With the cost of living increasing every year, it is vitally important that we look for ways to reduce our costs when we can. This will allow us to cover household bills and also cater to personal expenses all at once.
Fortunately, there are simple ways of reducing this cost in the home, one of which is using a washing machine more efficiently.
Washing machines are nifty electrical items that take all the stress out of washing our clothing. But as great as they are, electricity costs can be pretty high if you aren’t careful when using these handy machines!
If you want to learn how to wash your new clothes without using too much electricity, this article has got you covered. Here are 5 handy tips that will help you to efficiently use your washing machine and bring down the bill.
1. Load Size Per Wash
You must always try to load your washing machine. After all, only having a half-full washing machine will not automatically mean that the device will consume less electricity!
Whether your machine is fully loaded or barely full, it will use the same amount of electricity. So, while it’s important not to underload your washing machine, you also shouldn’t overload it, either. Doing so could damage the belt and drum bearings.
This may fail to clean your clothes properly as there isn’t enough room for movement in the washing machine! Unfortunately, this means water and detergent cannot reach all of your clothes evenly.
2. Maintain Your Machine
Like any other piece of technology, you will need to maintain your machine to make sure that it performs at its best. Things can go wrong sometimes and this could impact the overall energy efficiency of your device, leading to higher electricity bills.
As a result, you must give your machine the support that it needs!
Whether you choose to take it to a professional or you opt for a DIY job on much smaller issues, you must take the time to restore your machine to as close as new as you can get it. This should be done regularly.
3. Dry Your Clothes Naturally
Drying your clothing in the sun or simply leaving them to dry naturally in your home is the best and most Eco-friendly method of saving electricity. Natural drying of clothing is much better than thermal drying which is where electricity and heat are used in the process.
If you don’t want to dry your clothes outside, you could even opt to leave your clothes to dry over the banister on your staircase or purchase an airer to do the job for you.
However, if there are no alternative options that cater to your preferences, you could opt for a front-loading washing machine instead. These have a faster spin speed, use less water, dry clothes quicker, and are generally much better at reducing your electricity usage!
4. Say No to “Standby” Mode
Like other home appliances, washing machines consume electricity in standby mode. So it’s important to make sure it is properly turned off at the wall!
If you find yourself in the habit of loading clothes in the washing machine and then becoming distracted with daily chores for a couple of hours before heading back to your machine, you could inadvertently be increasing your electricity consumption.
Modern washing machines usually turn themselves off automatically but they are still on standby mode until they are unplugged. On standby mode, your washing machine will still consume power even though it’s a small amount.
Make sure to turn OFF the power to turn ON the savings!
5. Use Quick Wash
Regardless of how dedicated you may be to reducing your washing cycle, you will likely still end up with a small bunch of clothing that needs to be regularly washed. In this instance, you can opt to use a quick 15 or 30-minute wash feature — if it is available on your machine.
This reduces your overall spin time and uses cooler water which means you are already saving money on all of your energy bills. By using quick wash in relevant circumstances, you might subsequently reduce your electricity bill!
Summary
There are quite a few simple ways you can efficiently use your washing machine to bring down your electricity bill. Yet these tips are 5 of the most effective and instant ways for you to save a considerable amount of money throughout the year as you wash your clothes.