Save Money on Your Electric Bill with Smart Laundry Tips

Published by Asbury Electric

Electrical safety and savings is an important topic. This week we’re going to talk about the savings side of things with some ways to save money on your electric bill with some smart laundry tips!

Let’s face it: laundry is a never-ending chore that most of us are not fond of. Unfortunately they haven’t invented an affordable laundry robot yet. So until that happens, here are some tips on how to save money on your electric bill and save yourself some time.

Smart Laundry Tips

When deciding when to start the wash, put it off as long as you can. Try to only run your washing machine with a full load. It takes the same amount of energy to run a small load as it does to run a large one.

Another trick isÂ to save money on your electric bill is use lower water temperatures when washing clothes, unless they are heavily soiled. So that work shirt you wore on Wednesday while you sat at your desk doesn’t need hot water but your toddler’s jelly encrusted t-shirt may be another story. Try pre-soaking something that has stains in a small plastic bin.

Be sure you are using the correct amount of laundry soap. Carefully read the directions and pay attention to the size of the load. A load that fills 3/4 of the washer is considered a large load, so generally a full cap of detergent is required. However if you use too much detergent, your clothes may not be fully rinsed. To tell if they aren’t rinsed, clothes will feel stiff and scratchy, and they may look grey or dull.

If you are in the market for a new washer, consider getting a front loading machine. They use less energy and less water than traditional top load washers. On average, front loaders save about $30 in energy bills and use 13 gallons less per load.

Most people know to clean out the lint from the lint trap in the dryer to prevent fires. While that is true, a clean lint filter will also decrease drying time. Simply wiping the lint caught in the filter with your hand is not enough. You can test this by running water over your filter. If it holds water, your filter isn’t clean. Try using a scrub brush to clean out residual build up in the filter. This will increase air flow and decrease drying time, and in turn willÂ save money on your electric bill.

No more fabric softener

Ditch the fabric softener. Wool dryer balls can also decrease drying time and eliminate the need for fabric softener. The balls create pockets for air to fill, reaching clothes in the middle of the dryer, not just the outer layer.Using wool instead of plastic dryer balls creates a gentle friction with the clothing and softens them. The wool balls do the job of the fabric softener and save money because they are reusable. They also protect your clothes from all the extra residue left behind by the fabric softener.

Just like the washer, the most efficient thing is to only run the dryer when you have a full load. Waiting for a full load means that you won’t have to do laundry as frequently. However, there is nothing more frustrating than pulling clothes out of the dryer that are still damp. While you may think this is because the dryer was overloaded, it may be that the materials have different drying times. Underwear and quick dry athletic shirts should be separate from heavier, slow drying materials like flannel or jeans. If you don’t want the hassle of running the dryer twice, just pull out and hand up the quick drying materials.

One last tip to save money on your electric bill is to fold and hang your clean clothes as soon as they are done in the dryer. This prevents wrinkles so that you won’t need to go through the hassle of using the iron. Plus, there is something nice and cozy about the feel of warm, clean clothes fresh out of the dryer.