by Effie Moore Salem

Created on: June 14, 2008   Last Updated: March 12, 2010

Saving money on laundry  is as easy as deciding to do it. Laundry is no longer the big weekday event it once was. In years past, seeing that your family wore clean clothes meant that your grandparents selected one day out of the seven and spent the whole day washing and bleaching and starching and hanging clothes out on the line. Now days it's easier and takes up less time and is relegated to out of the place laundry rooms and basements and is a never ending task. And since it's easier to toss a slightly worn shirt and pair of jeans in a the dirty laundry basket rather than carefully hanging them in the closet to be worn another day, dirty laundry is stacking up all over the world, even as I write this.

Ways of making these mounds shrink, and saving money on laundry in the meantime are numerous. I will list only the tips that come to my mind but I am sure you can add other ways to my list: The first tip is be sure your clothes are dirty. Washing clothes that have been worn only an hour or so, or even all day and are still clean need not be washed. Who ever said we have to be that clean, anyway? Washing is what wears clothes out and is what turns vibrant colored shirts and dazzling crisp dresses dull and limp. Teach the rest of the family the responsibility of caring for the quality clothing that cost you so much money. It's the least they can do to help out.

The second tip is use the dryer less. This uses up unnecessary energy and is wasteful. If at all possible and if you live in areas that permit clothes lines, then hang your washing outside. Do this in the summer time and allow the sun and wind to dry your clothes. Sheets that have been dried in this way are fresh smelling and wanting to sleep on these fresh sheets can become addictive. Once you've slept on crisp sheets that have been air dried outside on a breezy day, you will want more such experiences. Even if you must use a dryer there are ways of economizing that is much better for the clothes and causes less static. Under dry your clothes and hang them on hangers and let them finish drying on your shower rod.

The third tip concerns the detergent and the the dryer sheets that you use to dewrinkle your clothes. All detergents are not equal and some of the name brands are more expensive than the off brands and those that are priced for less. The off brands are probably just as good at cleaning your clothes as the more expensive ones. At least this is one way you can save money on laundry day. And

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