ENERGY bills are going sky high so every little way to keep the costs down helps.
In most homes with kids, the washing machine is basically constantly running… and that’s going to be pricey.
But there are a few things that you can do to lower those costs and it’s all down to the time you’re using the machine.
Depending on your tariff, your energy bills may be lowest overnight, meaning that you’re best off running the machine between 10pm and 5am, according to NetMums.
This applies to anyone on the Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariff – so dig out your agreement and see if that’s you.
It is worth noting that safety experts advise against leaving appliances running when you’re in bed so this may mean staying up a little later.


On the other side of the coin, the time to avoid running the machine is between 4-7pm which are peak energy hours.
Another piece of handy advice is to do loads back to back so that the machine is still warm from the previous wash and won’t need as much energy to heat up the water.
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There are other ways to reduce costs, that are also great for the environment, like picking the colder cycles like 30 degrees rather than always washing at 40 and by using the eco setting on your machine.
Plus, did you know the cleaner your machine is, the more energy efficient it will be? So making sure you give it the once over every few months will also keep your bills to a minimum.
The best way to clean it is to pour two cups of white vinegar into the tray and run it on the hottest cycle.
Then when that’s finished pop half a cup of baking soda in the drum and run it once more.
Another great way to cut costs is to air dry your clothes rather than spending money running the dryer.
In other cleaning hack news, we told you about the hidden spots in your home that are actually really filthy.


We also revealed how to get a burnt pan looking like new.
And this viral TikTok sink cleaning hack could cost you thousands.