How to Save Money in the Laundry

Save money in the laundry by using our tips on reducing the costs of laundry powder and liquid!

Now as a Mum, there are some jobs around the house I loathe and some I really quite enjoy. The main one is LAUNDRY. Yes I love it – I could do it all day! I love the smell of washing powder in the morning, I love sorting, I love loading them in the machine and adding the soap, I don’t love how my front load washing machine takes three hours to wash, but you can’t have it all.

Here are some great ideas on how to save money in the laundry!

More Reading Connected with How to Save Money in the Laundry:

1. Save Money in the Laundry by Buying Laundry Powder in Bulk

Washing powder is a wonderful item to buy in bulk – it never goes off and you can always use it!  One downfall is that it can be quite expensive from the supermarket.  If you have the cash to spare, try buying your powder in bulk.  

Great places to try include your local Hardware store – they quite often have large 18 – 25kg boxes that are cheap as chips – buy two years worth of washing powder for the cost of a few months worth!

Read More: Where to Buy Bulk Laundry Powder at a Discount

2. Save Money in the Laundry By Making Your Own Laundry Powder/Liquid

Another great idea is to make your own laundry liquid at home.  Unfortunately with the new chemical laws in Australia, Borax is now notoriously hard to buy at your supermarket, but you can buy it online or sometimes your local Pool shop or Stockfeed or Rural supplier will have it.

Soapnuts are also a great way to save HEAPS on your washing.  Soapnuts are little dried berries that when added to water, have a small amount of sud.  You pop a couple into a small calico bag or sock, and they gently wash your clothes.  If you buy a 1kg bag of Soapnuts, they will last you an entire YEAR.  

Think of the huge amount of savings!

You can buy Soapnuts at the following stockists:

• Biome Eco Stores
• Green Living Australia

3. Only Use Cold Water in the Washing Machine

Okay we all know that hot water costs more, in fact for every wash on hot, it is costing you about 35c!.  BUT, remember you need to buy detergents that are suitable to be used in cold water.  

My tip, use cold for day to day washing, if something is particularly dirty (ie kids food mess), then pop it on warm or just soak the clothing first.

4. Save Money in the Laundry by Only doing FULL Loads of Washing

Having a couple of sorting baskets in your laundry for whites, colours, darks, towels and bedding saves you time.  Only put on full loads in your machine, it saves water – and washing!  If you need just a couple of items done desperately, rinse them in the shower when you have your nightly wash and hang them out on an air dryer.

5. Ditch the Fabric Softener to Save Money in the Laundry

I adore the smell of most commercial fabric softeners – but did you know that you can get exactly the same amount of softness from white vinegar?  Pop 1/2 cup into the fabric softener cup of your washing machine and check out the softness for yourself. It is significantly cheaper than fabric softener, the clothes come out soft, and also dry faster.

It also leaves your machine clean and you don’t get the build-up either it is also great for people with allergies as the vinegar also helps the clothes release any excess detergent that is left in them, but it still leaves the lovely clean smell of the detergent (NOT VINEGAR!). 

If you miss the beautiful smell of a commercial fabric softener, add a couple of drops of essential oils to your washing.  I particularly love Eucalyptus Oil or Tea Tree Oil.  Not only do they smell clean and fresh, but they are also natural antibacterial agents.

More Reading: Where to Buy Wholesale Essential Oils

6. Use Less Laundry Powder and Liquid

Most washing powders come with a scoop or cup to measure the amount of powder.  But did you know you will get just as good a clean using half or even a third of the amount!  Plus you are less likely to lose so much colour from your brights.  

Try using half the recommended amount of laundry powder and liquid and check out the results. If it isn’t quite cleaning as well, add a tiny bit more!

More Reading: Where to Buy Bulk Laundry Powder at a Discount

7. Hang Your Washing Outside in the Sun

I’ve been very guilty of using the dryer when I just can’t be bothered to hang out the washing but it does cost a fortune. In fact, the average dryer load costs $2.08c to run!  That is super expensive. So it’s easy to save money in the laundry by using your dryer sparingly.

Hanging your darks (such as work clothing and school uniforms) undercover or on an air dryer will keep them looking better for longer as the sun can bleach out the colour.  For items like sheets and whites, hang them out in the sun. The sun can actually make them stay white for longer and is a great natural stain remover – especially for nappies!

8. Invest in a Heatpump Dryer

Most families have a dryer in their laundry. Dryers aren’t expensive – you can pick them up for under $500. But technology has come ahead – even with dryers – and now there is a Heatpump Dryer.

Heatpump Dryers are more expensive – you are looking at about $1200 for a good brand. However they cost less than half the cost of running a traditional dryer – and so you will save heaps of money on your electricity bill – especially if you have been using your dryer a lot!

For example, this Electrolux 8kg Heatpump Dryer is $1299 – but it has a 5 Star Rating – for a dryer!

9. Cut Your Ironing in Half

Ironing is not fun! In fact, I rarely do it at all.  But a nifty trick I have learned is to pop a sheet of aluminium foil (shiny side UP) under your ironing board cover.  It reflects the heat of the iron so that it effectively irons both sides at once!  Some ironing covers now come with foil built-in!

Another great tip is to hang your wet shirts on a hanger straight from the laundry basket. The weight of the wet clothing will ‘pull’ out all the creases – plus then you can just take them off the line and hang them straight up in the cupboard.

What tips and tricks do you have to help save money in the laundry?