This post was written by me as a paid partner of Purex® Laundry Detergent. However, all opinions are 100% my own.
Laundry is one of those chores that is never done; as soon as you catch up on the laundry, there’s more in the hamper!
But laundry’s repetitive nature makes it a great area to apply frugal hacks; you’ll use them over and over, and that means you’ll reap savings over and over.
Purex® Laundry Detergent, an affordable laundry detergent brand that helps people achieve a dependable clean, reached out to ask me if they could sponsor a post about ways to save money on laundry.
Soooo, I said yes, since that’s right up my alley!
1. I use dryer balls
I use wool dryer balls, which promise to help reduce static cling, reduce drying time, and also can help save money on energy costs.
I used to have some plastic dryer balls, which eventually cracked and were no good. But I’ve been using my wool dryer balls for years, and they show no signs of wear except for some pilling.
Since they last so long, they’re both a cost-conscious and eco-friendly option. Go for the wool balls over the plastic ones!
2. I use an affordable laundry detergent: Purex® Laundry Detergent
You may remember that I tried making homemade laundry soap years ago. That was an abject failure that left my clothes covered in stinky residue. NEVER again!
Instead, I use Purex® Mountain Breeze® Liquid Laundry Detergent, which provides a dependable clean at an affordable price. It fights 99% of common stains and provides an all-in-one powerful clean with long-lasting freshness, so it gets the job done for me without breaking the bank.
And if, like me, you have someone in your house who is sensitive to fragrances, you should know that Purex® Free & Clear Liquid Laundry Detergent is free of dyes and perfumes and is hypoallergenic.
So it’s a great option for families on a budget who also want a detergent that works for their sensitive skin.
3. I use laundry bags to prevent damage to clothing
I have several zippered mesh bags, plus two designed specifically for bras. These are excellent for items that might get twisted and damaged in the wash.
And they’re great for keeping items from damaging other laundry; for example, you know how bra hooks can get caught on the other laundry?
Or how the straps can get wrapped around other clothing or worse, the agitator in the machine?
Putting them in the bag prevents all of that and helps me to save money from needing to replace any damaged items.
4. I air-dry selectively
I dabbled in being an exclusive line dryer for a while, and I decided that was not the life for me. I happily reunited with my dryer and haven’t looked back since.
But I do air-dry:
- anything with a lot of elastic (dryer heat is hard on elastic!)
- anything super prone to fading
- items I can’t afford to shrink
- delicate items
- sweaters
Line drying, even in my selective fashion, helps to reduce the cost of running large loads in the dryer and also helps maintain the quality of more delicate items that can get damaged in the dryer. That saves me money in the long run!
To help avoid wrinkles, I throw my laundry straight from the washer into the dryer, set the dryer on low/no heat for a few minutes, and let the clothes tumble.
Then I take the needs-to-be-line-dried stuff out, hang those things up, and dry the rest of the load in the dryer.
Can you tell I didn’t tumble the leggings at all? That’s because leggings are so tight, any wrinkles get stretched out as soon as you put them on!
I used to press “start” and rely on myself to remember to come take out the air-dry items a few minutes later but…I forgot so many times! So now I always, always use the timer on the dryer.
I cannot be trusted. 😉
5. I pretreat/soak stains
If I have an item with a stain on it, (like a grease stain or a food stain), I gently rub a little bit of laundry detergent directly into the spot and let it sit for five minutes before washing it according to the care tag label.
Purex® Mountain Breeze® Liquid Laundry Detergent works as both an effective pre-treatment and regular detergent, helping to save me costs on buying two cleaning solutions while also helping to remove pesky stains.
If a stain looks particularly troublesome, I sometimes soak the item beforehand – and even better, I try to give the stain a quick rinse shortly after it happens, in cold water for any food and beverage stains or in warm water for any oily or greasy stains.
That way the stain doesn’t have a chance to set in.
How do you like to save money on laundry?
P.S. When I got started on writing this post for Purex, I ended up with way more tips than I could fit into the length they wanted. So, look for another post with more laundry tips soon!
