It turns out that 60% of Americans still wash their laundry in warm water. According to this article, an easy way to save $60 a year is simply to change to cold water washes.
Personally, I switched to cold water awhile ago and never noticed a difference in the cleanliness of the clothes. Saving $60 just by moving a dial from “warm” to “cold” is a pretty good deal, if you ask me.
Yes! All laundry gets washed in cold by default in our house. Once in a long while we might run the shower curtain through on hot with white vinegar, but that’s about it.
Interestingly, I just did the math, specifically on Tide:
Tide Coldwater: $15 for 26 loads (http://www.amazon.com/Procter-Gamble-Tide-Coldwater-Detergent/dp/B000WRZ89Y)
Tide Regular: $12 for 32 loads (http://www.amazon.com/Tide-Liquid-Laundry-Detergent-Original/dp/B001CDZ5S6)
The article estimates 300 loads per year to get the $60 savings in heating cost.
Tide Coldwater Cost: 300/26*15 = $173
Tide Regular Cost: 300/32*12 = $112.50
So the Coldwater detergent costs 173-112.5 ($60.50) more than regular detergent.
That makes the cost a total wash (pun not intended, but appreciated).
Will regular detergent do the same in cold water? Maybe it will do a decent job, but the article implied you had to use the new formulas with special surfactants. So I’m not sure…
Good point, Shawn. I’ve always used regular detergent, haven’t noticed a difference. Personally, I wouldn’t buy a special detergent just to wash in cold water.