5 Tips to Save on Laundry

I have a love hate relationship with laundry. I love the smell of fresh clean laundry and folding it, but I hate sorting it and putting away the folded clothes. Aside from that I hate the cost of laundry detergent, it is a pet peeve. Here are few ways to reduce that expense.

1. Don’t be brand dependent – The best way to save money on laundry detergent is to buy store brands or whatever is on sale. While I’m partial to Tide (might be the smell, might be because it’s what my mom used) I am flexible in what I buy. By shopping sales, combining with coupons or buying store brands you can cut your laundry detergent cost in at least half. If you find a great sale, stock-up. You know you’ll need it.

2. Use less than recommended – Have you ever looked at those 1-2-3 markers on the inside of your laundry cap? I have and simply ignore the 2 and 3. Laundry detergents are highly concentrated and washing machines are more efficient than in our parent’s day so there is no need for that much soap. LifeHacker has a great tip on how to test if you’re using too much.

3. Cut Dryer Sheets in half – This is a great tip from TidyMom. Half of a dryer sheet will do the same job as a whole one. By cutting your dryer sheets in half you will double the number of loads you can get from each box while still having fresh, static free clothes.

4. Wash Dirty Clothes – My youngest son is notorious for changing his clothes 2-3 times a day, just because. Where would his discarded clothing land? In the dirty clothes when he had only worn them for 3 hours playing around the house. This added unnecessarily to our laundry volume and expense. Make sure you are only washing clothes and linens that are actually dirty. My older boys can wear their jeans twice before washing and pajamas can be worn for a few nights.

5. Wash in Cold Water – The average energy cost of heating water for laundry is $60 per year. But why? The only items I wash in hot water anymore are towels. I do that to kill bacteria but the majority of clothes can be washed in cold water and will get just as clean.

Do you have any other tips for saving on laundry?

Photo Source: DailyRelish