With a family of six, there’s never a shortage of laundry. Some days there is not an end in sight. I always feel so accomplished when all the hampers are empty and the drawers are full, though it’s only a matter of hours before the laundry begins to pile up again.
With a task as never-ending as laundry, finding ways to save money really pays off. Since the laundry isn’t going to go away, learn ways to minimize the expense so the savings will keep adding up.
Here are 8 great ways to save money on laundry. Feel free to share what works for you in the comments!
Make Your Own Detergent
I have been making my own laundry detergent for years. I have made both liquid and powdered versions. I have liked them all, but my this is my favorite recipe. It’s simple to make and takes just a few ingredients. I use a tablespoon or two for each load of laundry, so it lasts a long time.
Use Less Detergent
Even if you don’t make your own detergent, you can save on detergent by using less. Of course the brand will recommend using a lot of their product because the sooner you use it up, the sooner you’ll have to buy more. Using a third or a quarter (or less) of the recommended amount is plenty to get your average dirty laundry clean.
We’re inclined to think that more detergent will get our clothes cleaner, but the opposite is actually true. When you use too much detergent it doesn’t all get rinsed out out of your clothes, which leaves them dingier and more likely to attract dirt. Using too much detergent is also bad for your washing machine.
Use Dryer Balls
Instead of dryer sheets and fabric softener, use wool dryer balls
Use Half Dryer Sheets
If you use dryer sheets, cut them all in half. In almost any case, half of a dry sheet is sufficient for keeping static at bay and leaving clothes smelling fresh. Before converting to wool dryer balls, we always tore our dryer sheets in half.
Only Wash Dirty Clothes
Washing clean clothes is a pet peeve of mine. Unnecessary washing wastes water, electricity, laundry detergent, and my precious time. When I find folded, unworn kids clothes in the hamper, the owner gets a good talking to.
Skirts, jeans and other pants can often be worn more than once before they need to be washed. Pajamas can also be used for several days before needing to be washed. For me, a skirt or pair of pants can be worn several times before it needs to be washed.
Use a Clothesline
Appliances with a heating element are notorious for using lots of energy. You can save on energy by using a clothesline to dry your clothes. Besides saving energy, there are lots of great reasons to use a clothesline.
Repair Your Appliances
Our washer and dryer (well, my inlaws’ washer and dryer) might be older than us. They are nothing fancy, just a top-loading washing machine and standard dryer. In the time that we’ve been here they have “broken” several times and I was sure that it was time to replace them.
Between my handy husband, frugal father-in-law and some online videos and tutorials, our washer and dryer have yet another life. Before replacing your appliance, give fixing it your best shot (or ask for the help of a handy friend). Washers and dryers are pretty simple machines and the knowledge-base available on the internet is quite profound.
Use Energy Wisely
Depending on where you live, you may have programs available to you that allow you to cut your energy bill by using energy at off-peak hours. During our law school years, our electric company had an option where you could have your bill calculated at the varying hourly rate rather than the flat daily rate. Each night the rates were published for the next day. I made it a point to do my laundry (one of my highest energy-using activities) late in the evening when prices were the cheapest. We saved something like 25% off our electric bill. See if your area has a similar program!
How About YOU?
- What do you do to save money on laundry?
- Do you ever find clean clothes in the laundry hamper (or is it just me)?
Related Posts
For those that are worried about getting clothes clean with less detergent — don’t forget to pre-treat stains by rubbing a tiny bit of liquid detergent in (or Shout or whatever). Also, I like to soak especially dirty/smelly clothes for a while, either by themselves in a bucket with a bit of Oxyclean and/or detergent, or, with a top loader, just by letting the washer fill up and then waiting 20 minutes or so before I close the lid and let it run.
