Which corners to cut to make laundry more frugal

November 11, 2005

Sure, there are ways to cut corners when you do laundry. Do they work? Are they worth the trouble? Do they really save you money? You probably use these basic things: water, detergent, and softener. You might use bleach or a substitute, stain remover, or detergent booster or hot water instead of cold. You will most definitely need a form of energy - gas, electric, or human. The cost of all of these are controllable.

This time I'm going to stick with two areas of laundry - fabric softeners and line drying. I have lots more to say on the rest of it later!

Softener - Use much less than the packaging says, especially in a a dryer. You need fabric softener with a dryer to cut the static cling, and it doesn't take much for that. A dryer sheet, cut in fourths, can be used twice.

That makes 8 uses per sheet.

Alternatively, use liquid softener and dilute with water. Spray it inside your dryer, or saturate a clean rag and throw in your dryer with the laundry. You can use this several times by dampening the rag between loads. A small bottle will last for a long time!

Fabric softener makes materials lose their absorbency, and they do build up over a period of time, causing them to yellow. There is a health concern regarding their use as well.

It's wise to kill two (or is that three?) birds with one stone - use vinegar. It's not as frugal as commercial fabric softener using the methods above, and you must use it in your washer, in the softener dispenser, or in a dispenser ball, or put it in the first rinse water. Use 1/4 cup for a load to get the real benefit. Since vinegar is cheaper than softener, but not drastically so, you'll save some, but not as much as you could. It will do a number on static cling, though. (And no, it won't make your clothes smell funny!)

It's cheaper to hang clothes on the line, in more ways than one. For one thing, your clothes will last longer. Where does that dryer lint come from, anyway? It comes as the dryer beats and rubs your clothes literally to pieces against each other and against the dryer tub for up to an half hour at a time. Small pieces of fiber are broken and thrown off or rubbed off the garment. Clothing dried in the breeze lasts longer, and is healthier.

You'll save on stain remover and be able to cut back on any bleach you use. Diapers and white socks will lose their stains, and sheets will be smooth, with body, instead of limp and wilted. The ultraviolet rays kill germs better than bleach, because of the time element.

You're better off to use small amounts of regular fabric softener, and put off your laundry for a windy day, if you can. Do hang your colored clothes, especially those not colorfast, out of the direct sun. A few hours in the sun is not likely to damage them, but if you forget, or cannot get them from the line at the end of the first day, they can fade.

Some people don't like to hang clothes out because they dry stiff instead of limp. It's the beating around, either in the dryer, or in a good wind, that softens material. If it's freezing outside and you want or need to hang clothes out anyway, add a quarter cup or so of salt to the rinse water to keep clothes from freezing on the line.

They'll be fresher, and they'll last longer. And that's frugal.

"A clean house is a sign of a misspent life"

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