Energy experts have shared the 'best' time of day to do your laundry, as it can result in lower energy bills.
Thanks to the rising cost of living, many people are looking for ways to reduce their spends in everyday life. Doing the laundry is something that can't really be avoided, but the costs can be pretty high if you live with a big family and have to do multiple loads a week.
But it turns out there is a timeframe where it could cost less to run the washing machine, according to energy pros - and doing it at this time may slash your bills by 50 per cent.
The Express reports that the price of energy will be lower at times when the grid is under less pressure and demand is at its lowest, if you're on an off-peak or time of use tariff.
Energy expert Les Roberts, content manager at Bionic, said that this is usually between 8pm and 10pm.
He explained: "Costs can sometimes be 50 percent lower during these hours so it can definitely be worth doing your load overnight and taking advantage of these off peak prices."
There are plenty of small and simple changes you can make to your laundry routine in order to save money and make your machine last longer.
Les says that one of these is to check the efficiency of your appliance, explaining: "The energy rating should be printed on the energy label of your washing machine device and will be ranked from G-A with A being the most efficient model.
"The more efficient models cut the KwH used per cycle significantly, so running costs will be much lower.
"Generally speaking, older machines tend to be less energy efficient, so it might be worth upgrading if you've had your washer for more than 10 years."
Another way to extend the lifespan of your washing machine is to make sure you're running it on a low temperature for longer durations.
David Palmer, LG’s senior product specialist of home appliances, said: "The temperature you choose to wash your clothes at has an impact on your energy usage. If you choose to wash at 20C or lower, you can minimise the amount of energy your washing machine consumes."
Most detergent companies nowadays have created laundry liquid and pods that work efficiently even in colder washes.
Ariel, one of the biggest UK brands, say that washing clothes at 20 or 30 degrees will stop the colours from running and minimise the risk of your clothes shrinking.
However, when it comes to really dirty clothes or bedsheets, you should opt for a hotter wash of around 40-60 degrees in order to kill bacteria.
According to Deyan Dimitrov, CEO of Laundryheap, there is a "common misconception" that the dirtier the item or bedding is, the more detergent it needs.
But this could be doing “more harm than good”. The expert explained: "Not only can too much detergent stain your sheets (especially if they’re white), but it can also wear down their fibres, eventually causing holes and tears.
"Instead of detergent, I would recommend using half a cup of baking soda and vinegar to wash your bedsheets."
It's also recommended that you do your laundry "economically" and filling the machine up fully, rather that doing multiple loads.
But overfilling it can mean that the laundry pod doesn't dissolve and your clothes don't get washed properly.
A final tip to save money on laundry is to always make sure the machine is turned off when it's not being used, so you're not wasting money on standby mode.
And cleaning it out regularly to remove the build-up of any mould and limescale will make the machine efficient for much longer.
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