I’m always curious about the real answer to this question. How much does it cost to wash clothes?

Does it really make a difference in my financial bottom line if I’m washing 8 loads a week versus 14 loads a week?

Is there a noticeable impact in our bank account if I wash 4 loads of towels (on hot) or if I just wash two over the course of a whole year?

It’s difficult for the average person to pinpoint exactly how much it costs to operate a washing machine.  Each machine is different, has different lengths of wash cycles, uses different temperatures for water, etc.

However, Mr. Electricity has an excellent generalized chart to determine what it is really costing you to run your machine.

He takes into account every variable: top loader versus front loader, water temperature, price per gas in therms, and so on.  It’s extremely comprehensive.

How Do I Find the Current Utility Rates?

To get the most accurate result possible from this little experiment, you must plug in your exact utility rates.  You can guess from the default numbers, but your results will definitely  not be accurate. 

To obtain the price per unit of the gas, power and water simply go to your biller’s website and find their rates page.  In an effort to save my NC friends some time, linked here are the pages to Progress Energy in North Carolina and PSNC Energy in North Carolina if they happen to be your utility providers.  If not, just google: Company Name + Rates. You might have to do a little digging to find the actual rate per therm and rate per kWh.  I certainly did.

Hill House Laundry Costs

So I plugged in my numbers and here is what my chart looks like:

Analysis of Laundry Costs

So essentially it costs me $0.30 per load to wash and $0.18 per load to dry.  And this equals $300 per year for me to wash our clothes.  That’s not bad!  In fact, that is considerably less than what I was figuring.  I’m not sure those are completely accurate numbers for my specific washer, but I’ll take them as great ballpark numbers!

So head on over and enter your laundry data.  It’s interesting to play around with the numbers and see where the true savings lie.  Then come back and tell me what your results are!

…And it saves me $25/year to wash only 2 loads of towels versus 4 loads by the way.

(I have no affiliation with Mr. Electricity.  I just think he offers a valuable tool in analyzing where my money flows.  While I agree with many of his cost-saving tips, he and I certainly differ on the wash-in-cold-water-only philosophy. )

Last year, I wrote a guest post for Centsable Momma on How to Create a Price Book.  I’ve used a price book for at least 6 years now, and I consider it to be a huge tool in helping our family save money.

Why do I need a price book?

You need a price book in order to answer these questions:

How do I know what is a “good” price on laundry detergent?

Is this sale price a “stock-up price”?

I’m a loyal brand of ____.  How often does it go on sale?  How many bottles should I buy to last until it goes on sale again?

What stores offer the best price on laundry products?

When is the best time of year to buy laundry products?

A price book is a wealth of data.  The idea behind it is to track the rock-bottom prices of items you typically buy, and then buy those items when they are on sale at their lowest price.

It’s a fabulous concept really.  I can’t even describe to you the money it has saved my family over the past 6+ years I’ve used mine.

How to Make Your Price Book

I wrote a detailed tutorial on how to create a price book at Centsable Momma last year.  So head over there to read the specific instructions if you need them.

Here are the highlights to get you started:

From Wal-Mart or Target, buy an 8.5” x 5.5” 3-ring binder and 2 packs of dividers.

Then create tabs of the major grocery categories you typically purchase.  Examples: Laundry, Baby Care, Meat, Toiletries, Paper Goods, Canned Goods

Next, download my free printable price book form.  Print them on 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper and cut them down the middle.  Hole punch the forms and place them in your beautiful new notebook.

How to Use Your Price Book

Use one price book form for each item you purchase.  One form should contain the pricing for laundry detergent, one for spray stain removers, one for in-wash stain removers, one for fabric softener, etc.

If you try to put more than one product on a form, you’ll quickly be frustrated at the confusion it causes.  Trust me – one product per form.

The top of your form now looks like this:

You’ll see the headings at the top of the form in which you enter your data from the store receipt.  Fill in each heading so you’ll have an accurate picture of the product’s true cost.

