How to cut costs in the laundry room

Laundry is an expensive chore, when you think about it. It uses a lot of energy and water. There's also the cost of the laundry detergent and fabric softener. It causes wear and tear on your clothes that will eventually need to be replaced. If you'd like to save a little money on doing laundry (or a lot depending on how much laundry you have), try a few of these tips.

Cut expenses for washing laundry.

Wait until you have a full load of laundry before washing whenever possible. Small loads use the same amount of electricity as larger loads. If you must wash a small load of laundry, remember to adjust the water level accordingly.

Wash the loads on shorter cycles in order to save money on electricity. Unless clothes are heavily soiled (and if they are, just let them soak a while), a six minute cycle works just as well as a 15 minute cycle.

Wash in cold water. This saves on electricity and cuts down on color fading. I still use hot water for towels to kill bacteria. If you use warm water, stop. There's no real point in it because it will fade your clothes, yet it's not hot enough to kill any bacteria.

Cut expenses for drying laundry.

Dryers are terribly expensive to run. Air drying your clothes is a much less expensive and more environmentally-friendly way to get the job done. You don't need a clothesline outside, either. Use a drying rack or simply put your clothes on hangers around the house until they're dry.

If you don't like how stiff they feel after air drying, toss them in the fluff cycle (or air-dry cycle) on your dryer for 10-15 minutes. This cycle doesn't use heat, so it's cheaper.

Cut expenses on laundry products.

To save money on detergent, use less. I only use about 1/3 of the recommended amount when I use commercial detergent, and our clothes always come out clean. Heavily soiled items may need to be pretreated. I make my own laundry detergent unless I'm feeling particularly lazy, and you can find that recipe here.

A lot of people say that fabric softeners and dryer sheets aren't needed (and they aren't), but let's face it, most of us prefer soft clothes without static cling. If you use dryer sheets, cut them in half. You'll still get the benefit of your clothes smelling lovely and eliminating static cling, but at half the price.

If you prefer liquid fabric softener, try substituting vinegar in the rinse cycle instead. You can purchase a huge jug of vinegar at the Dollar Store for $1-$2. Fill a Downy ball with vinegar if you can't remember to add it at the start of the rinse cycle. I'm forgetful, so the Downy ball is a fantastic solution for me.

What's your favorite tip for cutting laundry expenses?

Photo courtesy Mike Lacon via Flickr.