This following is a guest post from Lauren of Mama’s Laundry Talk.
One of my most asked questions is: How can I save money on laundry? What are your best frugal tips?
There are many small steps you can take today to move towards a more frugal laundry system.
1.) Evaluate whether your ‘dirty’ clothes are really dirty.
This is my criteria: If it has been worn for less than 4 hours, it has no visible stains, it still smells fresh under the arms and at the neckline…then I consider it ‘clean.’ My children seem to be the biggest culprits at our house, where they throw clothes that have been worn for 5 minutes into the dirty clothes hamper. So when teaching them how to do room chores, part of the learning is what constitutes ‘dirty.’ This one little tip has tremendously cut back on their laundry.
Also ask yourself this question: If I was paying someone to wash my laundry, would I want to pay to have this item washed? If you aren’t willing to pay to have someone wash it, it could probably be worn again.
2.) Take your clothes out of the dryer as soon as the dryer is finished.
My dryer will tumble every few minutes for 3 hours! If I’m too lazy or busy to remove the clothes from the dryer and fold them, a lot of energy is burned in that 3 hours. And a lot of change added to my power bill. It costs me $0.60 per hour to run my dryer. That’s a pretty steep price and I don’t want to pay one cent more for tumbling my clothes so they won’t wrinkle.
3.) Read the label on the detergent and only measure to the fill line.
We overdose on laundry detergent and laundry boosters because if a little is good….a lot is better. Right? That’s not the case with detergents, nor is it frugal in any way. Read the fill line on the cap carefully and then measure accurately. I assure you that your clothes will be just as clean if you follow the directions on the cap. If you consistently over-fill, you’re literally washing money down the drain.
4.) Find a laundry routine and then implement it.
Having clean clothes in the drawers can save a family a tremendous amount of money. When underwear and socks are consistently clean, it eliminates the need to buy tons of pairs. There is no need to buy 5 pairs of jeans when you can get by with 2 or 3. We often spend money unnecessarily on clothes because we can’t keep up with washing them. Find a laundry routine and stick to it. You’ll save money in your clothing budget and you’ll bless your family in a tremendous way.
Do you have any burning frugal laundry tips? Share them in the comments so we can all save our families a few dollars!
Lauren Hill is the mama behind Mama’s Laundry Talk. Strangely enough, she loves all things laundry and enjoys helping others make their Laundry Lives easier. She is proud to be a wife, mama to 3 fantastic little people and a Child of God.
Watch how Alyssa saves money on fabric softener.
For more frugal ways, visit Life As Mom.
These are great tips!
I have to say one of my pet peeves is finding clean, FOLDED clothes in the kids’ laundry hamper! It makes me wonder how many clean, CRUMPLED clothes are in there!
.-= Smockity Frocks´s last blog ..Frugal Road Trips =-.
Smockity- I totally agree! Do kids actually think we won’t notice? That’s one laundry tip I have yet to discover- how to get your kids to put it away and not back in the hamper!
Holy Smokes – are you in my house! Makes me want to scream and I actually do at times!!
.-= lynn´s last blog ..Auntie Anne’s FREE Pretzels – REMINDER, TOMORROW!! =-.
How about using cold water instead of hot water when you can? We rarely wash in anything but cold.
.-= Holly´s last blog ..We are set! =-.
I agree with using cold water. We rarely wash in anything else. Also, I line dry some items, like rugs and diapers, and then throw them into the dryer for 10 minutes to make them soft. That’s a big difference from the 80 minutes diapers normally take to dry!
.-= Katie´s last blog ..I have been issued a challenge… =-.
I have learned the hard way that with front end HE washing machines that it reguires very little laundry soap. I was told no more then 2-4 teaspoons. This really will cut down on the amount of soap used.
I make my own laundry detergent. I can’t believe how much money I save by doing it and it works great!
.-= Nicki at Domestic Cents´s last blog ..Homemade Isn’t Always For Me =-.
I make our own laundry soap as well, it works great! Not only does it save “load” of $ but it’s also much better for the environment!
I also wash almost everything in cold water. I very rarely use hot or warm but if I do I use the eco-friendly option on my washer.
.-= Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy´s last blog ..Tommee Tippee Sippy Cup Review =-.
I love hanging my clothes to dry out on the clothesline. When weather permits of course. Definitely a money/energy saver. Especially if you live in an apt like I do and have to pay for your dryer use.
And the kids love to help! =)
I was able to dry two batches of clothes on the line yesterday and am hoping for two more today. Not bad for Oregon in February! (the 60 degree weather is so nice!)
Off track, but I WISH my laundry room looked as clean and organized as the pictured one – the owner of it deserves a gold star!! Dust and lint are really hard for me in the laundry room!!
