Wash Clothes in Cold Water

In this week's Frugal Friday, we discuss washing your clothes in cold water. How will this save money, you may ask? Well, there is, for sure, one way and Credit Soup explains how.

Your energy bill will thank you.

Hot water requires much more energy per load, with about 75-90 percent of the total used going toward heating the water, says Mary Gagliardi, a scientist at The Clorox Company. Switching to cold water can add up to major savings. And, according to an article by Energy Star, washing your clothes in cold water each time could save you up to $66 per year in heating costs. The savings might be miniscule, but over a few years all those little savings do add up. For example, say you live in your home for 20 years. At $66 per year, that's an extra $1,320 over the course of that 20 years that you saved in energy costs - just by using cold water to launder your garments.

"Heating water uses electricity. By washing your clothes in cold water only, you can save about 584 kWh ($66) annually."

Energy Star also recommends washing full loads, using the lowest water setting, and choosing the faster spin cycle when washing laundry.

Is hot water necessary?

Hot water is still needed for certain things. "Anytime you've got something that's harder to get clean, like heavily soiled work clothes, linens and towels, bedding, socks, underwear, or white garments that easily show the dirt, that's a good time to select hot water," Gagliardi says. Hot water also kills bacteria, so it's necessary when cleaning up after illness.

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