Saving Money on Laundry
Laundry is a surprisingly expensive chore for you each year. The average American family does about 400 loads of laundry each year. With typical soap costs of 10 to 20 cents per load, that's $40 to $80 right there. And since soap usually works best with warm or hot water, we spend a lot more when we have to heat up water. Depending on your type of washer and how you heat your water and how often you use cold, warm, and hot loads, this cost can vary a lot. On average, it seems to be at least another 10 to 20 cents per load. And then you have the cost of fabric softener -- sheets might be another 5-10 cents each. Never mind the high cost of running the dryer (maybe 40 cents per load). Well ... here are some ideas to saving money on laundry in different areas:
Ozone Laundry
Ozone has been used by hotels and hospitals for years to do laundry because it cleans better and is far less expensive. Why? Because when you use ozone to clean your laundry, you eliminate the need for both hot water and detergent -- so a typical savings of $90 to $150 a year just on those two items.
Without having soap stuck in your fabrics, they'll also typically dry faster. If you save just 10 minutes per drying cycle, savings here range from $10 to $40/year with an average of around $25.
You'll also literally SEE your laundry lasting longer, because your lint trap won't get nearly as full as when you use detergent. This is additional savings, and you'll save money because detergent can also build up in the washer and require a replacement sooner.
Altogether, I estimate that using an ozone laundry system is likely to save a family of 4 between $150 and $200 per year ... and in rare cases, these savings could be closer to $400/year.
Until recently, ozone laundry units were too big for homes, so we had to stick with what we all know. But now, you can buy an ozone laundry unit for your home. You simply hang it on the wall beside your washer and it ozonates your cold water before it runs into your washing machine. (You'll see how well reviewed this is on Amazon!)
Additional benefits: this reduces the need to produce energy and detergents, keeps us from dumping chemicals into our environment, and keeps chemicals off our skin (since detergent remains in your clothes fibers). So it's better for the earth and better for your health.
Save Money on Detergent
If you don't want to eliminate detergent by using ozone instead, there are other options out there. But let me say a word about this first: clothes clean surprisingly well with just water if they're not stained. Detergent adds a nice scent (if you like that sort of thing), which is usually chemicals and is bad for your health ... but maybe something you still want to have. But as I found out in a science experiment with my son ... just water can sometimes clean better than soap and water!
I mention this because there are products that claim they can clean your clothes well without detergent. And now you know ... it may just be the water! If you look into one of these options, make sure to look online for reviews before you buy it. And look for honest reviews. Don't forget that some companies will basically "buy" reviews. So look past glowing reviews with no substance and look for those that really tested a product.
Having said that, here's one product with 4 stars on Amazon ... despite some negative reviews that really blast them. But over 400 reviews, so maybe it works? I won't be trying it myself since I use ozone.
There is also the option of making your own laundry detergent, and there are many recipes online. This can keep detergent costs down to less than 5 cents per load and gives you control over what you put in -- meaning you can use natural ingredients if you like. However, obviously this takes extra time and is less convenient.
If I weren't using ozone in place of detergent, I would personally use soap nuts. I recommend this organic brand and the 5 pound box, which could last you 2 years or more. 750 loads or more. They claim 1000 loads. Even with shipping, you're at about 5-7 cents per load, so it's more convenient than making your own and costs nearly the same.
Save Money on Drying
Since a dryer cycle averages a good 40 cents per load ($160/year for a family of 4), it's not a bad idea to see if you can cut back on this. Obviously drying on a clothesline is one solution. But many of us can't do that in the winter time, and many people will find it impractical or nearly impossible in their circumstance. So how else could you cut back?
As I mentioned before, doing laundry with ozone can cut back on drying time because detergents in fibers make it take longer to dry laundry. I have not precisely measured how much this reduces drying time, but estimate this could save you from $10 to $40 per year.
Another option I cam across was Woolzies, which are supposed to not only soften your clothes (in place of dryer sheets, and at about the same cost or a little less), but are also supposed to reduce drying time by 25%. That's a huge claim, as that could save you 10 cents per load, or $40/year. And since one box is supposed to do 1000+ loads, they would last you more than 2 years. These are very well reviewed on Amazon, but as usual with any product, there are some people who get awful results -- more static, no reduction in drying time, etc.
As I read through reviews, my conclusion is that they do about what dryer sheets do for static; they do seem to soften clothes; and some people see meaningful reductions in drying times. And the shorter the drying time, the less static. Just be aware that, as you pull clothes from the dryer, you'll have 6 wool balls to contend with.
These other dryer balls have similar reviews ... 4 stars overall with some negative reviews among them all. I'm linking to a 4-pack because it appears that you really want at least that many, and some people use 6 or 8 for the best effect. Some people have complained about dryer balls putting holes in clothes though, and it seems to me this design would be more likely to do so than the wool balls shown above.
On a related note, many people use 1/2 cup of white vinegar in a Downy Ball during the rinse cycle of their wash in order to soften clothes and reduce static. There is still a cost to this, but it's probably less (and more natural) than using name brand fabric softeners. This does not reduce drying time, however.