Isa
Wednesday 26th of June 2024
We line dry from avril to November
We don't wash clothes after just one use (except for underwear and socks, obviously). I'll wear a shirt or dress twice, pants/shorts 3 or 4 times and pyjama for many days before washing them. Unless I sweat in them or they are visibly dirry/stained.
Same for towels, I'll wash them when there is too many in the shower room (they tend to multiply in there, somehow...), so about once a week.
And we always uss cold water for wash and rince.
Laurae
Wednesday 26th of June 2024
I use this homemade laundry powder recipe at times. Works for most laundry, otherwise I buy A&H non-scent for hubby's work clothes. The recipe is from: learningandyearning.com Ingredients 2 cups washing soda 2 cups baking soda 2/3 cup epsom salt 3 tablespoons sea salt 10–20 drops essential oil of choice optional Instructions Mix all ingredients together and store in a sealed glass jar. Use 1 tablespoon per load. Add another tablespoon if clothes are particularly dirty. Add the laundry powder to your washing machine first, and allow it to dissolve in the water before adding clothing. Add 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to your wash for odor control, or if your water is very hard.
I live in the U.P. of Michigan and haven't owned a dryer for over 25 years. It def. saves on electricity!
Casey
Wednesday 26th of June 2024
Ah, laundry! When I was first married at 20, we were stationed in Germany. I was able to borrow a washing machine from the base supply. It was a wringer and I used the bathtub to fill and empty the washer. I also had a German spinner and would spin a few clothes at a time to remove as much water as possible before laying the clothes on the radiators or hauling them up three flights of stairs to the attic where my landlady and I shared lines. There were also lines outside in the back courtyard and I purchased a typical German indoor drying rack. In order to get the jet fuel out of my husband’s fatigues, I added a cup of spic and span to the wash. It really did the trick. We certainly couldn’t afford to send his fatigues to the base laundry. That also meant I starched and ironed. Fortunately, I’ve never minded ironing. My first automatic washing machine when we returned to the states was the best thing ever!!!! Fast forward 50+ years … I’ve taught my children to do laundry and continue to do ours. Grad school as a single parent meant no dryer. Once again, I was hanging clothes here and there. My good friend would invite me over and offer to let me dry a load of towels or sheets while I visited. Now, I have a laundry room and both washer and dryer. I still hang clothes out using an IKEA drying rack and challenge myself to use every inch of the drying space. Towels, though, go in the dryer. My frugal hack in the summer is to put them in the dryer after I’ve washed them, leave the dryer door open, and then actually run it when I go to bed. It doesn’t heat up the house as much and takes half the time because the towels have dried somewhat sitting there. I use wool dryer balls and always clean out my lint filter after each load. I use only free and sensitive laundry detergents. Now, if clothes could just fold themselves!
Ginger
Tuesday 25th of June 2024
how does using dryer balls (wool or otherwise!) save on energy costs? is it just because the clothes dry quicker?
Chrissy
Wednesday 26th of June 2024
@Ginger, The wool dryer balls remove static which is why most people use fabric softener.
Anita Isaac
Tuesday 25th of June 2024
i live in a nyc apt with laundry room in the basement. i was doing laundry a day after i arrived. met a woman who remained my friend until she moved to independent living a month ago. she introduced me to most of my neighbors. i now meet a lot of new neighbors in the laundry room. the machines cost way more than when i first moved in but i like to use one machine and do it more often. we are 2 teens and 2 adults. the new machines that were installed a few months ago have presettings that i like. i never use the amount of detergent that pg recommends. i count to 3 while i pour.
during covid my husband did not want me to go to the laundry room so we had it done at the laudromat across the street from our apt. that was not really what i liked and i was happy when hubby felt it had gotten too expensive. we don't pay for gas or electric and we don't have a/c or a car. there are a bazillion restaurants in the neighborhood so cooking from scratch is definitely not my thing. my 13 year old son is a great chef and had to bring a mexican dish to his last spanish class of the year. his classmates said it tasted like restaurant food. am so proud of him.
kristen are you ok? i don't see any comments from you on this post, other that the post itself of course.