Tips for Doing Laundry

Laundry: Everyone has to do it, right? So, why not save a little money while you are at it.

First off, washing your clothes in cold water will save you from paying for gas or electric to heat your water. Your clothes will still be clean, even if the material calls for warm water. Trust me, I've been washing all my laundry in cold water for years. You don't have to purchase special laundry detergent to wash in cold water, despite what Tide would have you believe. Secondly, you don't need a ton of laundry detergent to get your clothes fresh and clean. If you cut back by just a fraction of the amount you use per load your detergent will last longer and your clothes will actually be cleaner without all the left over soap reside that didn't rinse out. You don't need to see bubbles to know your detergent is working.

If you resist the urge to toss those wet clothes into your dryer could save you a ton of money on your gas and electric bill every year. If you hang your laundry to dry, whether outside in the summer on a clothes line or inside on drying racks in the winter, you will not be shelling out all those big bucks to the power company. Oh yes, I can hear you saying, "But I don't have time to hang my laundry, are you crazy?" If you install a drying rack in your laundry room for heavy items, like pants, or purchase one of many styles of collapsible drying racks, either for draping clothes or for coat hangers, you could easily hang up your clothes in the same amount of time it takes to toss them into the dryer and flip it on. If purchasing a rack is out of the question, simply hanging a few items of clothes on hangers on your shower curtain rod works just as efficiently on a small scale. The less you have in your dryer the faster it dries and the less you pay for utilities to run it.

Now, if you are really opposed to hanging your clothes up to dry, whatever the reason, there are a couple methods to help you save a little bit of money and cut back on your drying time. As I mentioned before, if you hang dry even a few articles of clothing your dryer will run less and you save money. If your washer is capable, finish your wash cycle on an extended spin. This will help release extra water and cut back on your drying time. Don't have an extended spin function? Simply run your washer on a "spin only" cycle after the wash cycle is complete.

Do you faithfully toss in one of those fabric softener dryer sheets each time you run your dryer? You know the ones promoted by the fluffy teddy bear. Well, maybe you should think again. Yes, they may cut down on your static cling, the number of hard to find socks and make your laundry smell fresh, but do you know that the residues from those dryer sheets can clog up your lint trap making your drying time longer and costing you more gas or electric? Even if you clean out your lint trap after every drying cycle like you should (or during if you are drying a big load) the residue can coat the mesh of your trap preventing air from circulating through, which can also cause the heating element to burn out faster. If you continue to use the dryer sheets, washing your lint trap out with hot soapy water and a toothbrush at least every 6 months will save you drying time, the cost of extra gas or electric, and repair or replacement costs. Still don't believe me, check it out on snopes.com.

There you have it. Those few tips will have you saving some of your hard earned cash in no time. It may take a little effort, but you'll be glad you took the time.