Another option people have discovered: you can create some dryer balls from heavy duty aluminum foil to virtually eliminate static from the dryer. I will not be testing this, however, as my wife is concerned about leaving aluminum bits in the clothes that then rub on your skin, and aluminum is a toxic heavy metal. She also prefers the slight sent of essential oils from the dryer sheets we use.
As I discover other laundry money saving options, I will be sure to post them here.
Ozone Laundry
Ozone has been used by hotels and hospitals for years to do laundry because it cleans better and is far less expensive. Why? Because when you use ozone to clean your laundry, you eliminate the need for both hot water and detergent -- so a typical savings of $90 to $150 a year just on those two items.
Without having soap stuck in your fabrics, they'll also typically dry faster. If you save just 10 minutes per drying cycle, savings here range from $10 to $40/year with an average of around $25.
You'll also literally SEE your laundry lasting longer, because your lint trap won't get nearly as full as when you use detergent. This is additional savings, and you'll save money because detergent can also build up in the washer and require a replacement sooner.
Altogether, I estimate that using an ozone laundry system is likely to save a family of 4 between $150 and $200 per year ... and in rare cases, these savings could be closer to $400/year.
Until recently, ozone laundry units were too big for homes, so we had to stick with what we all know. But now, you can buy an ozone laundry unit for your home. You simply hang it on the wall beside your washer and it ozonates your cold water before it runs into your washing machine. (You'll see how well reviewed this is on Amazon!)
Additional benefits: this reduces the need to produce energy and detergents, keeps us from dumping chemicals into our environment, and keeps chemicals off our skin (since detergent remains in your clothes fibers). So it's better for the earth and better for your health.
Save Money on Detergent
If you don't want to eliminate detergent by using ozone instead, there are other options out there. But let me say a word about this first: clothes clean surprisingly well with just water if they're not stained. Detergent adds a nice scent (if you like that sort of thing), which is usually chemicals and is bad for your health ... but maybe something you still want to have. But as I found out in a science experiment with my son ... just water can sometimes clean better than soap and water!
I mention this because there are products that claim they can clean your clothes well without detergent. And now you know ... it may just be the water! If you look into one of these options, make sure to look online for reviews before you buy it. And look for honest reviews. Don't forget that some companies will basically "buy" reviews. So look past glowing reviews with no substance and look for those that really tested a product.
Having said that, here's one product with 4 stars on Amazon ... despite some negative reviews that really blast them. But over 400 reviews, so maybe it works? I won't be trying it myself since I use ozone.
There is also the option of making your own laundry detergent, and there are many recipes online. This can keep detergent costs down to less than 5 cents per load and gives you control over what you put in -- meaning you can use natural ingredients if you like. However, obviously this takes extra time and is less convenient.
If I weren't using ozone in place of detergent, I would personally use soap nuts. I recommend this organic brand and the 5 pound box, which could last you 2 years or more. 750 loads or more. They claim 1000 loads. Even with shipping, you're at about 5-7 cents per load, so it's more convenient than making your own and costs nearly the same.
Save Money on Drying
Since a dryer cycle averages a good 40 cents per load ($160/year for a family of 4), it's not a bad idea to see if you can cut back on this. Obviously drying on a clothesline is one solution. But many of us can't do that in the winter time, and many people will find it impractical or nearly impossible in their circumstance. So how else could you cut back?
As I mentioned before, doing laundry with ozone can cut back on drying time because detergents in fibers make it take longer to dry laundry. I have not precisely measured how much this reduces drying time, but estimate this could save you from $10 to $40 per year.
Another option I cam across was Woolzies, which are supposed to not only soften your clothes (in place of dryer sheets, and at about the same cost or a little less), but are also supposed to reduce drying time by 25%. That's a huge claim, as that could save you 10 cents per load, or $40/year. And since one box is supposed to do 1000+ loads, they would last you more than 2 years. These are very well reviewed on Amazon, but as usual with any product, there are some people who get awful results -- more static, no reduction in drying time, etc.
As I read through reviews, my conclusion is that they do about what dryer sheets do for static; they do seem to soften clothes; and some people see meaningful reductions in drying times. And the shorter the drying time, the less static. Just be aware that, as you pull clothes from the dryer, you'll have 6 wool balls to contend with.
These other dryer balls have similar reviews ... 4 stars overall with some negative reviews among them all. I'm linking to a 4-pack because it appears that you really want at least that many, and some people use 6 or 8 for the best effect. Some people have complained about dryer balls putting holes in clothes though, and it seems to me this design would be more likely to do so than the wool balls shown above.
On a related note, many people use 1/2 cup of white vinegar in a Downy Ball during the rinse cycle of their wash in order to soften clothes and reduce static. There is still a cost to this, but it's probably less (and more natural) than using name brand fabric softeners. This does not reduce drying time, however.
Another option people have discovered: you can create some dryer balls from heavy duty aluminum foil to virtually eliminate static from the dryer. I will not be testing this, however, as my wife is concerned about leaving aluminum bits in the clothes that then rub on your skin, and aluminum is a toxic heavy metal. She also prefers the slight sent of essential oils from the dryer sheets we use.
As I discover other laundry money saving options, I will be sure to post them here.