Thursday's Houshold Tip- 6 Thrifty Laundry Tips

From Angela Billings at Creative Homemaking

Keeping the laundry clean takes up a lot of time and money unless you know some quick and thrifty tips. I have put together a list of things that can be done to get your laundry done on a budget.

1. Wash your clothes in cold water and always do full loads whenever possible. If you have to wash a small load, use appropriate water level and wash setting.

2. Hang your clothes out to dry. You can put up a clothes line if you have room or you can use a folding drying rack. I have used hangers and put the clothes on and then hung them on the shower curtain rod.

3. Save money by not using dryer sheets. You can add 1/4 cup vinegar to your final rinse in place of fabric softener. Don't worry the scent goes away during the drying process. I have also heard you can use a small ball of aluminum foil in the dryer but I have not tried this before and I have tried the vinegar.

4. Make your own laundry detergent. This consists of shredded bar soap, Borax and washing soda. You can find several recipes online for making your own.

Here is a simple recipe for making your own: dissolve a bar of hand soap in water, add three gallons of hot water, mix thoroughly and add a cup of washing soda.Keep it in a bucket and use about 1/4 cup per load.

5. Clean your dryer lint filter very often. I clean mine after each load of laundry I dry. If I do forget and leave it the clothes do not dry as good as the do on the same time cycle with a clean lint filter.

6. If you have to use the dryer don't over dry the laundry. Check it until you get a pretty good idea on how long it actually takes to dry the clothing and then set your dryer timer for that.