Yes, I just posted a photo of my laundry. I wanted you to see that I practice what I preach: I hang at least one load of laundry per day on my drying rack. Doing this simple task saves us at least $50 a month on our electric bill!
If I am washing more than one load, I hang the load with the heaviest items such as jeans. Here are some other money saving laundry ideas:
Save on Washing
Clear Out Clutter- We go through our clothing every 6 months or so and clean out anything we haven’t worn or that doesn’t fit. We donate the clothing, but you could consign or sell items on Ebay if they are especially nice. Knowing exactly what clothing we have prevents us from buying items we don’t need, and keeping less clothing means less that I have to wash.
Wash Smart-Wash full loads, but not over full. It takes the same amount of electricity to wash a small load as a large load. If you have to wash a smaller load, make sure to adjust the water level to the size of your load to save water.
Use a Shorter Cycle- Choose a shorter wash cycle to use less electricity.
Keep It Cold- Washing your clothes in cold water saves money on your power bill and also helps your clothing fade less, and therefore last longer. Warm water is of no advantage because it is not hot enough to kill any germs and uses more electricity than cold water. I reserve hot water for my towels and washcloths in order to kill bacteria.
Save on Detergent
Use Less- When using store purchased laundry detergent, I usually use only about 1/4 of the recommended amount of detergent and have no problem getting my clothes clean. I experimented by filling the machine, adding small amounts of detergent and testing to see if the water felt soapy. If you don’t want to go to the trouble to do this, try a load with half of what you normally use and see if you notice a difference in your clothing.
Stock Up- I know that my preferred detergent (All Allergy Free 50 oz bottles) goes on sale every 2-3 months for $3.49 and there is usually a corresponding coupon for $1.00 off. When the sales hit, I stock up so that I have enough detergent to last until the next sale.
Make Your Own- I finally ventured into the world of DIY Laundry Detergent. For around $14 I can make enough to last several months because you only have to use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load!
Save on Drying
Dry Smart- Dry full loads, but don’t over stuff your dryer. The clothes are dried by air circulation and if you have too many clothes, the air can’t circulate as well, therefore the load takes much longer to dry and you use more electricity.
Throw in the Towel- Placing a thick, dry bath towel in the dryer with each load helps to absorb moisture, thereby drying your clothes faster (and using less electricity).
Invest In a Better Machine- Older dryers are not as energy efficient as newer models. If you consistently have to run your machine more than an hour to get a load dry, it’s time to look for a new dryer. Scratch and Dent appliance stores usually have pretty good deals on new dryers.
Wash Less Frequently- Here is your controversial tip of the day: Wear clothing more than once. I have to admit I wear jeans more than one day if I am at home or running errands. I know people who hang clothing they have only worn once, turn the hanger backward in the closet so they know the item has been worn, and then wear them again before washing. I have to say, to avoid embarrassment, have a family member do a sniff test for you!
Do you have any other money saving laundry tips?
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Great tips expecially for a mom of four teens. I will diffently be trying this starting today
Thanks Stephanie!
i cut my dryer sheets in half to make them last longer. i still get the benefit of the whole sheet but they last twice as long. another tip, it doesn’t save money but it is a great tip. when i take my socks off to go in dirty clothes, i pin them together with a safety pin. i throw them in the wash and dryer and then when they are done, it saves me time on sorting and separating.
Two great tips–thank you Jackie
You can soak a small hand towel in liquid fabric softener, allow it to dry completely, and use it MULTIPLE times in your dryer before needing to resoak! I’ve heard of some using the same towel 40+ times before needing to resoak.
As for drying your laundry…I work for a utility company and we actually inform our customers that drying smaller loads of laundry makes your dryer work harder, while I have never noticed the difference in my usage that is what I have been told.
Thanks for that information Nicole. I had never heard that.
I had NO idea hanging one load/day could save $50 a month!! We have a dryer rack i am just opposed to it…but now i think ill get some use out of it!! Thanks a TON!
Instead of using dryer sheets, I made some wool dryer balls. They work great! I went to YouTube to find tutorials on how to make them.
Love your ideas!
Thanks Rebecca!
I have a question. Whenever I hang clothes to dry they always get what I call a “startchy” feeling. They feel stiff. It’s so difficult to find clothes that fit my boyfriend that I am terrified to put them in the dryer because I’ve shrunk a few shirts. Most of the time I take them out to dry immediately after the washer. Then I usually end up saying a prayer and popping them in the dryer for 10 minutes after they are completely dry because they are so stiff.
