Doing Laundry does not have to cost a fortune

Many people do not realize how much it costs to do a load of laundry, but when you step back and think about the money involved you may be amazed. Think about all the products and services that will cost you money with each load of laundry that you do.

First we have the clothing, clothes cost money and each time you wash them it fades them a bit (some fade more than others depending on the detergent and quality of the clothing) If you want to save money on your clothing you want to get a good quality laundry detergent. When selecting your detergent try to find something that is color safe, and results in brighter colors. Some detergents are too harsh, so before selecting one to use in your washing machine look up a few reviews first.

Another big cost when it comes to washing clothes is the products themselves. We have laundry detergent, fabric softener, bleach and those great smelling drier sheets. If you want to save money on these we have a few options. One of my favorite ways to save money on laundry detergent and fabric softener is to use coupons. You can find coupons in a variety of places, I usually search online first. I also found a great website so I will share the site with you at the bottom of this article.

A second way to save money besides using laundry detergent coupons is to buy the products when they are on sale. This seems like such a simple way to save money, but many people overlook it or do not take full advantage of this option. All you need to do is keep an eye on your store flyers and when you see the product you use come on sale make sure you stock up. I usually buy 5 items or more when it is on sale, especially if I use it all the time and it is a significant savings. Sometimes you can even combine sales and coupons to get a double whammy deal and save a lot of money

The last tip that I have for you to save you money on washing your clothes has to do with energy. Many washing machines use quite a bit of energy. If you can afford it and plan on living in the same house for a while then consider purchasing an energy effecient washing machin and dryer. It may sound like a big investment, but over time they will pay for themselves in energy savings and it is much better for the environment. Another tip is to wash in cold water and also air dry some of your clothing. Cold water uses less energy because you won't need to heat the water (which uses energy from the hot water heater). Also you may notice that some clothes feel nearly dry when you pull them from the wash machine, if you hang these up to dry you will save energy and money by using the dryer less.