I hate doing the laundry.
Sometimes confession is the very best thing for the soul, right? No matter how “fun” I try to make it for myself, it’s probably my least liked household chore.
Ooooh, I’ll listen to an audiobook while I fold the last three loads I’ve been avoiding on the couch.
This laundry will be much easier to bear if I binge Netlfix while I’m taking care of business.
I could talk on the phone with a friend and make this task disappear in minutes!
Look, I’m not trying to whine. I know I’ve got it pretty easy. We have indoor plumbing. There’s no beating my towels and sheets on a rock in the middle of the river. Heck, I even buy permanent press items so I don’t have to iron.
But still, laundry? Ugh. Maybe it’s the repetitive nature of the task or perhaps it’s the fact that I know within a day’s time everything I’ve accomplished will amount to yet another pile of new clothes to wash.
Changing my attitude will go a long way to make the laundry blues go away. But there are a few simple laundry hacks that can reduce the workload and the amount of money we spend on my least favorite chore. I may never learn to love it but I don’t have to overspend when it comes to getting the job done.
Lighten the Load
Probably one of my weakest areas in the laundry game comes from the tendency to wait until almost everything is dirty before I begin the task.
More than likely, your family is a bit like ours. You own too many clothes. Owning fewer clothing items will mean you have to regularly wash the ones you do have. However, you won’t fall into my trap of Mt. St. Laundry Overload. You don’t have to touch every item and see if it brings you joy or not, but it might be a good idea as you fold laundry to remove 2-3 worn out or ill-fitting items from your inventory.
Make Your Own Detergent
For years, we were a brand name loyal family. We only purchased one type of detergent, no matter the cost. But then, the fragrance changed and our very sensitive snouts were sent sneezing. So rather than scout out new brands, I decided to begin making our own much more mild detergent at home. You can do it, too!
The basic recipe is 1 cup of Borax, 1 cup of Washing Soda, and ½ cup of an Oxy Cleaner (generic is totally fine!). Then, you only need 1 T of the powdered mix per load of laundry. You can use the mixture in H.E. machines, but it works more effectively if you put it in directly with clothes instead of in the detergent dispenser.
We also use white vinegar in lieu of fabric softener. Making the switch keeps our skin and noses happy while also yielding a significant savings in our household spending budget.
For more household cleaner recipes, read 7 Frugal Cleaning Products You Need This Spring.
Buy Scratch and Dent or Gently Used Appliances
We’ve purchased both a washing machine and dryer used in the past five years. We spent a fraction of the amount of retail cost and have been well pleased with both units. The store even took care of installation and haul off of the old machine (shout out to my friends at Appliance Network in Franklin). We were able to afford a much larger machine for far fewer dollars using this strategy.
For more ideas on how to save by buying Scratch and Dent Appliances, read: Tips for Buying from a Scratch and Dent Store.
Wash Full Loads with Cold Water
When you can, washing full loads with cold water will help keep your utility costs down. I’m always going to wash towels and gym clothes with hot water. Dr. Oz ruined me for life once when I saw the germs that hang around on clothes. However, for other laundry, we keep it cool.
Hang Dry
Running your dryer nonstop can hike your utility bills sky high. Especially for items prone to shrinking or with special instructions on care, consider using an indoor drying rack or laying items flat to dry instead of tossing them in the dryer. Not only will your expense decrease, your clothing will last longer due to the special attention.
I’ll probably never be a person who wakes up with a zest to do the washing and the drying and the folding. And more than likely until we get rid of our couch, it will once a week be crowned with piles of clean laundry for at least 24 hours (ok 3 or 4 days or until we have company over). I’m not sure what makes it so difficult for me to actually put away the clean clothes?
But I do know that there are elements of within my control and these strategies will keep my family from smelling like Pigpen from the Peanuts and that’s good enough for me.
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out The Debt Free Devotional
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
[…] In Slaying the Debt Dragon, there’s an entire chapter devoted to “Keeping the Castle Clean.” I talk about everything from streamlining your utility bills to making your own cleaners. For years, we have made our own powdered laundry detergent. The simple recipe is 1 cup Borax, 1 cup Washing Soda, and 1/2 cup OxiClean (I buy generic). Get this, you only use 1 Tablespoon per load. I typically make a batch with 6 cups Borax, 6 cups Washing Soda, and 3 cups Oxiclean and it lasts our family of four for MONTHS at a time. I swear these people change their clothes 12 times a day, too. For more ways to save, read: 5 Brilliant Hacks to Save Money on Laundry. […]