I make my own laundry soap, too. I use the Duggar’s liquid recipe (http://duggarfamily.com/recipes) because I have an 8 year old washing machine and liquid works best at that age. I have used Gain detergent for 12 years prior to homemade.
I also use 1/2 cup of vinegar in my rinse cycle and in place of dryer sheets, I use 1 bottle of my favorite fabric softener with 2 bottles of water and put 4 NEW cut sponges in the container. I wring the sponge and throw it in the dryer. My clothes are always clean and always smell fresh.
When I was on bedrest with my twin pregnancy we actually did pay someone to do our laundry. Just tip #1 alone would have saved us alot of money. I love your tip about asking the question.
We’re moving to a family closet setup, and I’m currently going through & minimizing. Thanks for all the great tips! One day I plan to be caught up on all the laundry, but it hasn’t happened yet:)
.-= Holly´s last blog ..Winn Dixie ad deals for 2/17-2/23 =-.
Holly, my twins are 4…. we have a total of 5 boys.
My laundry is never all caught up, and I swear having twins is a direct effect of that. It seems like when they were born every household chore became such a hurrdle! Life just never stops does it?
.-= Crystal & Co´s last blog ..A Birth Story- It Will Change You Forever =-.
A family closet.
I will try not to turn green with envy. 😉
Definitely in our next house!
-Lauren
.-= Mama Laundry´s last blog ..How to Revive Smelly Towels =-.
I know making your own is soap saves tons, but I also have to say that finding a great sale and stocking up helps! Last fall I got detergent for less than half the regular price at a store. I bought all they had and got a rain-check for more. It saves FOREVER, so stock up at good prices.
I couldn’t agree more!!!
I love getting high-quality detergent at a ridiculously low price! The only way to buy it, in my humble opinion of course. 😉
.-= Mama Laundry´s last blog ..How to Revive Smelly Towels =-.
My laundry routine: Every night after kiddos are in bed, I sort dirty clothes (in basement at the bottom of my laundry shoot- the best invention!). Then I get 1 load ready and set my 8Hr. timer. The next morning I put that load (that washed at 4 am that morning) in the dryer.
Saving $: Our family of 5 was not surviving on my small washer anymore, so last spring we donated the old one to a needy family and bought a front loader. Wow! I noticed the savings on my water and electric bill immediately. Not only because of the new washer, but the drying needed 1/2 the time as the top loader did.
Such great tips, y’all!
Yes, I definitely wash in cool/cold water some. But for really icky items (dish towels, wet-the-bed sheets) I still wash in warm or hot. And diapers definitely in hot. In my own experience, I haven’t had success with clean diapers coming out of a cold water wash. But I know some mamas have! I think some of it has to do with how hard/soft your water is.
Danyiel-I totally agree that it doesn’t take as much soap in a front loader. I have a family member that uses a full cup *everysingletime* of regular (not HE) detergent in his clothes. It’s painful for me to know! And it makes clothes look so old before their time with the detergent build-up.
Nicki-I’ve yet to try homemade laundry detergent. I might muster up the courage to try your recipe! 🙂
Thanks for leaving your laundry ideas!
-Lauren
.-= Mama Laundry´s last blog ..Clothespin Bib =-.
I am soooo in need of a routine. I wait until it gets overwhelming and then have to do a million loads. Thanks for the tips and I will TRY them out this week!
.-= lynn´s last blog ..Auntie Anne’s FREE Pretzels – REMINDER, TOMORROW!! =-.
If you use fabric dryer sheets in your dryer you should take the lint screen out once a month and wash it with dish detergent. There is a invisible film that builds up on the lint trap that causes the lint not to stick as well and takes things longer to dryer.
This tip was given to my sister from the dryer repair man who charged her $100 to wash her lint screen so her dryer would dry the clothes faster. I have been doing this since she told me and I can definately see a difference in drying time and the lint that is in the lint trap.
Right now all I do is wash in cold water but as soon as weather permits I will be hang drying. I love the way it makes your clothes smell like sunshine plus it doesn’t put any wear and tear on them. I think I’ll be checking into making my own laundry detergent as well.
.-= Crystal´s last blog ..Financial and Personal Goals for 2010 =-.
I make my own laundry detergent using the recipe found on The Simple Dollar website. It doesn’t have a scent, but my sensitive skin hubby who breaks out at random detergents hasn’t had a breakout. After buying the inexpensive supplies (I use Fels Naptha soap, it’s made for laundry anyway!), it comes out to less than $2 per batch. I used old laundry bottles collected from people about to throw them out. I rinsed them and filled 4 containers almost full with one batch. That’s less than $2 for FOUR containers of detergent! If that’s not money saving, I don’t know what is!
I also only wash on cold.
