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Coldwater
Bleach Conserves Clothes
and Energy
(Family Features)
Washing clothes in cold
water as a way to save
energy and money is a hot
topic in households
across the country.
Simply turning the
setting down from hot to
cold water when doing
your laundry can save up
to 14 percent on annual
energy bills.
According
to the U.S. Department of
Energy, more than 80
percent of energy used to
wash clothes comes from
heating water, so
switching from hot to
cold helps save $.17 a
load, or more than $60 a
year. With more than 105
million households in the
country, that adds up to
more than $6 billion in
savings.
 However, even fans of
energy conservation
complain that using a
cooler wash cycle often
comes at the cost of
residual stains and less
bright whites. New
laboratory research
suggests that adding a
bleaching product is
critical when washing
whites in cold water.
Due
to the decrease of
detergent performance in
cold, bleach is needed to
reach the optimum
cleaning level. By adding
bleach to every white or
bleach-safe load of cold
water wash, you will
boost the cleaning power
of the wash cycle to
bring out whiter whites,
while helping prolong the
life of fabric and
keeping energy costs
down.
Known as “Dr.
Laundry,” Harold Baker is
the associate research
fellow from The Clorox
Company who helped
develop the
energy-conscious laundry
technology. “The problem
is that most detergents
don’t perform as well in
cooler temperatures – we
have found that you need
an extra boost,” said
Baker. “We formulated
Clorox Plus Coldwater
Bleach to keep white
garments and linens
looking their best just
like Clorox’s original
formula has done for
millions of laundry loads
throughout the years.”
Washing in cold water
not only helps conserve
energy, it works to
prolong the life of
fabrics, Baker added.
Fibers break down less
quickly in cold water
verses hot. For optimal
cleaning with washing
bleach-safe loads in cold
water, Baker stressed
using bleach because it
helps lift soils better
than detergent along in
cold water.
Baker says there are
many ways families can
save money and conserve
energy in the laundry
room. Some of his
favorite energy savings
laundry tips include:
* Only wash full loads
of laundry to save water
and heating costs
* Dry heavy and light
fabrics separately to
keep drying times down,
and set a timer to avoid
over drying
* Switch the dryer
load immediately to
leverage the leftover
heat and increase the
efficiency of the dryer
* Clean the dryer lint
filter every time to
ensure nothing is
blocking air flow and
hampering heat
efficiencies
For more tips from
Dr.
Laundry.
All materials
courtesy of
Clorox
Courtesy of Family
Features |
