Washing machine - 40 vs 30 degrees?

[Jobi1canobi]

We have quite a swish washing machine (bought second hand for £100 from my sister in laws dad who repairs them for a living - total bargain of the century!)

It's a Siemens Extraklasse XLS 140 and depending on what setting you put it on, it will tell you what time the cycle is due to finish.

I've recently started washing at 30 degrees instead of the usual 40 degrees because apparently I can make huge savings. But, I'm a little confused. When we set the cycle to 40 degrees the cycle takes 4 minutes less than at 30 degrees whereas I would have thought it would be the other way round.

If the cycle takes longer at a lesser heat - where are we making the saving? If anyone can explain where the saving is made - is this then offset by the extra time taken to finish the cycle?

[ina]

The extra time may just be waiting time - so not be using any electricity at all. My machine takes ages (partly because the water pressure is very low, and the filling up takes for ever); but the handbook tells me which cycle uses how much in energy.

[theabsinthefairy]

Most savings made by washing at 30 instead of 40 are due to reducing the amount of energy being used to heat the water to the required temperature as opposed to cycle length.

[starchild]

I've got a kill-a-watt meter and found the following:

cold wash 0.09p
40 degree wash 7.53p
60 degree wash 9.58p

I agree with what the others have said - it's the heating that costs money, not the length of the machine cycle. My 'economy' setting takes nearly 3 hours to run through (wouldn't have bought the machine if I'd known).
As you can see from the readings I have taken, there aren't really 'huge' savings to be made :)

[theabsinthefairy]

My 'economy' setting takes nearly 3 hours to run through

My economy / cold wash is done in 30 minutes! - I do have the spin set all the way to delicate as it is so hot and sunny at the moment I don't see the point in the machine using electricity to do what the sun will do for free.

[ina]

I've got a kill-a-watt meter and found the following:

cold wash 0.09p
40 degree wash 7.53p
60 degree wash 9.58p

Do you know what that is in energy? Pounds and pence don't really tell you much in these times of constantly rising prices. I am more interested in saving energy than saving a few pence here and there.

[starchild]

I don't know I'm afraid, Gina - I'm more interested in the money LOL!
My elec is 9.34p a unit, so I guess you could work it out from there.......

[ina]

I don't know I'm afraid, Gina - I'm more interested in the money LOL!
My elec is 9.34p a unit, so I guess you could work it out from there.......

Of course you can - but since the price changes a lot nowadays, I find it better to note the actual usage. Can't do anything (much) about the price - but you can do something about the units used!

[LBR]

I switched to washing in cold water only. Saved two therms of natural gas the first month. (I do approx. 5 loads of laundry per month.)

[tiggy]

Clothes fine at 30 but I always wash teatowels and dishcloths at 95 .this also keeps the machine clean and i dont get any problems with sludge and goo build up. cant make my mind up on towels,always used to do them at 60 but have been mixing them in the 30 wash for a while. intend to try the teatowels and cloths at 60 and see what happens . iam of the generation that happily boils everything senseless in persuit of hygiene but old witches are willing to learn and mend their ways to save energy.

[LBR]

Tiggy, white vinegar will disinfect. So will hanging things in the sunshine.

Goo and sludge build up is either from hard water or junk in the laundry liquid/powder.

You can use baking soda, washing soda, Borax, or castile soap and avoid the gunk.

Vinegar is good in the rinse cycle and helps dissolve the build up from hard water.

Baking soda softens the water, too.

[Andy Hamilton]

I have swapped from 30 up to 40 for somethings. I know it is not very eco, but after trying out various different methods I just found that some of the shirts I wore to the allotment were just not getting clean and would need more than one wash. I figured washing one load a month at 40 rather than repeatedly washing stuff at 30 was less energy hungry. Perhaps I should think about soaking some stuff beforehand, but then there will be the dilema of soaking them in hot water with even more detergent than before...

Vinegar is a great fabric softner I will agree there, but aren't hard *unsoftened towels more absorbent, thus it's better not to use softner with towels. I notice than in hotels the towels can be hard.

[ina]

Perhaps I should think about soaking some stuff beforehand, but then there will be the dilema of soaking them in hot water with even more detergent than before...

Collect the soapy water from your bath or shower for the soaking! I sometimes even just stick the dirty jeans into the tub when I have a shower; the trampling on them while warm water is raining down provides even more cleaning power for free.

[LBR]

Ina, great idea about water for soaking. I'll keep some inside for pre-wash, rather thank scooping it all out for my garden.

Andy, good point! I don't try to soften anything. Laundry which is hung outside gets stiff and scratchy. I do think it makes the towels more absorbent. My SO likes all his stuff soft, but I'm trying to win him over. My clothes look a little like boards when I first put them on, but they conform soon.

[Peggy Sue]

I wonder how much spin speed has to do with energy consumption. My OH has been won over to 30C (Yeh so my really 'dirty' clothes always look grom, but I wear them for allotment & dog walking so hey) but he always wants top speed for spin- any meansurements I can quote him to scare him (since he pays the elecy bill!)

BTW Andy, you picture looks like you are in... the Gents!?! Surely not?

Like the shower idea, always thought I couldn't really put it on the garden with all that soap in it but hate the waste. Perhaps my grimy clothes may improve ....a little