What a load of laundry costs, do the maths

Short answer: What it costs to wash a load of laundry depends on your electricity price, your water use, the amount of detergent and whether the clothes go in the tumble dryer. Here we show how to work out the price with your own numbers and where you can save without giving up clean clothes.

What does it cost to wash a load of laundry

There is no single answer to what a load of laundry costs, because it depends on your machine, your programme and your prices. The price has three items, namely electricity, water and detergent, and a tumble dryer adds a fourth. Work them out one by one and you can see where the money actually goes.

Electricity, water and detergent

Electricity is mostly used to heat the water, so the temperature matters a lot. Water costs by your use and your local price, and detergent depends on how much you dose. You find the numbers on your bill, on the machine's energy label and on the detergent pack, so you calculate with real figures and not guesses.

How to work out the electricity

Find on the machine's label or in the manual how many kilowatt hours a programme uses. Multiply that by your price per kilowatt hour from the electricity bill. The result is the electricity cost for one wash. Use the same method for other temperatures, and you can see what a lower temperature is worth in money.

Water and detergent, worked out

Water use for one programme is often in the manual, and the price per cubic metre is on the water bill. Multiply use by price and add the detergent. Work out detergent by dividing the pack price by the number of washes stated on the pack. Dose by water hardness and how dirty the clothes are, because more does not make clothes cleaner.

The tumble dryer is often the most expensive item

A tumble dryer can use more electricity than the wash itself, so the sum changes a lot if the clothes are not hung to dry. Thick clothes, for example bamboo sweatwear, take longer to dry, so keep that in mind when you choose a programme. Hang clothes on a rack with good airflow when you can.

Lower temperature and a full machine

The two biggest levers are a lower temperature and a well filled machine. Often you do not need a hot wash if the clothes were worn only one day and the care label allows it. Fill the machine so that a hand's width is left at the top. Then you wash less often, and the price per wash becomes a smaller part of the sum.

Wear and lifetime in the sum

Clothes that are often washed too hot or in overfilled machines wear out faster and must be replaced more often, and that costs money too. Wash by the label and avoid high heat. If you care for them well, bamboo clothing for men and long sleeve models keep their shape longer, and you spread the purchase price over more washes.

How to put the sum together

Add electricity, water and detergent for one wash and add the tumble dryer if you use it. Multiply by the number of washes per month to see the cost over time. Look at which item is biggest and start there. Use your own numbers, because what a load of laundry costs differs from home to home.

Frequently asked questions

What does it cost to wash a load of laundry

It depends on your electricity and water price, the amount of detergent and the programme. Work out electricity, water and detergent separately with your own numbers and add the tumble dryer if you use one.

Which item is the most expensive when washing

Often it is heating the water and the tumble dryer, if you use one. A lower temperature and drying on a rack therefore change the sum the most.

How do I save when washing clothes

Wash at a lower temperature when the label allows it, fill the machine, dose detergent as needed and hang the clothes to dry. Then you use less electricity and detergent.