Date:  The date you purchased the product

Store:  The store you purchased the product.  Feel free to use your own abbreviations.  I use:  Wags (Walgreens), Kr (Kroger), WM (Walmart), T (Target) and LF (Lowes Foods).  Use the abbreviations that make the most sense to you.

Brand:  The brand of product you purchased. 

Size/Price:  Record the size (quantity) of the product and how much you paid for it.  Note: When recording laundry detergent, gather the data for how many ounces the bottle contains or how many loads.  Whichever you choose, be consistent.  It’s easier to analyze your data if you’re consistent with the unit of measurement.

Unit Price:  The price you paid divided by the size (quantity) of the product.

Sale:  Record whether the item was purchased on sale.  Yes/No is sufficient.

Now when you fill in your data, it will look like this:

Interpret the Data in Your Price Book

So you’ve gone to all of the trouble (really, it’s maybe 30 minutes worth of time) to create your price book and enter your data. 

Now what do you do with it?

Keep track of your purchases over the next few months.  It will take at least 2-3 months of data before you can really interpret the data.

Once you have several months of data, look for these types of trends:

- How often your favorite detergent goes on sale – every 2 weeks? Once every 3 months?
Note: if your favorite detergent goes on sale every 2 weeks, it won’t go on sale at the same sale price that often.  With your price book, you’ll be able to see when the lowest sale prices are and buy then.

- Are your preferred laundry products ever on sale at your favorite store?
If they are rarely, if ever on sale, your data suggests you need to change your shopping location.

- Is the laundry product only on sale in one particular size?
Does the store only put the 32-load detergent on sale and never the 64-load bottle?  If so, you know by the unit price which one is your best purchase.

- Is there a time of year that your favorite products go to rock-bottom prices?
You need  10-12 months of data to know this type of information.  But if you analyze the trends of the information you’ve recorded, I can almost guarantee that there are one or two periods each year that laundry products reach rock-bottom.  My price book tells me so.

Tips and Tricks

Through many years of price booking, here are a few suggestions I’ll make:

• Write your prices in your price book in pencil.  Pencil is easy to erase and looks nice and neat if you make errors that must be corrected.
• Write the name of the product on the Item line in red.  It stands out easily when you’re thumbing through the pages.
• Schedule a time on your to-do list to enter receipts.  Pick a time period of once a week or once every couple of weeks to sit down and enter receipts.  Otherwise, they’ll pile up in a hurry.
• Your price book doesn’t have to be perfect.  It’s much better to have a functional, organized place to write down your data than have a price book with your family’s logo hand-stenciled on the front in 14 different colors.
• Enter every receipt you can get your hands on.  The more data you have, the better you’ll be able to spot trends.

Do you use a price book?  What are your best tips?

I am pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday over at Life as MOM.

Over the past year, the percentage of people who found my blog via a “frugal laundry” search in Google has sky-rocketed.  The economy is tough and people are intensely searching for ways to ease their financial burden.

We’ve all got laundry to wash, so it seems like a great place to analyze a few cost-saving measures.

Mama’s Best Frugal Laundry Ideas

• Making the Most of Dryer Sheets – It’s not necessary to use the entire sheet in each load of laundry.  Read my recommendations.
• Overdosing on Laundry Detergent – Less is more in the world of laundry detergent
• Frugal Laundry Necessities – Quite possibly my most loved frugal laundry must-have
• Reducing Lost Socks – Stop spending excess money on socks.  This idea saves a lot of time spent matching as well.
• My Portable Clothesline – I’m so excited the weather is finally warmer and I can use it more often!
• Towels: To Hang or Not to Hang? – Not sure which is best? Maybe the yearly cost savings will convince you.
• Increase the Life of Your Lingerie – Lingerie is so expensive!  Make yours last as long as possible.
• Drying Racks – A great round-up of various styles and options
• 8 Tips to Have Longer Lasting Clothes – Some of these are super easy changes you can make today.  The longer your clothes last, the less money you spend.
• Preventing Wrinkly Clothes the Frugal Way – This one little step takes maybe 30 seconds
• Homemade Laundry Products – A round-up of recipes for homemade laundry products.  Everything from wrinkle releaser to dryer sheets.

