From washing and drying to the type of laundry detergent you use, find out what
cost savings you can make with a few quick and easy changes
W
Which?Editorial team
With winter on its way and energy saving a priority, there are simple ways you can save money and reduce your bills when using your washing machine, tumble dryer and laundry detergent.
Our unique washing machine, tumble dryer and laundry detergent lab tests give us lots of insights on the best products to use and the most effective way to use them.
We've crunched the data and worked out that you can save around £162 per year by following our advice. Watch our video above or read on to find out more.
We tested a range of washing machines in 2020 to see how washing at lower temperatures affects cleaning and energy use.
On average, switching from 40°C to 30°C saved 38% energy, and going down to 20°C saved 62%.
The average washing machine costs about £77 a year to run four washes a week, so switching to 30°C would cut £29 off of this, while 20°C will cut £48.
And lowering the temperature doesn't mean you need to compromise on stain-busting power, either.
Our snapshot test revealed that unless you're washing really soiled clothes, modern machines - particularly our Best Buy washing machines - will still do a good job most of the time.
Tips for effective cleaning at lower temperatures:
Set your machine to wash at 30°C or 20°C.
Switching to a liquid laundry detergent will help shift stains. We found that tough stains lifted more easily with a liquid than a powder at 30°C and 20°C.
Pre-treat tough stains with diluted detergent for the best chance of removing them.
Run a monthly hot maintenance wash (60°C with the machine empty and washing machine cleaner in the detergent tray).
According to NHS and government advice, the normal washing of clothes will reduce the risk of germs, such as coronavirus, spreading.
However, there are some cases where you might want to wash at a higher temperature. Read our guide on how to wash clothes and kill germs to find out more.
When we tested how a range of heat pump dryers performed over 20 loads of drying, we were shocked by some of the findings.
Some machines ended up using 50% more energy than during the first load.
The average heat pump dryer costs around £68 per year to do three loads a week, so you can see how this could quickly add around £34 to your annual laundry costs.
The reason for this is the lower filters getting blocked up with dust and lint from your clothes.
Tips to stop your dryer becoming inefficient:
Find the lower filter at the bottom of the dryer - it's a sponge that sits in front of the heat exchanger (the condenser) and it can be hidden behind a flap. You might need to push two small levers inwards to unlock it.
Once unlocked, remove the lower filter, taking out any larger pieces of fluff and hair from the heat exchanger.
Rinse the lower filter and, if it's removable, the heat exchanger under a cold tap until they're completely free of any dust or debris.
If you can't remove the heat exchanger, brush any fluff away.
Only begin cleaning the lower filter when the dryer has cooled down from its last drying cycle.
Make sure the filter is completely dry before you insert it back into the machine.
If you're in the market for a new dryer, you could save as much as £100 a year in running costs by choosing an energy-saving heat-pump tumble dryer rather than a less efficient condenser model.
The most energy efficient way of washing clothes is to fill the drum up, rather than washing one or two items on a quick wash programme.
Quick programs - or speed-up buttons - slightly reduce how much energy is used, but not by the same amount that the capacity is reduced. So it's much more economical to do fewer big loads than daily smaller ones.
When we checked in May 2019 to see what effect speed-up functions have on cleaning and energy, we found dramatic differences between the three machines we tested.
One only reduced the energy used by around 20%, while another cut it in half. But this still isn't enough to justify a daily wash. Doing a bigger normal wash four times a week used 17% less energy than the average of the three fast daily washes.
This would add up to an annual saving of around £13 for the average washing machine.
This may not sound like much, but remember, you'll also be saving by using less detergent - more on that below.
If you love a deal or are on a tight budget, be sure to look out for our Great Value badge on our reviews.
While Which? Best Buys remain the gold standard when it comes to product recommendations, when you see our Great Value badge you can be sure that the product does a good job and represents excellent value for money.
Across the Which? site you'll find more than 500 Great Value products from more than 70 product areas.
