Energy Saving Laundry Tips: Hot Water vs. Cold Water Washing
by Green Living on December 28, 2009
in Eco-Friendly
Many people are still of the old school mentality and want to wash their clothes in hot water to get them clean. One of the time honored tips on going green is to switch to cold water when washing most your clothes. Not only will this save you money, it saves energy too.
Some research has found that using hot water for a load of laundry is equivalent to driving nine miles in an automobile. While this doesn’t seem like a lot, multiply that times the number of loads of laundry you do in a week, and it adds up quickly. If everyone switched to cold water wash, we could eliminate over $3 billion dollars in energy costs, and reduce carbon emission by 1%.
Since cold water is less harsh on clothing, the savings to replace faded worn clothing also adds up for the family budget and the environment.
The first trick to have clean clothes using cold water is to use a quality eco-friendly washing detergent. Read the labels and look for a brand that states it can be used in cold water.
Certain types of clothing need to be washed in hot water, so sort those out and do them all at once in one load. Baby diapers and clothing should be washed in hot water to remove stains. Since chlorine bleach is a toxin, using hydrogen peroxide or vinegar as a pre-soak is much safer and eco-friendly for your baby and the environment.
Greasy clothing may need to be washed in hot water, but soaking them in an enzymatic product before washing may eliminate most of the stains. Often soaking clothes in plain water, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide will do the trick without using harsh detergents.
Use Proper Size Loads
Most modern washing machines allow you to choose the level of water to match the size of the load. Since the washer runs the same amount of time whether it is full or partially full, (except for the filling time), washing a full load is always more economical.
The new front-loading washing machines are much more energy efficient and are capable of sensing the laundry load and adjusts the water level automatically.
Overloading you washer is just as bad. Heavy loads put a strain on the motor and spinning gears and overloading could cost you a hefty repair bill. In addition, filling the washer with too many clothes reduces its efficiency. The clothes do not have room to agitate and will not come out clean even if you were to use hot water.
The Settings
Factory settings on washers are often set too high, even on the newer energy efficient washers. Many new ultra energy efficient washers default to warm wash and must be changed each time. Some even have a default warm rinse option which is a total waste of time. Rinsing in cold water has actually been proven to be more effective than at warm water rinse and will save on energy costs too.
Energy Star Rated Water Heater
When it comes time to replace your water heater, be sure to choose a Energy Star Rated model, or an instant water heater. The cost of upgrading can be offset in energy savings in just a few years. These newer models use on average 50 % less energy than the older models. If you are still not convinced that eliminating the use of hot water in your wash is the best thing, at least lower the temperature. The factory settings are usually set too high. Drop them by 10-20° for peak efficiency.
Location-Location-Location
If possible, locate your clothes washer as close to your hot water tank as possible. Heat is lost through the piping. Long pipe runs results in loss of energy before it ever gets to the end usage. All pipes in your home should be insulated, to prevent heat loss.
Following at least a few of these tips for going green when it comes to your washing machine, will save you money and will certainly be great for the environment.
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This is a good article but please don’t call them “Hot Water Heaters.” They are “water heaters.” (Why would you heat hot water?)
@Larry, good point. You are right, but the reason the article uses the term ‘hot water heater’ is for SEO (search engine optimization) purposes. The term ‘water heaters’ has about 4 times the search volume (and competition) as ‘hot water heaters’. Sometimes you want more volume, but if the competition is too high, it’s often better to go with the lower search volume terms. But I’ve changed the term to the correct version. Thanks!
this helped me a lot doing my project thx!
Hi Michelle, you’re welcome. I’m glad the information was useful. Thanks for letting me know.