So I guess my question has two parts: 1. If I put his shirts in for the ten minutes you suggest will they be shrink safe? 2. What could be giving them the heavy, stiff feeling? ( I assume I might be using too much detergent)
You might be using too much detergent, so you could experiment with that. I find that if I pop them in the dryer for ten minutes (15 minutes for a large load) before I hang them, they are softer once they dry. I don’t know why that is. Make sure that you are following the care directions on the clothing. I know that 100% cotton shrinks very easily, expecially if it gets too hot in the dryer. Hope that helps.
Katie,
Try throwing them in the dryer for 10 min on AIR DRY that way its just cool air but it fluffs them up nicely without shrinking
try hanging them to dry and then putting them in the dryer after they’re dry, on the lowest heat setting (or the air dry setting), just to tumble them around and soften them up a bit.
Another tip: I have found that when my clothes feel stiff after line drying, I put a damp washcloth in with the clothes and put them on the no heat or lowsetting for about 10 minutes. The little bit of damp seems to offset the stiffness. I have a boy that wears clothes in a tall size that are hard to find, so I have to line dry almost everything he owns,
Hi! I’m a new reader. Love the living on less than 28k per yr series
Do you put every load in the dryer for 10 mins then hang it or do you hang one load a day without drying? Thanks
I hang every load except for towels and sheets. Great question!
Great tips….I have hung clothes for a while now and have trouble with things having lent on them.Anyone else have this problem?any tips for lint????? I almost had myself convienced to switch back to drying until I read this …savings of fifty dollars a month.WOW!!!!
That is strange Deborah. Is your house very dusty?
I use homemade laundry soap and it helps remove the lint and dog hair. I am not sure how it works but it does.
Our house does need dusted twice a week.It was built in 1902 a 854 sq. ft. Its just my husband and I as the kids are raised, however I notice the lent straight from the wash,my husbands cloths are heavily soiled as he works in a quarry mine.After his I wipe the machine out,and do mine seperate but they also dry with lent…..So I’m not sure what it is…..but thanks for your time….Read your blog everyday some days twice:)
Deborah,
We used to have lint building up on our clothes when I worked for Michelin. A friend of mine told me to wash the lint screen with warm soapy water every 2 – 3 weeks or whenever water would pool on top when rinsed under water. Our problem went away after a few drying cycles. We also switched from dryer sheets to making our own wool dryer balls(a little noisey, but works great).By the way we use around 12 dryer balls. I also, know that cleaning the screen helps with better air flow and energy savings as well.
I am just now reading this series, and you have some great ideas!! I have a suggestion instead of using dryer sheets, you can soak a washcloth in liquid fabric softener and throw in dryer with clothes. It works pretty good comparatively. Plus, the greasy feel of dryer sheets can block air from circulating through the dryer and cause your dryer to work harder.
I just bought the most awesome drying rack at Costco. Not the old wooden thing but really cool. 19.99
I shrunk my teen ‘s favorite jeans. But jeans shrink length ways, not width ways. Wet cotton fibers will stretch. So I wet the jeans, wrung them out And securely hung them by the waist. Than we weighted the cuffs and let them dry naturally. They were fine, emergency averted, money saved! We hung those clip on clothes pins that have a hook on them around the cuffs and hung heavy things from the hooks for tension. It was ugly but it worked.
any one have a good method to measure the laundry soap? Like a tablespoon? I like a quick grab and toss method. Jessica, That method dose work. I still prefer dryer sheets. Honestly I use dryer sheets on towels just for nice factor and to help with problem laundry. Like hubbie leaving something wet sit or a cat deciding the litter boxes were not handled in time and peeing on something. Those are both tough issues to solve. the smell of must or pet pee never seems to leave. I keep a bag of pods that I find coupons for. and I use a pod only on these problem loads. I also add softener to only these loads and a dryer sheet to give that extra boost. Otherwise you dont really need softener or dryer sheets on most of your laundry. I bet there is a better method though. probably involving vinegar all the good helpers seem to be vinegar.
I use vinegar for my rinse cycle. I have a top loading machine, and use a Downy fabric softener ball and fill that with a cup of vinegar, so I don’t have to watch for the rinse cycle. The centrifugal force of the spin cycle opens up the ball so when the basked fills with rinse water the vinegar is dispersed through the cycle.
I don’t know if the fabric softener ball would work with a front loading machine or not since I don’t have a front loader machine.
Just found you on pinterest. Really like some of your tips. I’ve been making my own laundry detergent for a while and I am so happy with it. It saves lots of money, lasts forever, works really well and it’s one less thing crowding my two kids in the cart at the store!
I’m considering your hang to dry idea. We lived in the Middle East for 3 years and didn’t have a dryer, so since we’ve been back in the States I’ve really been enjoying it!! However, the 10 minute thing might be more doable. Thanks for the tips!
Welcome Angela! I would be enjoying my dryer too if I had not had one for 3 years.