Many people are looking for washing machines with a 30 degrees wash cycle. Unfortunately, many are disappointed to find that the advertised 30 degrees wash cycle is totally inappropriate for what they had in mind. This is because the majority of 30 degree wash cycles are delicate or quick washes and are not designed for eco washing but simply for freshening up items that aren’t really dirty.
These cycles are designed for either very delicate items or for laundry that is very lightly soiled and they usually don’t spin very fast either which is no use for cottons. They commonly only last about 30 minutes or even as low as 15 minutes. Surely you can’t expect to wash the majority of laundry properly in such short times which includes rinses and spins and at only 30 degrees? This type of programme is just not good enough for someone who is wanting to wash much of their laundry at the lower temperature of 30 degrees for environmental reasons.
If you want to use 30 degree washes to save energy then you need to drop the temperature from a normal 40 degree wash (like cottons) to 30 degrees which is only possible using a washing machine with a manual temperature control dial or temperature control option buttons. This should allow you to set your own temperature meaning you can select a cottons wash and turn down the temperature to 30. This should do a proper normal wash with all the rinses and a full final fast spin but at 30 degrees instead of 40.
However, before getting too carried away with the idea of saving lots of energy by dropping down from 40 to 30 you should be aware that the savings are not as great as you might assume. This is because doing a 40° wash with a modern washing machine does not cost that much at all. In fact on average the energy usage is (currently) only about 5p for an A rated washing machine on a 40 degree wash. So saving 40% on 5p by dropping to 30 degrees is not going to save a fortune. I don’t dismiss 30 degree washes altogether and please bear in mind that as energy prices increase this saving becomes higher, but being informed helps you make good decisions. Have a look at my article on 30° washes for more information.
We can conserve energy and water even without using 30 degree washers. You need only to cut back on the use of hot water cycle. Use this only for your very dirty clothes. Or, you can pre-treat your dirty clothes with a stain remover before putting it in your washer. This way, you can cut down on energy usage.
I have a friend who is convinced that if you only use the 30 degree setting on a washing machine, you are paying much less on the electricity bill. I have a hotpoint mac hine which is less then 10 years old. As I understand from your article, you don’t save much money. Am I right?
Yes Simon, my other (related) article explains in more detail Washing at 30 degrees