If you're looking for ways to save money amid the cost of living crisis, then you're in luck - with one expert recently reeling off a list of mistakes you may be making with regards to washing.
Not only can these mistakes end up actually making your clothes dirtier, but they also may be costing you more money in the long run through extra energy consumed to rectify them.
Vivien Fodor, who is a laundry category manager at home appliance brand Indesit has shared their top ways to keep the costs at bay when it comes to working your washing machine.
Read more: Six things you should never clean with baking soda to avoid 'scratching and damaging'
The Mirror reports that the capacity of the drum actually has an impact on how efficient your machine is. Viviene recommended a 5kg capacity for those who live alone, whereas a machine with a 10kg capacity will work for a family. However, no matter the size of the machine, always wait until a large enough load has accumulated before running a cycle.
Remember, an overfilled machine "won't properly wash your clothes", so as tempting as it can be to cram clothes in to get them all washed at the same time, it's not cost-effective. According to the expert, for those on a "time of us" tariff, there are three hours in the day when it is "more expensive" for households to run their washing machine, reports the Express.
These hours are between 4pm and 7pm, and it's more expensive around these hours as it's when people are returning home from work, using appliances. As a result, this leads to a demand in electricity, so many suppliers put their price per kilowatt hour up at peak times.
If you're unsure whether you're charged at peak times, contact your energy supplier. And washing on colder temperatures may help you to save money in the long run.
A short 30-degree cycle should be perfectly adequate for most products, and will use around 40% less energy than a warmer one. If you're worried about stains not being removed, Vivien recommends "dabbing the garment with lemon juice and baking soda before loading into the machine."
And if you want to keep your machine in tip-top condition for longer, ensuring that you don't have to buy an expensive machine again for a long time, removing limescale is vital. She instructed: "To destroy any limescale, add limescale remover to a hot wash every three months.
"Hot washes are generally more expensive to run but this one-off cycle could save you money in the long run by maintaining your existing machine."
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