Laundry Tips for Frugal Living

I am also trying to convince my sons that just because you wear a sweatshirt over another shirt for a little while...it does not mean that it is dirty. Those seatshirts soak up a lot of water. And I swear if they continue to throw it in the laundry when it is not dirty, I will just hang it with the rest of the clothes as if they were washed. Just the other day, my partner had the boys clean thier rooms that I have been asking them to clean for some time now. Instead of hanging up what was not dirty, they threw it all in into the dirty clothes!!! Now, I had no clue what was dirty and what was clean...so, I had to wash them all.

Don't take me wrong, but how about smell? So if you do not wash it and wear it again, hmm...don't you think it may steel look fresh?

Well yes you are right! Depends on the frequency of how dirty your clothes can get And also it depends on the stain type If it can go out with a simple wash, there isnt any need to wash the whole thing And different methods have to be involved for different stains But then yes as done and said it does save on water, and all agents

This sounds like a wonderful idea...I think I am going to try it. I do so much laundry it is pathetic.. I have three children that reach in to grab a fresh towel and washcloth and down comes the whole pile and do they stop and pick it back up and put it on the shelf.. no it sits there until I open the closet up later that night and there they sit with dirty clothes piled on top... ugh...(We are working on getting better at this). However the clothes thing is so right.. I mean the shirt I wore last night still smells of laundry soap and there was no stains on it at all... so up she went in my closet...We shall see.. Also the laundry soap recipe sounded good but I didn't know what it all was... any more ideas on homeade laundry soap.

I guess I try to save on laundry is putting all clothes in one load. Our clothes are so old that they don't mind being washed in the same load! :) I discovered this after we had our son. :) I wash all of our stuff in usually one load. I had to do a load just about everyday or every other day. It saves me time! ;)

My dad did this for quite awhile, the only ammendment being that before he returned it to the closet he would place it on a hangar and hang it to air in garage or outdoors. I know this goes against our all American clean fanaticism, but it also saves wear and tear on your clothes. Another tip or two--wash in cold water most of the time, and do not automatically use the longest wash time, a shorter wash cycle saves electricity and wear and tear on clothes and washing machine.

I already do that. A lot of the time I will wear my jeans a couple of times.

Since the children have left home, I have cut my washing days down heaps, probably 3 times a week, and this has been a great help, but also we are on high water restrictions so is doing something towards that as well, and all that water goes straight out onto our garden. It can be done just have to be aware!

Here is something else that can save you money: Instead of buying those expensive pre-made laundry detergents just make your own. You end getting a lot more, it lasts a lot longer, and it is MUCH cheaper: Water 1 Bar Fels Naptha Soap, Grated 5 Gallon Bucket 1 Cup Washing Soda 4 1/2 Gallons Water Place grated soap in a small saucepan and cover with water. Heat on low until dissolved. Fill bucket with hot water, and add soap. Stir to combine. Add 1 cup washing soda and mix well. As it cools it will thicken. May be used immediately. Use 1-2 cups per load.

That's a clever way to save money indeed. I like it.

I usually just wash things that are actually dirty as well. Sweaters and other clothes that just go over the top of a first layer of clothes rarely need to be washed unless something is spilled on them. I can wear a pair of jeans a couple of times as well. I hang dry a lot of my clothes as well, which cuts down on dryer use.

I must admit, i to sometimes wear a item of clothing twice never more then that if it is soiled at all then yes i put it straight in the wash i dont bother just washing that spot i wash the hole lot! The only thing i change everyday no matter what is my underwear!

This is good info, and a little funny ha ha to me, because my husband has a "really dirty pile" piled in one corner of our room, "I wore it and it's till ok to wear it again" pile in our room, on the floor.....This is a pet peeve....My mom always carried the belief that if the clothes are piled on the floor their dirty...and need to be washed. I have the same belief.......thats why I probably have a gazillion loads a week, 4 kids create a lot of dirty laundry. We will reuse towels until they cant be re-used anymore especially since we just use them to dry off our clean bodies after a bath or shower. I also combine Gain liquid in my laundry, with Arm and Hammer powder detergent, this combo has saved me loads on detergents because they seem clean the clothes well and they smell wonderful....fabric softner can be diluted with water to extend it's use. I dont worry about water too much, we have well water....I try to hang everything up that I can so that I dont have to run the dryer as much. As far as my loads per week....well I think until my kids move out it will remain the same, no matter how much I try....Laundry is the worst chore to do in the house....atleast for me...I dont like it.....and really dont pay attention to much on how to save money with it....even though I should.

I do the same thing, but I will wear it much more than twice. I'm a college student, I'll wear the same pair of jeans for a little over a week or u ntil they are really gross with stains on them. If there is only a little spot I'll keep on wearing it. Shirts can be worn until they smell and the same with sweatshirts. Underwear are the only thing that you don't wear too long in my opinion. Bras though can be worn for a long time. If you have enough panties you only have to do laundry every few weeks. Of course I mean if it's only yourself.

I wouldn't do that if I were you. Yes, it saves you money, but it could cost you your health. The sweat leaves germs. They have to be washed away.

I usually wear my pants a few times. My shirts I will wear maybe twice and then wash. I do find that to help cut back costs if you use the fabric sheets cut them in half. If you us liquid fabric softner use half a cup and fill the other half with water.

It is perfectly fine to do that.I take into account How many hours I have worn a garment and whether or not I was perspiring, etc. If you put on an outfit and go out to the movies and come back home and change, those clothes really aren't dirty and can be worn again.

I do that too, especially if I've only worn it a couple hours. The way I remember I've already worn that shirt once is when I hang it back up, I turn it inside out. I also wash most of our clothes in cold. The only things I wash in warm are whites and towels. I don't wash anything in hot water. In a pinch you substitute white vinegar for liquid fabric softener if you run out. Once you run the clothes through the dryer the vinegar smell is long gone. White vinegar is also great for armpit odors/stains. Just squirt it on there and wash as usual. One more thing on white vinegar.....first time you wash new clothes (especially darks!) add a cup of vinegar to the wash and it will help set the color to make it last longer.

Vinegar does a wonderful job at keeping fabric from fading, also works as a wonderful softener and helps remove stains.

I think alot of people do this. But with 2 children and a husband that works construction it rarely ever happens.