The cost of living crisis is absolutely terrifying. There we said it.
Food, electricity, gas, rent, mortgages, petrol – everything is going up already stretching household budgets to near breaking point and everyone is looking to save money on their energy bills. Despite all of this, the washing still needs to be done are we right? Unfortunately those *gorgeous* but laundry creating little humans won’t slow down the endless stream of dirty clothes just because it now costs more than ever to wash and dry them. The good news is that there are a number of different ways you can help bring the cost of your washing cycle down. Here are our top 4 ways to reduce your energy bills, one wash at a time.
#1 | Max out your capacity.
It sounds frustratingly simple but however tempting it is to “just get it done”, putting your washing machine or tumble dryer on with only half a load is incredibly inefficient. If the simple act of using your appliance now costs more than you’d like, making sure to properly fill up the drum correctly is a simple way to reduce the number of cycles you do over a week – therefore, saving money. However, there’s a limit. It’s no use overfilling in an attempt to reduce the load, only to have to wash it again because none of the clothes actually got cleaned. A great way to ensure your machine will run as efficiently as possible is to check if you can still touch the top of the drum. If you can’t fit your hand in, it’s overfilled.
#2 | Turn your temperature down.
If you’re guilty of running all your washes and drying cycles on a super high heat then now’s the time to listen up. With most of the energy being used in heating the water, washing your clothes at cooler temperatures, and for less time, can greatly increase your machine’s energy efficiency. For example, switching to a 30 degree cycle can cut your washing machine’s energy use in HALF, in comparison to a 40-60 degree cycle.
Think that your washing cycle needs to be hot in order to clean the clothes effectively? It might surprise you that modern washing powders and detergents work just as well at lower temperatures and it also improves the life of your fabrics – a win, win! If you do need to run a hot wash try to save it for any bedding, towels, sportswear or heavily soiled items and not just because it’s the wash you always use. With this in mind, we often tend to use the same couple of cycles without really thinking about it. Digging out the manual and discovering your machine’s eco wash, or cold wash setting could save you a fifth of the energy used each time!
The same is true when it comes to drying your laundry. True, if you run a cooler cycle then it may take longer to dry but your overall energy consumption is much lower AND you’ll be less likely to over-dry your clothes. If your clothes come out hot to the touch, they’ve been in for too long!
#3 | Air dry where possible.
Ah, the elephant in the room. Unfortunately, your tumble dryer uses the most amount of energy out of ALL standard household cleaning appliances. Yikes. Sadly, soaring energy costs means drying your clothes in front of a radiator isn’t a cost effective option either. Naturally with this in mind allowing your clothes to air dry where possible is one the best options when it comes to saving money. That’s all well and good if it’s the summer and you have the luxury of hanging your washing on a line outside but what happens if you don’t have that option or if it’s rained for the fifteenth day in a row?!
#4 | Invest in some dryer balls!
Adding dryer balls to your tumble dryer drum during a cycle, is the best way to bring down your energy usage AND have fresh, dry washing. These little balls will help to separate your clothes, increasing their exposure to airflow, therefore reducing their overall drying time and the length of time your dryer needs to run for, saving you money!
Our 100% wool dryer balls are much quieter and kinder to both people and the planet than their plastic alternatives. Handmade in Yorkshire from British wool, the Little Beau Sheep felted laundry balls help to soften clothes naturally by working with the dryer to maximise fluffiness, eliminating the need for fabric softeners or dryer sheets saving you more money on your weekly shop too! Each pack of 3 sheep dryer balls are made with 100g of natural, undyed wool roving to the core, with no fillers and no wrapped yarn (so it won’t unravel over time!) and will last for 1,000’s of loads. Simply pop all three balls into the dryer for a small load of laundry, or six balls or more for larger, more heavy duty loads and start saving money on your energy bills today! It’s as simple as that!
Until next time, keep bleating!
Sarah x
