New research released by the laundry brand, smol, has revealed that people who are currently over-washing their clothes could save enough to pay for their family’s entire festive feast by reducing their laundry by just 1.4 loads a week between now and Christmas.
With the average family Christmas dinner coming in at £31.50 and each average wash and tumble dry at £2.50, just over one less wash a week is enough to cover the cost of a meal for a family of four. One less wash a week should be easy for most, as smol has revealed millions of loads of laundry are done unnecessarily every week, with almost a fifth (16.8%) of people frequently or regularly washing their clothes when not noticeably dirty.
The research also found one less wash a week would save enough water for 22,000 cups of tea and enough energy to cook 40 turkeys. As the cost of living continues to bite into households budgets across the UK, smol has launched the ‘wash-o-metre’ - a new online value calculator.
Anyone can use the online app by simply inputting their washing routine, which then gives you a complete breakdown of how much their laundry is costing them in energy for washing and drying, detergent and water.
The ‘wash-o-metre’ will also generate potential savings and send personalised advice on ways to save.
Sustainable cleaning expert at smol, Kathleen Bell, said “For many UK households, re-thinking what ‘dirty’ laundry looks like could make the difference of hundreds of pounds a year.
“Many of us are putting clothes in the wash without thinking if they really need to go in the machine or not, not all clothes need to be washed after every wear - especially as we head into winter, outer garments like jumpers could be worn all week before needing to be added to the laundry basket.”
She added: “Getting more wear out of your clothes only takes a little more care - simple hacks such as hanging up clothes at the end of the day to air, or freshening them up with a linen spray, are easy ways to save your clothes from the laundry basket and help you take a load off and save big.”
You can take the washing machine test online on the smol website here.
To keep up to date with the latest cost of living news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out four times each week - sign up here.
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