Laundry Tips – Save Money Time And Energy

I’ve been doing laundry for decades. I’ve tried short cuts, I’ve bought expensive appliances, and I’ve spent more money on additives and gadgets than I care to admit to. However, when all is said and done, people tend to turn laundry into a major project with too many details and needless time consuming tasks.

When time is short but clean clothes and an empty hamper are necessary, I’ve learned a few tricks that help me tremendously. Being inactive and always short on time helps me salvage some really useful household tricks and shortcuts that are certainly worth sharing.

• Forget all the sorting! I no longer do separate loads for towels, sheets, cottons or delicates. The only sorting I do is “kinda dark” and “pretty light”.

• Yes, you CAN wash sheets and towels in the same load. Nothing happens, everything gets clean, no fabrics are ruined. Most of my sheets are 500 or higher count, meaning that one set cost over $100 on sale. Even these, which almost demand special attention, weather quite nicely mixed in with regular items.

• Without sorting your laundry into multiple small specialty loads, you can now maximize your electric usage by using only large / full loads. Remember – no matter how big your load is, it takes the same amount of electricity to go through the cycles. Your washing machine can’t regulate its energy consumption based on the water levels – it’s clueless. You may as well limit your laundry to burly loads only, unless there’s an emergency to deal with.

• Gather a special bag or other container into which you can put delicates like pantyhose, lingerie, or anything made of a material that conceivably be snagged during a normal wash. There are many types of specialty bags that can be found almost anywhere; they are sturdy yet porous enough to accomplish determined the clothes are circulated and cleaned correctly.

• Don’t try to cut corners by cutting out your fabric softener. Dryer sheets do NOT replace the need for a good fabric softener! A fabric softener’s primary purpose is to cut down the effects of detergent that can’t be rinsed out. It kills soap bubbles. Unless you put your clothes through three or four rinses, you will have soap left over, hiding in your clothes. There’s no way around it. Clothes removed from the dryer that are hard and rough are telling you there is too much soap residue left.

• Measure your detergent carefully! This not only saves money, it saves your clothes. As we fair learned above, soap residue is going to be stuck in your clothes even with properly measured and properly rinsed loads. Too much detergent compounds the problem, not to mention harms the washing machine. The factual mixture of soap and water helps to drain the soap out and away from hoses and other mechanisms can break and run up some significant repair bills.

• Anything that comes in tablet form costs more and you need to hope that the dinky plastic covering dissolves. The size also limits the size of loads where its purpose can be maximized. Whether it’s detergent or stain removers, buy the liquid version instead. It’s cheaper, and because you have control over the measurement, you’ll have better results.

• Many store brands of laundry products are identical to their national heed competitors. In many cases, the store brands are even made by these big name competitors. After all, do you really reflect that Piggly Wiggly and or your own local supermarket really has a manufacturing plant for everything with its store name on it? Of course not. They hold these products from companies who “private price” them. Soap, canned goods, juices – the same thing. Try a store brand before over spending needlessly.

• Chlorine bleach is an ideal example of when to buy a store brand. Chlorine bleach is the same, no matter whose name is on the bottle. Save yourself 50 cents and buy the store brand.

• Don’t rely on cold water to get your clothes clean, no matter what the label says. Cold water does serve retain bright colors and prevent fading, but even with cold water washings, these same clothes are going to fade with even the best detergent. Use the warm water settings. Yes, you may spend a few more pennies for gas or electricity, but your choice is to end up with clothes that aren’t clean. So, you aren’t wasting money, you’re saving money by not ruining clothes that aren’t being properly washed.

• Forget the clothes line! Sure, you won’t need to pay energy costs for the dryer, but hanging clothes outside causes another set of problems to deal with. They can descend on the ground in a strong wind, they can bag stolen, they can bag caught in the rain if you aren’t home to bring them in. And if you do bring them in from the rain, then what? Are you supposed to wait for a few hours and bring them back outside again? Then when they’re dry, you now have to iron them! Nothing hanging on a clothesline is going to be wrinkle free, no matter what the label says. Look, time is money. If you are looking for ways to save time, exhaust your dryer.

• Add ¼ cup of baking soda to soften the water. This gets rid of mineral buildup, negating the power of many detergents and fabric softeners.

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