Ways to Save Money on Laundry....

[lordkenmore]

"By changing my habits, and going with all new Energy Star appliances, I would be able to save a whopping $19 a YEAR....$11 a year if I bought an energy star washer alone."

I've often wondered what the real world savings are...or aren't. Not that there aren't probably cases where people would see a huge savings by going with an Energy Star machine. (Expensive electricity plus many loads using hot water a week will do it.) But I'm guessing there are a lot of people who won't see a significant energy saving. The worst case are those who use tap cold for every load, and then buy a front load machine. I'm sure at least some people like this get sold on the idea of saving energy, even though they never use anything but cold.

 

[launderess]

Hexachlorophene Based Products

Are still available via perscription, but many doctors won't bother any longer.

Problem with using any product for bathing, hand washing and or even cleaning surfaces is that there is always a chance of residue. The remaining chemical can cause the same reactions upon exposure as if the full product had been used.

Years ago there was a series of deaths in newborn nurseries and the culprit was found to be that housekeeping had cleaned the surfaces including bassinets with a product that contained phenol, a highy toxic substance especially to infants. This is one of the reasons you don't see such cleaners in hospitals/healthcare much and why the traditional Lysol of old (in the brown bottle) no longer is what it once was. With the phenol compounds removed the product isn't even EPA registered as a disinfectant IIRC.

Back to hexachlorophene:

Because the United States is so court happy doctors and others are hard pressed to suggest using a product with a "past", even if they think it is safe and or a person makes a request.

 

[neptunebob]

Tom, let me guess, did your parents work in nursing?

 

[sudsmaster]

Energy Star appliances

By far the biggest savings one can get is to replace a pre-1990's fridge with a modern energy star fridge.

I replaced two fridges in my "new" old home ten years ago. One used 1500 KWh/yr. The other used 1700 KWh/yr. These were the figures GE gave me when I called in the model numbers. I replaced these two with modern KA fridges that use 570 and 640 KWh/yr.

Now, I pay $.26/KWh for electricity in excess of what I currently use. By replacing these two fridges, I'm saving $517/year. After six years, these fridges paid for themselves in energy savings.

Now, I agree that the same savings won't be had by switching from a traditional top loading washer to a front loader. But that's not really the reason why I prefer a front loader. It cleans better, is more gentle on clothing, and you can wash bulky items with less grief than in a center agitator washer. Plus the sight of the laundry going round and round in that window is cheap entertainment. I've never really bothered with computing how much I might be saving after I replaced an old top loader with a front loader. It really was more apples and oranges. I know I wash items more frequently than I would with the top loader, and more different types of items, which a front loader can handle better than a traditional top loader, such as comforters, throw rugs, covers, etc.

Yes, there are high efficiency top loaders. The Maytag Bravos and the Whirlpool Calypso seem to be the best of the lot. But darned if I'm not fairly convinced that they will never clean as well as a front loader, esp front loaders with internal water heaters. The only HE top loader I know of that *might* have a in internal water heater is the LG, and I would avoid buying a washer (or anything else) with the LG logo on it. Too many horror stories of awful warranty service.

Your mileage may vary, but the smart thing to do is to get the appliance that you think will work best for you, and perhaps also save you $$$ in water and electricity costs down the line. You're doing the smart thing by pricing out the alternatives.

 

[3beltwesty]

Agreed; fridge is a biggie.

RE "By far the biggest savings one can get is to replace a pre-1990's fridge with a modern energy star fridge.

I replaced two fridges in my "new" old home ten years ago. One used 1500 KWh/yr. The other used 1700 KWh/yr. These were the figures GE gave me when I called in the model numbers. I replaced these two with modern KA fridges that use 570 and 640 KWh/yr."

The old Sears (Whirlpool) Fridge from circa 1989 died a month ago. It was a vertical
double door unit of 21 cubic foot, with built in icemaker and water thru the freezer door. Its measured power consumption was about 1300 KWHR/year for the summer time and about 1200ish in the winter in an little/unheated house.

The new 18 cuft GE fridge I got at Home Depot has an icemaker, but no thru door water. It is a freezer on top and fridge on bottom. It is not as fancy as the old one; but only uses 335 KWHR per year on the yellow tag . My measured data over the last month is slightly less than 0.9 KWHR per day.

 

[circlew]

Refrigerators

The ones that use lots of electricity are the "frost-free" models of the 60's - 80's. The earlier ones (manual defrost) tend to use very little.

 

[securitybearuk]

Mum knows best

Whites on their own 60 to 90 deg
Towels on their own hot wash 40 to 60 deg
Color fast Cottons shirts bedding light colored under wear 40deg
Dark wash trousers socks synthetics etc 30 to 40 deg
Denims on their own 30 to 40 deg
non fast coloreds seperate wash by hand rinsed thourghly and short spin in spin dryer or if there is a few items put in washer for short spin cycle
A small load if needed in a hurry 30 mins quick wash at 50 deg (my washer)on quick wash 3 rinses low spin turn on to full spin after quick wash ends

Most modern detergents do the job well, I would never consider a cold wash for the likes of towels or under garments ewwwwww.

 

[franksdad]

Better yet! Let's just go NAKED all summer! Think of the

I second that motion! Happiness is no tan lines (I've always heard...)

 

[yogitunes]

For me the whole idea of the FL was water usage, not the tiny drips of today, but with my Neptunes, I can use three of these at one time, wash in either hot or warm water, even a warm rinse, and still know I am saving versus the TL, without even putting a dent in the water heaters supply......

I went from a Kenmore Limited Set, electric dryer too!......for me I have the best of both worlds, meaning I can wash 2 times the size load of the Kenmore, with half the water and detergent.....and I got a matching GAS dryer, cheaper than electric......unless I am trying to reduce my black jeans from fading so fast, there is NO reason to ever wash a load in COLD water.....

Whats the most HOT water would you really use in a FL......people who insist on saving energy from hot water usage, waste more taking a shower, or boiling water for spaghetti, or boil a pot of water for a lobster, than you would use in a FL machine......and a lot of todays FL machines use half of what my Neptunes use!

 

[xraytech]

hey, for the ultimate savings just take your clothes down to the closest creek or pond and do your weekly wash there and then line dry

 

[spankomatic]

take your clothes down to the closest creek or pond ...

Don't you have to have an Environmental Impact Study or something to do that? I don't think it would be cost effective.....

 

[mark_wpduet]

@ Tomturbomatic

I notice things like this too! I can't stand it. Touching nasty money, a grocery cart, a public door knob and then go have lunch as if their hands aren't dirty. I see it all the time and it just grosses me out.

As for washing. I always wash in either warm or hot.

Oh.......And the thought of going to someone's house for dinner who washes everything together in cold water and line dry them in a dank basement...........LOL!

I pray that I'm never broke enough to have to resort to those measures.

 

[franksdad]

I pray that I'm never broke enough to have to resort to

Me too.

 

[henry200]

My mother used to say "Being poor is no excuse for being dirty." 

 

[strongenough78]

Dirtybuck (Bill)

I currently and have been using A&H Detergent, with the Oxy Clean. It works great, and I haven't had an issue with oversudsing in most cases, even when I add STPP to it. The scent may smell strong in the box, but it's nowhere near as strong on my clothes when I pull them out of the washer. Most stains come out with no problem. But I am thinking of trying the Sears Ultra Plus, just to try something different for a while. But as far as the A&H, I recommend it as well. And thanks for the idea of taking Clorox wipes to the laundromat. I never thought of something like that happening during the day before I get there to do my laundry. Now I'm kind of grossed out thinking it may have!