Enviro-Girl bought a new washing machine a couple weeks ago and in the midst of her consumer research, she noted the Energy Star rating for each machine. After selecting a very efficient front-loader and having it delivered, she read the fine print on the sticker:
“Your cost will depend on your utility rates and use. Estimated operating cost based on eight loads a week and a 2007 national average electricity cost of 10.65 cents per kWh and natural gas cost of $1.218 per therm.”
EIGHT LOADS A WEEK???
The average family size in America is four people. Enviro-Girl has five in her household and runs five loads of wash a week.
This begs the question: where are those extra three loads of coming from? Enviro-Girl assures readers that she is NOT a slob–her house is immaculate (well, as much as possible with three young boys using the bathroom). Her husband wears a tie to work and between his baseball uniforms and her sons’ baseball/soccer/karate/playing in mud clothes she sorts and washes plenty of clothes every given week.
The difference, she suspects, lies in the towels and sheets.
She’s said this before: drying off clean dishes or clean bodies with a clean towel does NOT a dirty towel make. You can re-use your bath towels for days before tossing it in the wash.  By hanging that towel on the rack every other time you bathe, a household can eliminate ONE load of  wash each week.  Hang that towel for three showers/baths and use it again, you’ll reduce your laundry by TWO loads each week.  Wear a pair of jeans a few days in a row and a sweatshirt more than once before tossing it on the laundry pile and you can have LOADS of free time like Enviro-Girl.
Enviro-Girl implores you: wash less. You’ll save yourself time, water, energy, labor and money. She doesn’t know about you, reader, but she’d just as soon sit down with a good book than run a load of once-used towels.

To learn MORE about all the money and resources you can save, click HERE.