How to Save Money Doing Laundry and Keep Clothes New

Washing and drying laundry is not only time consuming, it can get expensive, especially if you have to take your clothes to a laundry mat. Not to mention, clothes become worn and dingy after they are washed and dried many times. However, laundry does not have to be costly and clothes can be cleaned without becoming worn over time. Here are a few tips for saving money doing laundry and keeping clothes looking like new.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 

   Try washing clothes in cold water only. Cold water cleans clothes just as well as warm or hot water and actually saves you money on heating expenses. Doing laundry in cold water also protects clothing from becoming worn and tattered over time, saving you money on clothing purchases. Detergent companies make a detergents specifically geared toward cold water washing if you are concerned about getting items super clean.

2. 

   Before putting clothes in the wash, spray them with a stain spray or scrub them immediately with soap and water to prevent staining. Keeping clothes fresh means getting the stains out before they are set in from laundry washing. Yellowing can occur on whites and messes such as coffee spills, grass stains, blood, or mud can ruin clothes if they are not taken care of when the stain happens. Washing laundry before being sure to remove stains will only damage your clothing. Save money on clothing by pre-treating laundry before washing.

3. 

   Save money on laundry by hanging clothes out to dry on nice sunny days. Drying laundry not only creates expense heating bills, but can also ruin clothes over time. Try hanging clothes out to dry any chance you can. If you don't have a clothesline, hang a rope from two trees or onto the ledge of the house. You can also hang clothes inside to dry on furniture, in the basement on a line, or over railings. You'll save more money than you realize by not putting laundry in the dryer. And clothes will smell amazing after they are hung outside on a line.

4. 

   Purchase a detergent that is double concentrated to save money on laundry expense. Double concentrated laundry detergents are as effective as regular detergents, but require a lot less liquid per load of clothes. This means that a bottle of laundry detergent will last longer than those you previously used. Another trick is to add half water to half a bottle of double concentrated laundry detergent to save even more money. It cleans just as well as the regular full strength brands, but you'll make the bottle last longer and save more. Tide makes a great double concentrated detergent that works hard and lasts longer.

5. 

   Save money on dryer sheets by ripping them in half. Laundry can be dried with half a dryer sheet and still come out smelling fresh. This gives you twice the value of your money when purchasing dryer sheets. Also, you can reuse a dryer sheet twice and still have the same great smell come out of your laundry. I don't recommend using them more than twice, but you'll still save a lot of money on dryer sheets if you make them last longer.

Tips & Warnings

• If you must do laundry at the laundry mat, try washing clothes only and taking them home to dry to save money.
• Try to do laundry every couple of days to avoid having many large loads to do at once...you'll save money and energy by doing small loads more often rather than large loads all at once.
• In between trips to the laundry mat or at home, try washing undergarments and small clothing in the sink with a small amount of detergent (hang to dry)...you'll save money and keep clothing new.

[muskokamom36]

on 9/7/2009 I tear my dryer sheets into half as well and try to use cold water as much as I can.

[karileighk]

on 7/15/2009 Never thought about saving money with laundry :)

[goodselfme]

on 7/14/2009 Good money saving tips when doing laundry. Saves wear and tear on clothes too.

[Derren]

on 7/14/2009 Useful article thanks.