Easy Peasy Tip: Wash In Cold Water!
By tinychoices | January 12, 2008
Since up to 90% of the energy used by washing machines actually goes to heating the water, you can save massive amounts of electricity just by choosing to wash in cold water. Talk about easy peasy!
Jenn’s been doing this for months now and says her clothes are just as clean as ever (let her know if you disagree). Certain mainstream laundry detergents are formulated specifically for this purpose, but we don’t think you need them– our eco-brands work just as well in cold water.
———————————————————–
Read all of our Easy Peasy Tips
———————————————————–
[Image by Nadya Peek via Flickr/Creative Commons]
Related posts:
- Easy Peasy Tip: Wash it out!
- Easy Peasy Tip: Use Soap and Water!
- Cold-Brewed Iced Tea
- Easy Peasy Tip: Use less Pasta-Water!
- Cold-Brewed Coffee
- Easy Peasy Tip: Wash your Reusable Bags!
- Easy Peasy Tip: Reduce your toilet’s water consumption
Topics: Easy Peasy Tips, Home |
I am new to reading your blog - which eco-brands do you recommend?
Thanks!
Hi Amy! I’m currently using Bio-Kleen and like it very much– washes well, and is super concentrated, which cuts down on the amount of bottles I have to buy. But it’s shipped from Vancouver WA which is far from me on the East Coast, so next time I’ll probably choose something else. I think that if you go to a natural foods store and pick a brand to try, you can’t really go wrong…
I almost always use cold water for my laundry (my exception is with my bedclothes).
I also use baking soda and borax in my laundry with just a smidgen of laundry detergent. I think my clothes smell better than they ever do with all of the scents they put into laundry detergents.
I agree with Jenn. Cold water washes work just as well as hot! I have 2 teenage boys and I almost never use any other temp. The only exception is when there is some seriously dirty sports gear that’s been in the gym bag for a week. Then I break down and do a warm wash. A friend told me about cold water washing a year ago and I have not looked back since. Now if anyone could recommend a good eco-friendly stain stick that can rival the chemical-laden brands, I’d love to hear about it… I’ve tried a few with disappointing results.
Hey mb! I seem to be on a Bio-Kleen kick these days… wonder if this product would help you with those stubborn stains? I’ve never tried it, so I dunno…
Just a heads-up on our ::Drainergy Drainpipe Heat Exchangers.
Cheaper than solar water heaters, smaller than solar, easier to install than solar, and faster payback. Why? Simple design with no moving parts, installs inside, and they work 24 / 7.
Details at: www.inventure.ca
i read this just in time - i was organizing my laundry to take the laundromat and utilized this tip right away! :)
Hey Kate! Let us know how it went! :)
in my wonderwash I use hot water but only about 4 gallons per load. the rest is all cold. When I use the machines I use all cold. and it works great!
[…] I tried out the soapnuts in my wash today. Since I wash in cold water, I followed the recommendation to make a soapnut liquid for the wash, since cold water […]
[…] air out, and wear undershirts to make sure they stay clean longer; or you can take your chances and wash in cold water - most fabrics will do just fine in cold water, hung dry, and with a gentle cool iron press […]
If you have badly soiled laundry, just soak it overnight in a 5 gallon bucket with cold water and a bit of detergent. That will help a lot. I use Charlies Soap and love it! Go to www.charliessoap.com
p.s. The trick is to get the stains out BEFORE you launder them. Soaking is good, and also just a bar of soap and some elbow grease.