Keith O Hudson

Posts Tagged ‘Saving money’

For those of you who, like me, are always looking for ways to “streamline” your budget (that is, reduce it), here are a couple of hints for cutting down the cost of doing laundry.

I’ve been told that the principal source of cleaning in an automatic washing machine is the agitation of the clothes, not the laundry detergent. Apparently, detergent manufacturers are very “generous” when they recommend how much laundry detergent you should add per load, and you can cut it down to 1/2 or even 1/4 of the recommended amount and still have your clothes come out fresh and clean.

For the past several months, I’ve been using 1/4 the amount of laundry detergent I used to, and have not noticed any difference in cleanliness or scent of my clothes.  My wife uses 1/2 her prior amount — she’s not as stingy as I am — and is pleased with the results.

When I began cutting down on laundry detergent, I also started cutting the dryer sheets I use in half.  It only takes a minute to cut the entire stack of dryer sheets in half when I buy a new box, and each box lasts twice as long, again without any noticeable difference in my clothes.

Laundry may not be a big expense, but every little bit of savings adds up.