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5 Laundry Tips

By Avigayil Morris, 12 years ago

Washing clothes is something every family must do. However, there are ways to both

Save money in the process
keep your clothing looking better, longer

These are both important for how you look, and how much $$ you keep in your wallet.

1. Follow The labels

This is supposedly a no-brainer, but it isn't. If a clothing label says wash on cold and lay to dry, DO IT. Those rules are there for a reason, different fabrics need to be treated differently.

2. Wash with like colours / weight

Whites, darks and colours... those are generally my loads. You don't want your white t-shirt turning a light grey, or those jeans leaving blue dye on your lovely pale blue underwear. However, do not throw a delicate lacy blouse in with a stack of jeans. The jeans are heavy and will probably crush your blouse. Sorting your washing is a mere act of pairing like with like.

3. Wash in cold or warm water - avoid hot

Cold water will help preserve the colour of your clothing. Using cold water will also keep your heating costs down. Pair the cold water with a cold-water detergent and you are golden. If something is extra soiled, let the laundry soak for a while.

4. Air dry when possible

Perhaps a hard thing to do in busy lives of today, but air drying your clothes either with an outdoor line or an indoor clothing rack is a good idea. It cuts the energy demands of laundry in 1/2, and can be good for the clothing as well. If you have pets, or are worried about lint... try doing an air fluff (no heat) in the dryer for 20 - 30 minutes per load before hang drying.

5. Put your clothes away properly

Don't leave your clothes laying around on the floor, and don't pack drawers tight where the fabric can get stretched. You paid good money for your clothing, make sure you take care of it!

Hey Moosers, what do you do to save on washing/drying costs?

Comments

Kerry
Buy a mineral laundry ball. It lasts for 800 washes and costs about $50 at full price.
Reply
- Avigayil M.
  Thanks for the suggestion, can you suggest any companies to buy the ball from?
  Reply
Lauren
Own less clothing! It doesn't really save money overall, but if you're like us and have a limited amount of money each month and no savings to speak of, it helps a lot! We have this horrible habit of not doing laundry until we absolutely have to - we'll do a load to have more underwear and socks, but if we still have clean pants and shirts, they don't get done. So we sold a ton of our clothing online and now we only have enough to make it through a week or two before we absolutely need to do laundry. As I said, it doesn't save money overall, but having the same water bill every month is a lot easier for us than having a low one for a few months and then a huge one because we washed all the clothing in the house in a week.
Reply
- Avigayil M.
  What website did you use for selling your clothing online?
  Reply
Patricia
About 6 years ago, our washer and dryer gave out. At the time, we were already pressed financially and could not fathom saving for new machines. Our alternative was using the local laundromat. As it turns out, that works great for us and we continue it to this day! As opposed to a $300-500 monthly water bill, we do laundry for 2 hours every week and it only costs us $20/wash or $80/month! This is for a family of four, all over the age of 16. It works for us!
Reply
- Avigayil M.
  Wow, your water bill was that high??? That is ridiculous!
  Reply