As bills continue to rise, it’s more important than ever to tighten those purse strings. Towards this end, you might decide to cut down on energy use throughout the home. But understanding the best way to do this is a real challenge. At a glance, it can be tough to tell what appliances are consuming the most electricity, and which appliances you could feasibly cut down on using.

It’s no small secret that washing machines can be heavy energy consumers. While it depends on the model you have, and how often you use it, washing machines can be responsible for some heavy electricity bills! As such, you might wonder whether you could simply go without using your washing machine. You might also wonder whether washing your clothes by hand actually saves more money.

Want to save money on your bills, but not quite ready to forgo the use of your washing machine? Let’s find out once and for all whether washing your clothes by hand would be cheaper than using your washing machine!

Is It Cheaper To Hand Wash Your Clothes Or Use A Washing Machine?

It’s difficult to find a concrete answer to this question. Unlike many other appliances in the home, a washing machine does not just use electricity but also uses water. This means that the use of a washing machine can directly affect two of your most important bills.

Technically speaking, you can use far less water washing your clothing by hand, than by using a washing machine. To wash clothes by hand, all you need is an adequately-sized basin of water, and a bit of laundry detergent. A washing machine, on the other hand, is always cycling fresh water into the machine throughout the cycle. This means that more water is always being used by the washing machine.

However, in order to wash clothes by hand, you’re still going to need access to hot water. And in order to create hot water in the home, a significant amount of electricity is needed. So much electricity, in fact, that more energy might be used in heating up water than powering a washing machine cycle. You may not actually save more money by washing your clothes by hand!

Washing clothes by hand saves a lot more water than running a washing machine. However, the energy needed to heat up that water can match the energy consumption of a washing machine!

It’s also important to note that, while a washing machine uses more water, it is able to wash more clothes at once. If you’re only running full loads, and making full use of the drum capacity, then none of that water is going to waste. While you might save some pennies on water from washing by hand, it’s far more efficient to use your washing machine.

Why Opt For A Washing Machine?

Put simply, using a washing machine is just far more convenient. While hand washing clothes cuts down on water usage, it is an incredibly time-consuming and laborious task. If you have a busy lifestyle, a washing machine can help to save you a lot of time and energy.

Washing machines are essential for those with busy lifestyles. Instead of spending countless hours washing clothes by hand, simply throw them into the drum, and let the cycle do the job!

Washing machines are also incredibly easy to use and customise as you see fit. Let’s say you need to occasionally wash some delicate clothing every few weeks. Most modern washing machines allow you to boot up highly specialised washing cycles designed to care for specific types of clothing. This means you don’t have to worry about safely washing all of your clothes by hand.

How Can You Make Your Washing Machine More Efficient?

If you decide to opt for a washing machine in your kitchen, there are a few things you can do to improve its efficiency and save yourself some extra cash.

One of the best things you can do is to opt for an up-to-date model. Newer washing machines are built to be highly efficient. If you still have an older washing machine, especially one produced before 2013, we strongly recommend opting for an upgrade. Newer washing machines are designed to use less electricity and less water, while still providing a great clean.

Newer washing machines also come with specialised “Eco” washing cycles that can cut down on energy even further.

When you do use your washing machine, be sure to always insert a full load. What’s the point of using all of that water and electricity to only wash a small number of items? Loading up your washing machine allows you to cut through your laundry backlog while also saving electricity and water!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Cheaper To Hand Wash Clothes Or Use A Washing Machine?

It’s easy to assume that hand washing your clothes will always be cheaper than using a washing machine. However, this is not always the case. Hand washing clothes uses less water, but a lot of electricity is needed to heat that water up. The amount of electricity needed to heat up the water is close to the amount of energy needed to run a washing machine cycle. Thus, hand washing may not save much money!

What Is The Most Economical Way To Wash Clothes?

If you’re washing clothes in the washing machine, then one way to cut down on costs is to lower the temperature of the water. Even simply washing your clothes at 30 or 40 degrees can cut down on electricity consumption. However, if you need to sanitise clothes, you’ll need to wash them at 60 degrees or higher. This temperature can kill germs and bacteria.

Does A 15 Minute Wash Clean Clothes?

Yes. The 15-minute wash cycle is intended for use with smaller laundry loads, or for cleaning only slightly dirty items. If you place just a small load into a 15-minute cycle, then it will come out clean. If you were to place a large load into a 15-minute cycle, then it may come out unwashed!