It might be hard to get a true balance as from the 1st Jan many utilities went up. I used to wash every second day and I now wash about twice a week. My machine has a few levels so I don't have to use a lot of water if I don't have a large load.
Also we use the washing water on the garden so we save by not having to water.
Its a hard balance as Mt Washmore is a pain as is Mt Foldforever.
We didn't realise we were using more water than we needed to by not having the outlet hose hooked higher than the top of the washing machine.
DH unhooked it to attach it to an irrigation pipe for the back lawn, but because the whole pipe was lower than the washing machine, apparently it siphons out extra water during the rinse cycle. So now he's got it hooked over the tap then out to the irrigation pipe.
we only wash weekly here - i figure that way we can make up full loads from the weeks clothes - i am really picky about washing stuff in certain loads, and hate doing half loads - work stuff might not get washed for three weeks til i have a decent load full of stuff! haven't noticed what is happening with our water bill - i'm just peeved that, over THREE years, they're raising charges by over SEVENTY PERCENT!
i try not to give them any more money than i need to anyway - bloody water board flog us over $100 a quarter as we own two blocks of land (under one title) and because they were too slack to hook the house into the exisiting water when the house was built on the opposite block, we have to pay for the "annoyance" of having a meter (not even a TAP) on the bottom block... grrrr bitter lady!
I did five loads of washing yesterday. I think that will make a difference. But its not often that happens. There will be one load of nappies in a few days, and one load of clothes the same day. Generally 2-4 loads a week.
Water is actually very cheap per kilolitre. So its a tough choice for me....convenience vs enviroment rather than a financial factor for once!!
I do try and do full loads, and use the water on our vege patch and grass every time. So I feel I am doing the right thing by not using the hose on our designated days
I do washing 2-3 times a week. I generally do a few loads at once, but it has to be full. I got a new machine last year, and at the same time I started using cloth nappies. My water usage dropped!
We have a front loader with lots of stars for energy and for water. So I think that although I wash a bit, I'm saving a lot too. I try to really limit my washing, but sometimes I just need to do the nappies because they stink (damn ammonia) or we've run out of something or DF needs his uniform washed.
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