Laundry. 2 loads, 5 loads, 10 loads a week. It piles up more for some of us than others, but we all have it. While I can’t stop laundry loads from piling up, I can help with laundry costs. These tips will help you save money on laundry.
The first couple of tips I want to share are about laundry in general. After those tips, I’ll share tips for saving money on washing and drying clothes.
Tips to Save Money on Laundry
1. Use Your Own Washer and Dryer
Own your washer and dryer when possible. Buying a washer and dryer is a large up- front expense for people but, in my opinion, worth it. The purchase pays for itself and then some over the course of ownership.
In addition to the savings in not paying for loads of clothes a laundromat, you also save on travel and idle time at the laundromat as you’re doing laundry.
2. Wash and Dry Clothing During Off Peak Hours
Energy costs fluctuate during the day. Peak hours are when electricity is in the highest demand, usually during the day on weekdays between 10 AM – 9PM. Off peak hours (9PM-10AM) are the hours less electricity is in demand and being used. Therefore, the cost of electricity is a little less.
Save Money on Laundry When Washing Clothes
Ok, Let’s get a little more specific. Here is how you can save money when washing your clothes.
3. Wash Full Loads of Laundry
A full load of laundry uses the same amount of energy as a smaller load and only a little more water. This saves time doing laundry and money for the use of water and energy.
A full load of laundry varies depending on the type of washing machine you own. Top loading washing machines have a full load when they are ¾ or 75% filled with loosely packed clothing. Front loading washing machines are full when they are 80% filled. These percentages allows enough room for the clothes to agitate and tumble around.
If you must wash a smaller load of laundry, adjust the water level, if available to the size of the laundry load you are washing. This will save water usage and cost.
4. Give Clothes a Cold Water Wash When Possible
GE states that 70-90% of the energy cost for laundry is in heating the water. This makes washing clothes in cold water more energy and cost efficient. While that money saving tip is obvious, washing clothes in cold water has a few other savings benefits.
- Delicate clothing and dark clothing items wash well in cold water
- Washing clothes in cold water makes them less likely to shrink
- Stains such as grass and makeup are more effectively cleaned in cold water.
Here’s one thing to note on washing clothes in cold water:
Hot and warm waters dissolve soap better. Our washing machine had a lot of soap build up at one point and was causing the door of our front loader to leak. This ended up in a service call. Washing some loads in warm or hot water may help reduce soap buildup.
5. Select the Correct Washing Machine Cycle
Wash cycles clean, rinse and spin out clothes in different ways. It depends on the wash cycle selected. A delicate wash cycle is shorter and spins out at a lower rate as opposed to a heavy duty wash cycle that is longer with higher speeds of agitation and final spin.
These cycles affect the amount of water and energy used so spend some time learning on which cycles are appropriate for your laundry needs. You can learn more about laundry cycles HERE.
6. Learn How Much Laundry Detergent to Use
Using too much laundry detergent wastes detergent and money. In addition to that, too many soap bubbles can damage clothing or your washing machine.
For clothing, excess suds made from too much laundry detergent may not rinse away during the rinse cycle. Tide says too many suds prevent articles of clothing from agitating against each other, which is how clothes are cleaned.
This leads to clothing being less clean because they hold on to dirt and bacteria. Dirt and bacteria causes clothes to smell. You don’t want your clothes to stink!
In washing machines, too much detergent also leads to appliance issues. In addition to soap not rinsing out of the machine completely, there are other issues to watch for if you use too much detergent.
- The machine stops mid cycle.
- The washing machine doesn’t drain.
- Soap builds up and causes the machine to leak. – This happened to us!
7. Adjust Your Hot Water Heater Temperature
What temperature is your hot water heater set to? Check and see if it is 120°F. If you’ve never checked it’s probably set to temperature to as high as 140°F. Reducing the temperature 10°F saves 3%-5% in energy costs. That savings adds up quickly.
8. Buy Laundry Detergent in Bulk
You already know buying it in bulk saves money, and laundry detergent has a long shelf life making it a perfect item to buy in bulk.
Also you’ll be reducing your carbon footprint. Fewer trips to the store and less plastic bottles or other packages means you are saving yourself time and energy.
9. Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
Learning how to make your own laundry detergent can save you money on laundry. It’s inexpensive and more natural.
My Dad has been making laundry detergent for years, so I reached out to the friend that gave him the recipe. She has been making and using it longer than he has. The recipe is at the bottom of the post.
10. Use Vinegar as Fabric Softener
Vinegar is CHEAP! Using a half cup of Distilled White Vinegar in your load of laundry naturally softens it and the benefits don’t stop there. Here’s what else it does.
- Gets rid of mildew odor.
- It prevents dark clothes from fading.
- It makes clothes whiter and brighter.
- Helps remove residue and buildup in the washing machine.
Save Money on Laundry When Drying Clothes
Now that you have some ways to save money on laundry when washing clothes, let’s look at ways to save when drying clothes.