Get a downy ball (if you don’t own one, many people have more than one. Ask around to see if anyone is willing to give one up!) and fill to the line with white vinegar instead of softener. Your clothes will be super soft without the waxy feeling and smell incredibly fresh. If you don’t believe me, try with just one load of laundry and see what you think!
If you insist on using dryer sheets, cut them into eighths. You absolutely do not need to use one whole sheet and think about buying the boxes 8 times less often! I can’t use them because of the hubby, but I used to do this trick when I was a rompin’ partier! I felt so special being so frugal! ;D
Along the lines of using a portion of each dryer sheet, I find that you can use WAY less actual detergent than what the bottle calls for and it is equally effective. Just think about how fast they want you to buy the next bottle!
Our laundry room doesn’t have a dryer vent, so we have an indoor filter and when we run our dryer, it also heats our home. We are able to turn off the heater for that amount of time! Imagine how much that saves! We all know how much we do laundry!
As for the women that need a routine, just remember that we have machines that do all the hard work for us! Throw the clothes in and the machine does the washing! Switch the dryer and we have dry clothes in less than an hour. When it comes down to is, most loads of laundry only take 5-10 minutes to fold and put away! It’s really an easy job and I find it hard to remind myself of that, but it’s a definite motivation!
Great post! 😀
*I wash in cold water
*I air/hang dry clothes when possible
* I use eco-friendly detergent
My bad habit is overfilling the cap line on the detergent.
.-= Gayla´s last blog ..The Olympics =-.
I totally love all of these tips, most of them I implement on a regular basis (especially the homemade detergent – been doing it for a year and LOVE it!! But I still buy “commercial detergent” when it’s really cheap, too.)
But I also make my own fabric softner…it works GREAT and lasts longer than using just straight vinegar – oh, and you can make it smelly too! 🙂
Here’s the recipe for anyone who is interested:
(http://moneylessmomma.blogspot.com/2009/10/stop-buying-fabric-softenerno-really.html)
.-= Jessica´s last blog ..Packing for the kids =-.
I would love to see a thread/meme/post dedicated to everyone sharing their homemade laundry soup recipes and homemade fabric softner recipes.
Can these homemade powders be used in our front load HE washers? Mine says not to use any powders at all….
Crystal, that is the best idea I’ve heard all week: a meme dedicated to homemade laundry detergent and softeners! Genius!
If you’re not interested in hosting, I’d be happy to. Just let me know!
.-= Mama Laundry´s last blog ..How to Start a Laundry Routine =-.
Mama Laundry- take it and run! It totally suits your platform since you are dedicated to laundry.
I would love to see recipes for liquid and powder, smelly and not smell since my 10 month old has severe eczema, softners, where to get good deals on supplies, etc.
Can’t wait!
I always use Tide detergent, because our clothes stay new looking for a long time! Blue jeans, for example, would be faded and unattractive after just a few months of using a bargain detergent. Now, we wear them until the fabric wears out, and they still look pretty good! I think that is a huge savings right there.
The thing is, I only use 1/4 -1/2 half of the recomended amount of detergent. Our clothes come out nice and clean. They stay clean longer too, because there is no build up on the clothes. Understanding how detergent works, this makes sense. Detergent works by attracting dirt and grime to itself, then the dirt rinses away with it. If you use so much that you still have a build up of it on your clothes, what is going to happen? Yep, your clothes are actually going to attract dirt!
I also make my own detergent. I got the ivory soap I use for it on sale with a coupon for seven cents a three pack last month (I made five gallons for less than a dollar fifty a few weeks ago). I use cold water for most of my laundry too, and I have totally stopped using fabric softener. It just coats the clothes with chemicals so they feel soft, which isn’t that good for you or the environment (that and they don’t put an ingredient label on most brands which I find alarming, since I developed an allergy to one brand and would like to figure out what it was to avoid elsewhere). After about five washings for the clothes that had been exposed to the softener, you honestly can’t tell that I don’t use it anymore, and the fabrics all feel more naturally soft. My washer has a sensor for automatically adjusting the amount of water used (basically a top loader HE model, it is a Fisher-Paykel, LOVE IT) and I turned off the wrinkle guard setting on the dryer so it isn’t spinning every few minutes until I unload it.
Now to just stop the three-year-old from changing her clothes six times a day….and to find a way to not keep finding dirty socks left in random places, after that load is in the dryer…
.-= Crystal B.´s last blog ..Book Review for Book Sneeze 2.15.2010 =-.
I use Charlie’s Soap and when I buy the 5 gallon bucket it averages out to about 7 cents a load.
.-= Cheryl@SomewhatCrunchy´s last blog ..A Cure For The Homeschool Winter Blahs! =-.
Hi, where can I buy Charlie’s soap in quantities that large?
It is $97.39 for a 5 gallon bucket which holds 1280 loads. They don’t
charge for shipping, at least they never have in the 3 or so years I’ve been
using it.