We are also a family of 6, so I know exactly where you are coming from in writing this post. The ‘real’ fun will come when you have 4 teenage sons who discover a field of mud and decide that’s the perfect spot for playing a game of football (then all the friends need to clean up before going back home), or when they come home from a week of scout camp with only 1 outfit that was actually worn the full week, but the stench from that one dirty set of clothes has permeated the rest of the unused, clean clothes in the duffle bag. Last year we had to replace our washing machine, and I often wondered if there were any way to calculate how many miles the motor on the old one actually had.
One thing that can help is not washing clothes as often. Children especially can go through several outfits in a day, from school, play, or practice, and not all of those clothes need washing after the first wash. This not only cuts down on the amount of laundry, but also extends the life of clothes, as washing is generally pretty hard on them. Learned this from my grandmother and still rarely wear my bluejeans just once.
1) If you’re buying a new machine, get a front-loader instead of a top-loader; they use far less water. 2) If you have a top-loader, look for ways to use recycled water in it – for instance, by standing in a washtub while you have a shower and then pouring that water into the top-loader. 3) Recycle your grey water. Generally speaking the first rinse should go down the drain (it’s the dirtiest) and all subsequent rinses can be saved for the garden, as long as you’re using a phosphate-free detergent. 4) Line dry everything. Sometimes this might mean getting creative with drying racks; but it can be done. 5) Use cold water.
Thanks for sharing your tips Becca! I talked about recycling water in a previous post, but should have mentioned it here too. 🙂 Top-loaders do use a lot more water than front-loaders!
Great ideas! I really should hang laundry to dry more often than I do. I do laundry in bulk (one day a week I do ALL of it) and I’d run out of room after just one load so I only line dry one load a week. Hmmmm, maybe I should rethink this method.
We use soap nuts instead of soap because I recycle laundry water to irrigate our plants and soap nuts are greywater safe. Where we live (CA droughtland) re-using water to help water our citrus/pear/apple/pomegranate, etc trees helps keep our water use way below the norm, saves $ on water bills and provides food from the trees which also saves money in the long run. In a non-drought part of the country/world this probably wouldn’t be worth all the trouble though.
We live in CA too, so I totally hear you about the recycling water! I talked about ways to recycle water in the post on saving water, but I could have mentioned it here too, because it really does make a difference.
Our clothesline can hold about two loads. In the summer, it actually dries just as fast (or faster) on the clothesline because it’s so hot.
That’s great that you get your whole laundry routine done in a day! 🙂
These are great tips! Ive recently switched to cutting my dryer sheets in thirds and haven’t noticed a difference. Anything that makes them last longer :)n
Great Marisa! Every little bit helps!
One morning it dawned on me to have the kids bring up all their dirty clothes BEFORE they take their clean clothes to their rooms to be put away. What a life saver! No more clean clothes accidentally getting mixed with the dirty ones. I too hate rewashing clean ones.
I’m glad I’m not the only one! I’m glad you found a solution!
Great tips! The one that has saved us the most is splurging on an energy star washer and dryer. The washer uses 1/4 of the water that old washers used and the dryer uses half of the energy. We also got a nice rebate both from the state and from the energy company to ease the purchase cost. Regardless, it saves about $10 a month from what we once spent on water and energy.
That’s awesome that you got a rebate from the state and great that the savings keeps on coming each month!
This is great, I will have to try using less detergent I just worry about those stinky diapers and stinky sweat summer clothes not getting clean.
We also just switched over to a line to dry our clothes and saved 30% off our electric bill. I was shocked!
If it’s an extra dirty load, then you can add more detergent (or an extra rinse), but you usually won’t need the full amount.
That’s awesome that you saved so much on your electric bill by using a clothesline!! That’s a huge savings!
I make sure to only run full loads. I don’t want to waste the money and energy on a small load. Also, I wash almost all of my clothes in cold water. I haven’t made my own laundry detergent yet. How much would you estimate that it costs you to make? How much does it cost per load?
Yes! 🙂 I mentioned only running full loads in my saving money on utilities post, but I forgot it here! Thanks Sarah!
In the post on laundry detergent, I have the price breakdown. It comes out to 2.5 to 5 cents per load (depending on if you use one or two tablespoons).