11. Shake Your Clothes Out
Shake your clothes out when putting them into the dryer. When your clothes are not balled up they have more surface area. More surface area means clothes dry faster saving on energy costs.
12. Air Dry Clothes
Air drying clothes works great on low humidity days or in drier parts of the country. Save money on energy by using the sun and wind which is FREE.
Clothesline for outdoor and indoor areas of your home are available online. They are inexpensive and retractable so they don’t take up much room when not being used. I know, air drying clothes is old fashioned. It’s also a great, cost effective method.
13. Use the Dryer Moisture Sensor
Use your dryer moisture sensor if it has one. The moisture sensor senses when the clothes are dry and stops the drying cycle. If you set the dryer for an hour instead of using the sensor and the load would have been dry in 30 minutes, using the sensor would have saved you 30 minutes of energy cost.
14. Clean the Lint Trap
A dryer with a clean lint trap runs more safely and efficiently . It lets more air flow through and out of the dryer allowing clothes to dry faster.
Since hot air in the dryer needs a clear path out, too much lint build up can be a fire hazard. The dryer as well as the dryer motor can overheat leading to a fire.
15. Clean the Dryer Vent
The dryer vent is the duct between the dryer and the outside of the house. If the dryer vent is clogged, like the lint trap, it can keep clothes from drying and become a fire hazard.
We had the issue of clothes not drying a few months ago. We used this pretty awesome tool for cleaning out the dryer vent. You attach it to a drill….YES A DRILL… insert it into the vent outside the house and turn on the drill. It goes into the vent and loosens and pulls all of the lint out of the ductwork. It was short of amazing at how well it worked! It’s definitely worth checking out.
How often the dryer vent needs to be cleaned depends on how much laundry you do. I would say, on average, once or twice a year ensures the dryer vent stays clear and clean.
Find the Dryer Vent Cleaner HERE.
16. Use Dryer Balls
We’ve been using dryer balls instead of fabric softener for over a year now instead of fabric softener. They are inexpensive, natural, and seem to last forever! This article will tell you more about my experience with using wool dryer balls instead of fabric softener. These things are a keeper!
17. Put Your Clothes Away ASAP
Put clothes away once they have dried and stop hitting the tumble cycle. Clothes left in the dryer wrinkle and over drying clothes causes static electricity. Getting your clothes out of the dryer and put away as soon as they are dry. This saves you energy costs and gets the laundry task checked off of your to-do list.
18. Wash and Dry Multiple Loads of Laundry
Who wants to do laundry load after laundry load? You do! Hear me out.
You moved the first load of laundry over to the dryer. When the first load of clothes is dry the next load in the washer is ready for the dryer. The dryer is already warmed up. This gives the second load of laundry a head start.
As an added bonus, you’re having a productive laundry day and have more time for other things later in the week.
19. Think About a Gas Clothes Dryer
Do you use propane or natural gas to heat your home? If so, a gas dryer may be a good option for you. Professional installation is advised for gas dryers and the purchase cost is usually a little more expensive than electric dryers. Here are some benefits of gas dryers.
- The operation cost is about 50% less than using an electric dryer
- Gas dryers dry clothes up to 50 percent faster
Wow! 19 tips and tricks to save money on laundry. Now it’s time to pick out some of these tips and try them yourself.
Start with something easy like using Dryer Balls instead of fabric softener. Maybe take a minute to check the thermostat on your hot water heater. Those two tips alone will immediately save money and are easy to start with.
I hope you find these tips helpful and if you have any others feel free to leave them in the comments below!
The ingredients are found in department stores or online for making your own laundry detergent.
The links below help you with identifying the products if you are unaware of what they are.
Homemade Laundry Detergent
Equipment
- 1 Large Rubbermaid container about 4-5 gallons size
Ingredients
- 1 Bar of Fels Naptha soap, shaved
- 4 Cups of hot water to melt the soap
- 3 Gallons of hot water
- 1 Cup of borax
- 2 Cups of washing soda
- 1 Cup of baking soda
Instructions
- Grate the soap into a saucepan. I recommend you do not use whatever tool you use for grating soap with food. An inexpensive grater from the dollar store is perfect.
- Add 4 cups of hot water to the pan. Simmer on low until the soap melts completely into the water.
- Add borax, washing soda and baking soda to the hot water.
- Simmer on low until it dissolves with the soap. If the mixture is not melting, add more water if needed.
- Add 3 gallons of hot water to the large container.
- Add the mixture to the hot water.
- Mix with a large spoon until it completely dissolves.
- Let cool overnight.
Notes
- You will notice that it turns into a thick gel once cooled.
- Use ¼ to ½ cup (or more depending on your washer) of this homemade laundry detergent per load of laundry
- You can scent it using essential oils like Orange, Lemon or Pink Grapefruit for a nice clean smell.
