Laundry Efficiency at Its Best

Laundry tasks can be daunting and time consuming. The process of separating clothes and washing numerous loads in one day can tempt you to stop. However, since you can’t afford to let your clothes pile up for long periods of time, I want to inform you about a simple way to reduce laundry time and the associated expenses.

The Cost of Doing Laundry

This type of expense can accrue quickly especially if you’re not keeping track of how often you use your household washing machine. If you travel to the laundromat, you can control the expense to a certain amount because there is a specific amount for each load such as $2.00 or $3.00. Larger loads such as those for comforters, rugs, and other bulk items can range up to $5.00. The cost of drying may seem cheap, but if your drying estimation is off, you’ll find yourself inserting more quarters than you anticipated.

The amount you spend depends on the number of loads you have to do. If you’re single, then your expense definitely won’t be as much as paying for family loads. On the other hand, regardless of your marital or family status, if you’re on a tight budget, spending $20 on a laundry trip can be expensive.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 3,400 gallons of water are used for full loads per household annually making the annual cost over $600.00. One household laundry load can utilize approximately 41 gallons. Depending on your city or municipality’s water rates, you can end up paying several hundreds of dollars each month or every other month if you don’t monitor your water usage.

Now if you can afford paying any amount for your water bill, that’s great, but if your water bill is threatening your household expense comfort zone, it’s time to switch water temperatures and laundry processing. Using a household dryer can also become expensive particularly if you’re using an electric dryer.

Alternative Ways to Do Laundry

The convenience of using a washing machine that’s electric is excellent. The benefits of being able to manage other household duties or run errands while your clothes are washing makes the monetary investment worthwhile. On the other hand, since the expense of operating these advanced machines is not conducive to your household budget on a regular basis, you may want to consider these tips to save on energy costs.

Thankfully, we don’t have to use laundry methods commonly used prior to the invention of washing and drying machines not unless you prefer to.

Although the old conventional ways were rather laborious, there are cost-saving lessons that can be learned from these tedious methods. The first lesson is exercise. You may not be able to include a rigorous exercise routine in your schedule, but manually operated washing tools can help you get an upper body workout specifically your arms.

The Laundry Pod

During my search for an off-the-grid washer, I found The Laundry Pod. This cost-efficient washer is a handy resource that can fit on a countertop. It can handle small loads of clothes and is easy to operate. However, it does require manual labor in terms of churning the handle.

The instructions to operate this laundry unit is very simple. The first step is to sit it on a countertop next to a sink and pull out the drain hose so that the water can pour out without making a mess on the countertop and floor. The next step requires you to load the green washer bin with clothes and fill the container with water. Although the instructions

recommend filling half of the container with water, I suggest filling it up until the water covers the clothes. This will provide a sufficient amount of submergence for the top layer of clothes.

The instructions also suggest using about one-fifth of detergent because of the washer’s ability to utilize detergent at an optimal level. However, I like to add a little more to ensure a thorough cleaning. The instructions also suggest turning the handle about a minute or two. This works very well, but I usually turn the handle 100 times as a way to give my clothes extra washing. However, many times you turn the handle is up to you, but a few more minutes pass the two-minute recommendation won’t hurt.

What I Discovered

When I was using a regular washing machine, I would use the washing machine several times a week. Now that I use the Laundry Pod, I have reduced my washing frequency because I monitor the amount of clothes in my hamper to make sure that it’s not overflowing. Now I wash twice a week with smaller loads.

Stay Consistent

While using the Laundry Pod, it’s easy to become distracted while the water is draining. It’s best to stand by the unit during the process so that you can complete your rinsing and spinning very quickly. Otherwise, you will find yourself washing all day.

Overall, the Laundry Pod is convenient and energy efficient. It may seem like you are using a lot of water because of the washing and rinsing cycle, but the amount of water used in a regular washing machine is greater. If you would like more information about the Laundry Pod click here for product details and reviews.

Stay Productive and Efficient

References

Environmental Protection Agency. Earth Month Tip: Wash Your Clothes in Cold Water. https://blog.epa.gov/tag/laundry/

Energy Saver. 16 Ways to Save Money in the Laundry Room. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/articles/16-ways-save-money-laundry-room

Old and Interesting. History of Laundry – After 1800. http://www.oldandinteresting.com/history-of-washing-clothes.aspx

The Cost of Doing Laundry. http://www.specsserver.com/CACHE/frosyyxwibnc.pdf