Comments on: Save Money on Laundry Day

By: Pam

Pam — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:16:10 +0000

Hi-I just happened to this site and am very impressed. A few comments: I rarely use a dryer-just a clothesline-tough in winter-my husband’s not big on drying racks cluttering the house! I do dry the socks and underwear in the dryer-I figure the time it takes to hang them out individually can’t possibly be worth more than 10 minutes in the dryer. I do send my husband’s dress shirts to the cleaners-working full time really puts a limit on what can be done in the remaining amount of time. One thing that really bugs me is drying towels. They’re MADE to get wet! That’s their function in life. Anyway, I have even found that polo shirts come out more wrinkle free on the line, if I fold them when I take them off the line.

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By: sheryl

sheryl — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:11:35 +0000

I tried hanging everything out for 1 month and I only saved $10 a month. Sorry, it’s back to the dryer for me. But I do buy generic fab. sotner and I dilute it. Works great!

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By: Lily

Lily — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:02:36 +0000

Really? I use a steam iron and I easily get rid of wrinkles, and never had a dryer. I only have clothes in natural fibers.

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By: Llama Money

Llama Money — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:12:07 +0000

The problem I have with hang-drying clothes is that the wrinkles are really, really hard to get out when I iron them. It’s much easier ( for me ) to iron clothes that have been through the dryer.

If I had the extra time to iron more thoroughly, I’d probably hang dry most of my clothes too.

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By: sandy

sandy — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:56:07 +0000

We have a dryer, but I use it only for towels and 10 minutes worth of jeans drying, then I hang them up. I started hanging my clothes to dry before I had my own dryer, when we were just renting. I realized that I was spending $3-4 dollars per week on dryer time. We were saving for a house, and I thought that might be a good way to save. Well, it was really easy, and so I’ve never looked back. I invested in a couple of good racks…oh wait! Actually, my best one was a trash pick…wow…I’ve had that for 8 years now, and it has saved us hundreds! BTW, we are a family of 4, and I tend to do laundry like my grandma did..wash on Monday, iron on Tuesday…but I actually wash and hang over 2 days, folding everything on the 3rd day. Then I don’t do any more laundry til the following Monday, unless it’s an emergency.

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By: aggressive saver

aggressive saver — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 03:17:49 +0000

you can make your own laundry detergent and cut the cost dramatically:

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/laundry/ht/htlaundet.htm

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By: Lynn

Lynn — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:29:19 +0000

Vinegar in the dishwasher? Great idea! Thanks, db.

My dishwasher has a timer. I set it to run during the night. I don’t like to do laundry at night, though. I’m not a morning person and despite the best of intentions I never fold a load in the morning.

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By: brad

brad — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 08:25:19 +0000

I’ve never used fabric softener in my life, and I think that plus the fact that I’ve never owned a dryer is why most of my clothes are still in great shape after 10-15 years and even in some cases more than 20 years of use. Plus I’ve saved well over $1,000 in appliance and electricity costs over the years by not having a dryer. In summer I put the wash out on a clothesline (not an option for everyone, I know) and in winter we use drying racks placed near our baseboard heat (slow for drying flannel sheets but remarkably efficient for everything else). There’s nothing like the smell of clothes fresh off the line after a sunny day. We’re a family of three; if we were a larger family with young kids I suppose I could see a need for a dryer but really I have never had any desire to buy one.

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By: Melissa A.

Melissa A. — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:53:50 +0000

Those dryer balls look pretty nifty, especially since the average load in my dryer takes 1.5 to 2 hours to dry! (I don’t overload it). It’s only .50 per half hour, but still – major PITA! My laundry is fairly cheap anyway. I use a generic store brand liquid detergent and I don’t bother with dryer sheets or fabric softener.

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By: Jamie Phelps

Jamie Phelps — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:29:29 +0000

This is sort of a meta-hint if you will. Running your washer and/or dryer overnight will save you money on your electric bill. My electric company has peak and off-peak rates. Since you have a machine doing it, you can have it work graveyard shift for you to save some money on your energy costs. I suppose the same could be said for the dishwasher too but I don’t know how much noise you want going on while you’re trying to sleep.

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By: db

db — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:09:54 +0000

Here’s another laundry tip: you can dewrinkle clothes by tossing them on low or air with a damp washcloth tossed in.

You can also scent your clothing with either a spritz of cologne (oh, be careful!) or a few drops of essential oil (much nicer) on that damp washcloth.

Vinegar will do wonderful things in your rinse water, including taking out smells and stains and softening your clothes. You can also improve your dishwasher’s results by pouring a little white vinegar in the dispenser or the bottom of the washer.

db
http://www.debtblitzkrieg.com

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By: Lane

Lane — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:05:29 +0000

Fabric Softener: I dilute my fabric softener to 1 part water, 1 part softener (reusing containers)with only slight gumming, which makes the softener last twice as long. I also cut my dryer sheets in half, and occasionally reuse the 1/2 sheets.

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By: MissPinkKate

MissPinkKate — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 23:42:19 +0000

I’m very proud of myself; I’m pretty much totally switched from getting the laundry done at a fluff n’ fold to doing it myself at a laundromat, which saves me some cash. Although I’m still getting used to remembering to bring the detergent with me.

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By: Lynn

Lynn — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 23:22:39 +0000

I used to use fabric softener in my front-load machine but it gummed up the drawer. I read somewhere to use white vinegar in its place and I really swear by it now. It helps things to rinse, doesn’t leavea slimey residue, and takes out the bleach smell. However, I love the smell of downy on my blankets and sheets. I’ve found that if I pour some on a small washcloth and put it in dryer with these items in liue of a fabric sheet, they smell lovely.

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By: Allie

Allie — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 22:56:30 +0000

My husband and I do that, too, for the most part–the laundry/car swap. And I buy most of the groceries but if we go out to eat, he pays.

Of the clothes I wash every week or two, at least 90% are his. I re-wear stuff a little longer than he does. Of course, I am not working on cars in my clothes.

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By: J.D.

J.D. — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 22:14:25 +0000

Shaz, Kris takes care of my laundry more often than I take care of her car. Remember, though, that we keep separate finances. All of her car expenses are coming out of my budget. In essence, I’m paying her to do my laundry. Some will find this strange, but it works well for us.

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By: Shaz

Shaz — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:16:37 +0000

Just out of maddening curiosity, how often to you take care of her car compared to how often she takes care of your clothes, let’s say, on a weekly/monthly basis?

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By: Foo Barz

Foo Barz — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:05:20 +0000

I’ve found a quarter of any generic brand dryer sheet works fine. I’m still working my way through a box of Walgreens dryer sheets that I got on sale for $.99 about 4 years ago. Also, if you use a shared laundry room (such as in a dorm or apartment complex) you can use other peoples’ used dryer sheets.

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By: VinTek

VinTek — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 20:57:27 +0000

I’m not sure dryer balls really work.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/45926/dryer_balls_do_they_work_or_not.html

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