I’ve recently started washing all of our laundry in cold water. I’ve read different views on this, from using specific detergents for cold water, to clothes not being as clean, especially tough stains.
Washing clothes accounts for about 14-15% of your total water usage, and about 90% of the energy used is to heat the water.
Advancements is laundry detergents and washing machine manufacturing have made it possible to get even white clothes clean in cold water.
I’ve been using our regular detergent and it seems to work fine in cold water. One of the downsides to washing in cold water may be that it does not dissolve detergent as quickly as warm or hot water. Another thing people mention is that they need to pre-treat some items with stains before washing in cold water, but wouldn’t you do this anyway?
Here are some other tips that might help you save more :
Pre-soak clothes with tough stains. (We said that already.)
Wait until you have a full load.
Set the thermostat on your water heater to no more than 120 degrees.
If you’re thinking about buying a new washing machine, look for one with an Energy Star rating. They may save you as much as 50% in energy costs. They use less water: about 18-25 gallons per load as compared to 40 gallons in a standard machine.