You only use a tablespoon per load. It’s biodegradable, non-toxic,
hypoallergenic, dye and fragrance free, you name it. I love it. Although
some people have had problems if they have very hard water, which I don’t.
My only problem is that it’s not the best stain remover for whites. It
cleans but doesn’t get dirty-teenage-boy-sock-stains out I do add some oxy
clean to my whites. 🙂
Hope that helps!
.-= Cheryl@SomewhatCrunchy´s last blog ..Exploring Homebirth : Part Three =-.
Hi, I’m new here, but am always looking for new ways to save money! I recently looked at my electric company’s website and found that from 3:00 to 7:00p.m. is the most expensive time of day to use any kind of electricity, as it is the busiest time for everone, showers, dinner, running the dishwasher etc. So I do everything I can before that (laundry, dinner prep) and after that (showers, dishwashing). This is only my first month doing it this way, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Check with your electric company and see if they will give you information like this!
We live in an apartment complex, so we have to use the coin washers and dryers. It really adds ups when you do a lot of laundry, so we have started line drying at least one load a week. We got a laundry rack a couple months ago, and just set it all up in the bathroom overnight. The clothes actually come out softer and don’t pill like they do in the dryer.
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..Freezer Cooking Day- Attempt #2 =-.
Several years ago I stopped using softener when I do loads of towels or sheets. I found that the towels absorbed so much better when I don’t use brand name softeners and the sheets didn’t feel slimy. What I use in place of it, is vinegar. I pour it into the softener dispenser and it serves a couple of purposes.
1. It sanitizes the items while softening them and making them smell “fresh”.
2. It helps clean any buildup that may be in the dispenser and washer drum from detergents or liquid softeners I sometimes use.
I use vinegar for 101 million things around the house, just love the stuff (hubs can’t stand the smell so I use a drop or two of essential oil for some jobs). Its a great cleaner, softener, disinfectant and sanitizer all in one. I even COOK with it from time to time. It’s cheap and readily available everywhere!
Now if someone could just tell me how to handle the static cling that I sometimes get I would be one happy mama!
Great article … and super tips all in these comments, too!!! I’ve linked this to my “This ‘n That Thursday” post. Hope lots of others get as much out of it as I have! Happy Thursday!
http://myreasonstoblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/this-n-that-thursday.html
.-= Joy´s last blog ..This ‘n That Thursday =-.
I agree with using cold water for everything except towels and socks/underwear – those get washed in HOT. However, I cut the amount of detergent in half or even a quarter of what is recommended. It works just fine and if you do a second rinse you’ll see how much detergent is STILL left in your laundry! Actually, now I use soapnuts and save a whole lot in cost. I belong to an online co-op where I bought probably a year supply for less than $20. Where can you buy detergent for that price? And it’s safer than detergents, cleaner, better for your pipes, and the amount of lint in my dryer is a lot less, too. It’s easier on the fabric being washed. It’s worth looking in to!
And if you think you’re being efficient by multi-tasking and having your dryer run at night or when you leave the house, you are actually taking a huge risk for a house fire. We nearly had one when our dryer caught on fire and the BIG 3 lessons we learned are: 1) Don’t ever run the dryer when you are not home AND awake! 2) Be sure to have a working smoke detector in the utility room or where ever your dryer is located. 3) If you suspect the dryer is on fire, do NOT open the door to shut it off. Unplug it or turn the knob to turn it off. Opening the door can feed the fire with the increase of fresh air.
mychildsview.blogspot.com
.-= Chick Hatchers´s last blog ..Things this Thursday =-.
Wow – what great info about dryer fires! I run mine at night all of the time. I’ll have to re-think that schedule.
Thank you 🙂
.-= Mama Laundry´s last blog ..Mama’s Laundry Detergent Recipe Round-Up! =-.
I’m always looking for ways to save money. I buy liquid laundry detergent. Almost whatever is on sale will do. I avoid those that have caused skin irritation in the past. I can’t bring myself to use cold water wash for whites. To the best of my knowledge, the cold water doesn’t kill germs and I feel that is important. (I do cold water wash for dark clothes). However I can adjust the water levels (which I do) and also the timer on the dryer. I am now contemplating my own laundry soap and just have to make some time to do it. Perhaps with the warmer weather on the way, I can dry clothes on the portable clothes line but first it has to stop raining,
.-= Joyful´s last blog ..Fantastic Walk to Granville Market – Pt. 3 =-.
These are great tips & comments! My friend and I started a wash and fold laundry service from our homes. The one tip that I love and saves us a ton of money is white vinegar. Toss it in the rinse cycle and it acts as a natural fabric softner. So it saves money, is eco-friendly, and helps keep the washer clean at the same time!
http://www.laundrycare.biz