Lucky In Laundry

Hubby does the laundry in my house (for the most part).

I’m lucky, I know.

So when I came home from Mom 2.0 Summit excited about how we could cut down our hot water bill by washing all of our clothes in cold water, he really didn’t pay me any mind since he’s the self-proclaimed laundry expert around here.

“Are you telling me we can wash our whites, with bleach, in cold water and have them come out as clean as they would with hot water?” he said.

“Well, that’s what the Tide people told me!” I defended.

And so, when our free sample of Tide Coldwater arrived, we gave it a try.  Suffice it to say, I haven’t heard a peep from him and have noticed that he’s bought a bottle of the Tide Coldwater all on his own.  Now, you know like I know if it turned out that I was wrong and he was right about the whites washing properly in cold water, I would have never heard the end of it.  And so I am taking his silence on the topic (and our bright white towels and sheets) as proof that it really does work.  The collateral (and more important) benefit of washing all of our loads in cold water is that we’re helping the planet.

Check out these facts from the Alliance to Save Energy:

The heating of water is one of the largest uses of energy in a typical U.S. household

When doing laundry, heating water can account for up to 80 percent of the energy used per wash load in the U.S.

If a household switched to cold water washing for a year, they would save enough energy to:

• Watch TV for 1,363 hours.
• Play Xbox 360 for 684 hours.
• Charge an iPhone 4S 30,861 times.
• Power an average new refrigerator for nearly 4 months.

By switching to cold water washing, Americans could reduce CO2 emissions by up to 11 million metric tons annually.

By switching to cold water washing, consumers can save energy in a smart, practical way and save up to $63 per year. Based on national average electric costs (7/04), water heater at 140°F, warm to cold water switch, 7 loads/wk. and assuming the efficiency of electricity generation and transmission of 35%.

So the water temperature setting on our washing machine has been set to “cold” for the past few weeks and hasn’t moved.  I’m happy to say that we’ve taken this baby step towards conserving energy.  But perhaps what I’m most excited about is that, once again, when it came to a debate between me and Hubby…I was RIGHT.  It’s the small victories.

About Tide Coldwater

Tide Coldwater is a specially formulated detergent that provides a deep clean in cold temperatures.  It is a smart, practical choice for consumers looking to cut household costs and utilize the money and energy-saving benefits of using cold water for their laundry.

This post is the first installment in a series of sponsored posts about Tide Coldwater.  All opinions shared here are my own…