Is It Cheaper to Wash Clothes at Home or Laundromat?
Cutting costs has never been more important, because of the cost-of-living crisis we are currently facing. Households all over the nation are looking for ways to keep their energy and utility bills down. Research has shown that almost 6 in 10 adults in Great Britain are using less fuel, gas or electricity in their homes, due to rising energy prices.
This has led homeowners and renters alike to wonder, is it cheaper to wash clothes at home or laundromat?
We will explore the ‘washing at home’ vs ‘using a laundromat’ debate in this article, to illustrate which is the more cost-effective option.
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Is it cheaper to wash clothes at home or laundromat?
It can get very expensive to run a washing machine and tumble dryer every year, as these appliances require lots of electricity, energy, and water to run.
The cost adds up even more if you have to do repeat washes, or you make costly mistakes when doing your laundry.
Typically, it costs £102.82 to run a 1400W washing machine, three times a week.
Meanwhile, a 9kg condenser tumble dryer uses around 617 kWh annually, which equates to a yearly cost of £209.78.
Another driving factor of sky-high energy bills is Standby Electricity. This is electrical energy which is used by appliances when they appear to be turned off.
On average, a washing machine adds £6.45 to your energy bill, while a tumble dryer adds a further £6.45 if they are left on standby mode, 24 hours a day, all year round.
Can you see the pounds starting to add up? This shows you how expensive it is to do your washing and drying at home.
Hence, it can work out cheaper for you if you outsource your laundry needs to a professional laundry company. For instance:
- If a professional laundry company washes and dries your clothing for you, then you won’t be using your washing machine and tumble dryer at all. You will see a massive reduction in your energy and electricity bills!
- When you use a laundry company, you know exactly how much you are paying for the services. Whereas, with your household washing machine and tumble dryer, you will have no idea how much energy and electricity they are consuming, unless you have a smart meter installed.
- A laundry company won’t make any costly laundry mistakes, because they have expert knowledge on how to clean clothes and furnishings to a professional finish. No more money wasted on repeat washes and replacing shrunken or damaged clothing!
- If you have large, bulky items, then it is better to have these professionally laundered or dry cleaned. Professional companies have massive, industrial washing machines and tumble dryers, which can accommodate larger loads of laundry.
It is much more cost-efficient to wash a full load of laundry each time, because the energy needed to run the washing machine for a small load is almost the same.
- If you use a professional laundry company, you won’t have to spend additional money on laundry detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets, and any other laundry products. The company will take care of all of this for you. Again, this is a huge money-saver!
- Many professional laundry companies (such as ours at Love2Laundry) offer a loyalty scheme, where you can earn points to unlock exclusive discounts. So, you can start building points today and save money on future orders!
- Lots of professional laundry companies (including ours at Love2Laundry) offer discounts if you ‘refer a friend’.
At Love2Laundry, with our scheme, you and your friend can get £10 off, if you refer them. There is no limit to how many friends you can refer, so you and your friends can take part in our scheme and make great collective savings!
- Washing machines and tumble dryers can easily break down, damage your clothing, and stop working altogether. These appliances are expensive to repair and replace. But you won’t have to worry about that at all when you turn to a professional laundry company.
So, is it cheaper to wash clothes at home or laundromat?
As you can see, you could be making bigger savings than you realise in the long run, if you turn to a professional laundry company, instead of doing all your washing at home.
At Love2Laundry, we are big believers that doing laundry shouldn’t have to cause your energy bills to skyrocket. That is why we make our laundry services as affordable as possible.
For example, our ‘6kg Wash Dry & Fold’ package is only £16.85. (A 6kg load is enough to wash 30 shirts, or 12 bath towels.)
Costly Mistakes You Are Making When Doing Your Laundry At Home
Did you know that you could be making costly mistakes when doing your laundry at home, such as…
- Don’t leave your washing machine and tumble dryer on, when you aren’t using them.
As we have mentioned already, standby electricity refers to the process of electrical appliances consuming power, energy and electricity, even when you aren’t using them.
Most of us do our laundry between 1 to 3 times a week, usually at the weekends. So, why keep your appliances on during the rest of the week, when you aren’t doing laundry? If you leave your appliances on all night, every day, you are essentially paying for energy services that you don’t need in those moments.
- Don’t wash your clothes at a very hot temperature.
Washing clothes on the highest possible heat setting will cost you more money. Why not try washing your clothes for 30 minutes at 30 degrees, which could save you £54 a year?
3. Remember to clean the inside of your washing machine.
To make your washing machine last longer, make sure you clean the drum and basin, to get rid of bacteria and detergent residue.
Dirt, bacteria and mould can accumulate quickly inside your washing machine, which will ruin both your clothing and the machine itself. So, keep those costs down by cleaning the appliance regularly.
4. Try pre-treating stains before washing clothes.
If you have heavily soiled clothing, or seriously stubborn stains, then you should pre-treat these before you wash them.
If you don’t pre-treat them, then it will take longer for the stain to be lifted, and we all know that repeat washes = more money added to those energy bills.
5. Always read the care label of garments.
Most of the time, when we open up our washing machine and find our clothes shrunked, misshapen, damaged, or with the colors fading, then it is because we have not read the care labels beforehand.
Always read the care labels before washing, as this will instruct you on how best to wash the garments, without causing any damage to the fabrics.
How can Love2Laundry help me?
Love2Laundry is an on-demand laundry company. We offer laundry services in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bolton, and Bury.
We provide a door-to-door service, so we will collect your dirty laundry from you at a time that works for you. Then, we will wash, dry and fold or hang your laundry up, and then deliver them straight to your door!
Across London, we also offer Ironing services, as well as dry cleaning, linen cleaning, shoe repairs, upholstery cleaning, alterations and corporate laundry services.
All you have to do is make an order online on our website, or through our mobile app (which is available for iOS and Android).
You can choose a location and time slot that works for you, and our friendly couriers will collect your laundry items. We will then professionally clean your items and return them to you- all within 24 hours! Weekend and evening slots are available, so you can choose a time slot which is most convenient to your lifestyle.
See the price list on our website here.
At Love2Laundry, we are not your typical launderette. We operate a cashless system, so you will pay for your order via our mobile app or online via our website. We accept various forms of payment including American Express, Visa and MasterCard.
No more worrying about finding the correct change, or physically dropping off your laundry items- simply input your order with just a click of your fingers, and the rest is up to us!
Using a laundry service is a huge time-saver, because you can choose whichever time slot works for you. You won’t have to leave your home to drop off your dirty laundry, and your items will be cleaned thoroughly, with no damage caused to your garments.
About Love2Laundry
Love2Laundry is one of the leading laundry service providers in the UK, serving London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bolton, and Bury.
We have an array of services to make your household chores easy for you: we offer laundry and dry cleaning, as well as linen services, ironing, shoe repairs, upholstery cleaning and alterations.
Find out more about Love2Laundry’s dry cleaning and laundry services by visiting our website here.
Download our Love2Laundry app on the Apple App Store here or on Google Play here.
Contact us at 0203 600 0296 or info@love2laundry.com .
We hope this article has provided the answer to the question ‘is it cheaper to wash clothes at home or laundromat?’
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