5 Eco-friendly Ways to save money on Laundry

These 5 Ways to Save money on Laundry are part of a Tide sponsored series for Socialstars™

One thing that all Moms can agree on is the never-ending burden of laundry! Gah! Why can’t we just wave a magic wand and have it take care of itself right?

Growing up in such a large family (youngest of 9 kids here. Yes, you read that right, NINE KIDS), I saw it all when it came to laundry stains! My Mom had plenty of experience with laundry and she taught me all the tricks.

You know what else my mom taught me? How to be frugal and eco-conscious. See, my mom was very green long before “GREEN” became the “cool thing“. She was more than semi-crunchy before crunchy was even a thing!

So naturally, I held onto much of the green and eco-friendly lifestyle that I was raised in. Mostly because I saw the benefits of it in my own life.

Not only is being green and Eco-friendly great for the environment around you, but it is also amazing for your pocketbook! Not even kidding here!

Remember how I told you my mom raised nine kids? She did this on a civil engineer/Farmers salary. She was the master of FRUGAL as well. And almost always being eco-friendly goes hand in hand with keeping your money IN your wallet!

So do you want to know the secrets of being Eco-friendly and saving money?

I’m going to share my mom’s secrets with these top 5 Eco-Friendly Ways to save money on Laundry!

Top 5 Ways to Save money on Laundry

Cold water. Simply by switching that one setting on your washing machine, you can save a bundle in energy costs. Obviously, some items need to be washed in hot water to kill germs such as towels or gym clothes. But for the most part, all other clothes can be washed in cold water without any difference in the outcome.

And changing to washing in cold water will make a BIG difference in energy costs. Which means it will save a lot on your energy bill and save you a big buck come bill day next month!

Line Dry. Growing up in a house with 8 other siblings it was crucial that we cut costs where we could. We had a HUGE clothesline! And it was always filled to the brim with everyone’s clothes and sheets in the summer. As a kid, I hated hanging up my clothes on the clothes line. But as a mom now, I seriously miss having the benefits of a clothes line!

That is one thing I want to remedy in the next year or two! By drying your clothes on a clothes line in the summer you can cut your energy costs by a very noticeable amount! My mom said we always saved several hundred dollars in the summer simply by drying our clothes on the clothesline instead of using the dryer.

If don’t have a clothesline, get a clothes rack and at least dry the HEAVY items such as blankets and jeans. It won’t have as big of an impact as drying all your clothes on a clothesline, but it will still make a difference.

If you don’t like the feel of the jeans, simply toss them in the dryer on a “fluff” cycle. This will soften them. But still, saves versus all the energy and money it would take to fully dry them from the wet stage.

Use an energy-efficient washing machine. Using a machine with an EnergyStar rating cuts down on the amount of power you use each time you do a load of laundry. Thus means less cost for you.

Some states even offer rebates when you purchase energy star rated appliances. We got a nice rebate check from Rocky Mountain Power (our local power supplier) when we upgraded to EnergyStar appliances. So check with your local power company to see if this is an option for you.

Use a laundry Schedule. Now you may be wondering “How does using a laundry schedule help save energy and money?” Two very simple reasons!

1.  Full loads. Washing too small a load wastes energy. Waiting until you have a full load saves money. By using a laundry schedule, you know that by the time that Towel laundry day comes around, the towels will make a full load.
2. No overloading the machine. By also keeping on a schedule this also keeps you from overloading your machine. For the same reason that you don’t want too small a load, you also don’t want to overstuff the machine. If it is too full – it overworks the machine and causes too much work, and your clothes don’t come out clean and you end up doing the extra washing.

By staying on top of the schedule it ensures your loads are just the right size each time which means the machine works at the optimal conditions. Use our easy to use Laundry Schedule Printable to set up your own Laundry Schedule.

Get our FREE Laundry Schedule Printable Below!

 

Use Tide® PODS™ Plus Downy® – Picking the right detergent can actually save you quite a lot of energy and costs. First, if you pick a weak detergent it won’t get the clothes clean. Thus you have to rewash your clothes often. Or you have to buy new clothes to replace the ones that you can’t get clean.

But Tide® PODS™ Plus Downy® offers the Tide clean you love, but now with Downy Fabric Protect included. It’s literally like using 4 products in ONE! Which means you no longer need to buy a separate stain remover, brightener, or fabric softener. You get  Detergent, stain remover, brightener, and fabric softener all in these 2 convenient little pods!

Plus, the Tide® PODS™ Plus Downy® completely dissolve in any water temperature. Yes, even COLD water temperature. So they are the perfect detergent to help save money on laundry!

Simply toss 2 pods (for large loads) into the washing machine.

Add your clothes. Select your washing settings. Set to COLD temperature and wash!

Then Line dry! Your clothes come out fresh, bright, clean and soft! Yes, even when line dried!

They even work in all HE and standard washing machines. So if you haven’t been able to upgrade to EnergyStar appliances yet, you can still take this first step to start saving energy and save money on laundry now!

BONUS TIP! Here’s a BONUS tip my mom always suggested to save money on laundry: wear your clothes more than once. Not only will it save energy because you are doing less laundry, but it also prolongs the life of your clothing. WIN-WIN. You are saving money on 2 fronts now!

Now some people have an issue with this. They think if it’s been worn once, it has to go straight into the laundry. But we have a 2 step “SHOULD IT WASH” test to see if you can refold an item of clothing to re-wear or if it needs to go into the laundry hamper:

1. Does it Look clean? IE – did you spill anything on it? Stains? If not you are good to move onto the next question.
2. Does it Smell Clean? IE – if you didn’t sweat profusely and it still smells decent then it is good to go for another day – just not the very next day – the fashion police might get after you on that one.

Under clothing and Gym/workout clothing are always one wear only. But other items such as sweaters, jeans, church dresses that are only worn a few hours in the day, etc those can all go through the 2 step Should It Wash Questionnaire.

For more easy Laundry Room Hacks, check out our other Laundry room tips with a free Laundry Symbols Printable, And our How to keep a soft blanket, SOFT baby blanket care guide.

How do you save money on laundry?

**Like all household products, KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN! Tide PODS® are not toys, candy or a fun stress ball pack. Which is exactly what they look like to children. So always keep your Tide PODS® stored in the original container, sealed tightly and high up out of child’s reach!**