by Rachel Keller
Laundry may be a never-ending chore, especially for large families. In my last column, 9 Tips to Save Money by Doing Less Laundry, I shared some helpful suggestions and tips to save you time and money. This month, I offer you even more ways to save!
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1. As a family of seven, we have quite a bit of laundry each week. In the past, we used to drag the laundry to the basement, dump it all on a huge pile and then separate. Now, we save time by using separate laundry containers. You can use separate containers or purchase one of those laundry hampers with dividers in it.
2. If you find yourself washing small items, such as baby socks, nylons, or other delicates, place them in a small mesh bags for protection. The bags also make it easy to find those delicates to hang up after washing, and small items won’t get lost inside other clothes or sheets.
3. Keep some safety pins near the hamper. Teach your family to pin their socks together. It makes it so much easier when folding laundry since the socks are already matched. It also helps prevents missing socks.
4. If you have problems with ring around the collar, try rubbing some shampoo on the collar and letting it sit for several minutes before washing.
5. Invest in one of those drying racks, and hang your clothing to air dry. You will save money and prolong the life of your clothes since the high heat of the dryer actually breaks down the fibers of your clothing. You can also try pulling clothes out of the dryer while still damp and letting them air dry the rest of the way, or take your air-dried clothes and fluff for a few minutes on the air fluff cycle.
6. If you want to brighten your clothes, hang them outside in the sun. The sun is also great for removing stains from white clothing.
7. If you use fabric softener sheets, try cutting them in half or thirds. If you use liquid fabric softener, try using half the recommended amount (or even less).
8. Try mixing fabric softener with water and putting into a spray bottle. Lightly spritz the clean clothes before drying.
9. You can also take old washcloths and cut them down into smaller squares. Soak these in some fabric softener, squeeze out the excess softener, let them dry, and then throw into the dryer with your wash. You can use these more than once.
10. Instead of using fabric softener, trying putting a ¼ cup of vinegar into the rinse cycle.
Hopefully, these suggestions will help you save even more time and money. In another article, I will share my favorite laundry detergent recipe (involves no cooking and is simple to make) as well as a recipe for fabric softener.
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Also read: 9 Tips to Save Money on Doing Less Laundry
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Copyright © 2013 by Rachel Keller. All rights reserved.
