socks have been pushed out and over the washtub leaving them between the metal and washtub. These missing socks will eventually get into the inner workings of your washer and destroy it, causing an expensive replacement of repair of your washer.
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Energy Saving Tips At Home-Drying Laundry
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Drying clothing with an electric dryer is definitely costly. You will be surprised as to the amount of money you can save by simply hanging your clothes to dry. It is not difficult to put up a clothesline in the basement. Even with a drafty basement, in the winter, you can dry heavy items such as jeans, blankets and coats in 24 hours, sometimes less.
A gas dryer is often less costly, but you can still save money by following these tips. Clotheslines If you don't have a basement, there are portable clotheslines and drying racks which can be set up on your porch, balcony, or backyard without the need for installing them. One old-fashioned way is to hang items such as tops and slacks on hangers, and then hang them on your shower rod overnight, after all showers have been taken. Some find that using aclothes dryer is a hard habit to break. Therefore, if you insist on using your dryer to dry everything, there are some tips on how to save on energy costs. Save Energy With Your Dryer First of all, do not over stuff your dryer. No matter how hot the heat is, if the heat cannot freely circulate around the pieces of clothing or linens, they are not going to dry within a reasonable amount of time. A load that consists of 3 thick bath towels, 3 washcloths and dishcloths, a few pairs of thin socks should not take any longer than 20-30 minutes to dry them. Set your timer at 20 minutes. Then go and remove the dried items, and leave those that may still be damp to dry further. Of course, unless you are going to fold and put away your towels and washcloths, you can take the damp ones and let them finish drying on the towel rack where you are going to put clean towels anyway. So now, you have dried a load in 20 minutes, rather than the typical hour of clothes drying which is a waste of energy. Lint Trap Another tip refers to the lint trap which is often overlooked. Clean your trap after each load. The collected lint makes your dryer work harder to dry your clothing, and it is also a fire hazard. |
Final Tips
You can save on the cost of clothing, linens, rugs and other items by allowing them to dry naturally.
The natural drying method will add life to your items, rather than take away from it as dryers do.
Dryer Sheets
The fabric softener, dryer sheets are a waste of money in the long run. For
-The fresh smell does not last long enough to make it worth the cost.
-Static
Items dried in the dryer often come out full of static. Here are some tips and how to remove static while using the dryer naturally
Get rid of those dryer sheets, static, pet hair, dry clothes faster and still have them smell good without chemicals.
The natural drying method will add life to your items, rather than take away from it as dryers do.
Dryer Sheets
The fabric softener, dryer sheets are a waste of money in the long run. For
-The fresh smell does not last long enough to make it worth the cost.
-Static
Items dried in the dryer often come out full of static. Here are some tips and how to remove static while using the dryer naturally
Get rid of those dryer sheets, static, pet hair, dry clothes faster and still have them smell good without chemicals.
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