Green Home Improvement Project: Front Load Washers Save You Money

Green choices around your home can be beneficial in many ways. Green implies environmentally friendly and in these times everyone seems concerned about doing their part to help save the environment while at the same time saving money and improving their home. There is no more beneficial home improvement project than a "green" project.

When you think about home improvement what comes to mind may be something such as updated a kitchen, renovating a bathroom, painting a bedroom and so on. All of these options have "green" choices throughout. When updating a kitchen you can choose energy start rated appliance to save on electricity. When renovating a bathroom you can choose water saving toilets or low flow shower heads to save on water usage. When painting a bedroom, you can go with environmentally friendly low VOC or no VOC paint to protect both yourself and the atmosphere.

All of the projects above are "green" but what can you do in the laundry room to maker your home more efficient? In recent years, the front load washing machine has stormed into showrooms. Most have seen this machine, but few understand the real benefits of a front load washer over a top load washer or years ago.

A front load washing machine works by tumbling your clothes around and allowing them to fall into the water for the leaning action. Rather than soaking in a lot of water like a top load washer does, the front loader uses a fraction of the water and relies on this constant tumbling action. Whereas a top loader may use up to 15 gallons of water per load, some front loaders can use less than 2 gallons per load. Water savings is evident, but this is not the only advantage of a front load washer.

Aside from being gentle on clothing and making them last longer than a top load washer would, the front load washer also incorporate a high speed spin cycle that can reach over 1,000 rpms. This tremendously fast spin extracts almost every drop of water from the clothing which in turn reducing the time spent in the dryer in half. By reducing drying time, you cut down on electricity or gas usage of your dryer, thus saving even more.

The benefits of a front load washer are numerous; the only downside is high cost. At over $1,000 on average, a front load washer is an investment, but it's a "green" investment that starts to quickly pay you back. So next time you're in the market for a washing machine, consider the front loader for its benefits and make the environmentally friendly choice, you will reap the benefits for years to come.