How to Save Some Money On Laundry Costs

We all have to do laundry, but it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to have clean clothes. Doing laundry is more expensive than most people realize. We do laundry so frequently, that even a small savings per load could end up saving you a lot of money.

There are many simple things you can do to cut the cost of doing laundry. When you have more people in your household, it adds up to an even bigger savings.

These tips will save the average family of four over $300 per year:

Air-dry your clothes

Do you have the space to air-dry your clothes or hang them on the clothes line outside? If you can avoid using a dryer, you can save approximately $100 each year. You will save money on your electric or gas bill, and your clothes will last longer. The heat and tumbling in the dryer damage your clothing anyway. If you don’t feel comfortable hanging your undies out to dry, do this with certain clothes or just with sheets and comforters. It might not save you $100/year, but it will save you something.

Spin your clothes twice

Most people don’t understand all those settings on their washer and dryer. I give this tip to a lot of people and their mind is just blown. Did you know that the spin cycle exists to get the excess water out of your clothes? Yup! If you spin your clothes twice, you can remove that excess water which in turn reduces drying time. [mind blown]

Stick to cold water

This is something I do every single time I wash clothes. Unless a very expensive piece of clothing insists that I wash it with hot water, I use cold. While hot water works a little better, it costs more. The biggest cost of doing laundry comes from heating the water. You can save a bundle by skipping the hot water choosing to go with cold.

Create your own laundry products.

This one is fun and a bit satisfying and rewarding. There are so many “recipes” online for making your own detergent, bleach, and fabric softeners. I’m pretty sure you can find a good thousands on TikTok. Making it yourself is a fraction of the cost of grocery store laundry soaps.

Use less detergent

Remember that the companies who make laundry detergent want you to use more than necessary. Then, you’ll have to purchase more. You may have to test this out to see how small you can reduce the amount and still clean your clothes properly. Majority of people use way too much laundry detergent just so their clothes smell cleaner, when they only need to focus on using the right fabric softner.

Wash full loads

My daughter was notorious for washing 5 shirts. I was wondering where all my detergent was going and noticed she was wasting detergent and running up my electric bill. The electricity used to fill, agitate, and drain the washer is essentially the same, whether it’s a full or partial load. The same goes for rotating the drum on the dryer. You can save so much money by washing and drying more than just 5 shirts!

Cut those dryer sheets in half

Half of a dryer sheet is usually sufficient. Experiment to see what works best for you.

Clean the dryer trap

Not only is it a fire hazard, but the excess lint will trap moisture in the dryer and cause your clothes to take longer to dry. The sooner the dryer shuts off, the less money it costs you.

Purchase energy efficient appliances

Washers and dryers differ by brand. There are washers that will handle larger loads and use less water. There are dryers that use much less energy. Sometimes these higher efficiency units cost more, but the savings is worth it in the end.

Adjust your settings

Wash your clothes at a lower setting. Try drying with lower heat. Every load of laundry doesn’t require elaborate settings.

Final Thoughts

Washing clothes is a chore that many perform on an almost daily basis. That’s why it’s so important to cut costs wherever possible. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an extra $300 a year to spend on something more entertaining than laundry? Help the environment and your family’s budget by applying these cost-saving tips whenever you do laundry.