Have you written a frugal laundry post? Leave the link in the comments!

I am pleased to link this post to Frugal Fridays over at Life as MOM.

There are so many ways to save money on laundry.  You can use coupons or shop sales or make your own detergents and laundry products.

You are in luck if you are a person that likes to make your own products.  I have a whole round-up of links from dryer sheets to wrinkle releaser!

If you have a homemade laundry product, feel free to leave the link in the comments.

Homemade Wrinkle Releaser – In case you like to avoid ironing at all costs

• The Common Cents Home – Uses only softener
• Homemade Mamas – Uses softener and vinegar

Homemade Dryer Sheets

• Consumer Queen – She gives several options
• Appraiser’s Wife
• The Meanest Momma – Octagons.  Now that’s funny.
• Penny Pinchin’ Mom – Love the idea of using ones that are brightly colored so you can spot them easily

Homemade Fabric Softener

• The Frugal Girls – Uses hair conditioner
• Homemade Ginger – Uses vinegar and essential oils

Homemade Fabric Refresher (Similar to Febreze)

• Pinky Has a Brain – Yes, that is her real name

Homemade Stain Remover Spray

• Keeping the Kingdom First – Scroll to the bottom of the post
• Keeper of the Home – She claims this got out her blackberry stains!  Assuming that is true-this is a winner for sure.  Blackberry stains are tough.

Homemade Oxi Clean

• Making Do with the Not So New

I am pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday over at Life as MOM.

I am pleased to present a guest post from Jakob Barry who writes for Networx.  I will be the first to admit that these creative and frugal ways to hang clean laundry would have never occurred to me!  I am thrilled to post these out-of-the-box ideas.

Hanging up clean laundry, including dry-cleaning can be a daunting task, especially with tight closet space. That’s why if you find yourself in such a predicament it’s important to formulate creative ways to make it happen and not just settle on dumping it all on your favorite comfortable chair.

Doing so means being innovative with recyclable objects you may not commonly associate with laundry or clothing.  But such resourcefulness will make an interesting addition to your room as well as give your personal space some extra character.

In general, these apparatuses can circulate or be stationary and have the option of being installed in an existing closet. They can also simply stand in the open connected to a sturdy base or dangle from the ceiling.

What do I mean? Here are a few examples:

1. A bicycle tire rim with or without the rubber tire: Install in a closet on its horizontal axis in such a way that it spins like a clothing rack in a department store. That way all items can be accessed easily. If installed outside the closet it can circulate or be stationary. Handle bars are another bicycle option. They come in all different shapes and sizes but when mounted on a wall can hold a number of hanging items.
2. The base of a swivel chair: Suspended upside-down this acts like the bike tire rim but clothing is hung from the ends by the wheels.
3. Steering wheel: Years ago these were wider so if you can find one at a junk yard that would be the best. Suspend it and place hangers around the edge.
4. The top of an old metal garbage can: Space and drill holes for hangers around the perimeter. Then suspend.
5. The metal part of a bow rake: Unlike the rake used for leaves or lawn grass this one is for the garden soil. It’s tough and unbendable but sometimes after a lot of use the wood handles snap off. If so the metal part can be placed on a wall and hangars could be hung from between the teeth. At the same time, clothing could be hung from the teeth themselves.
6. A Ladder: Found a broken ladder? Cleaning it up and hanging it vertically can create a long shelf-like display for hanging clothing.
7. Hard cardboard or plastic mailing tubes: Carefully size to a particular spot and punch a number of holes across the tube just wide enough for hanger tips to fit inside. This can also be applied to plastic PVC piping and similar types of materials.
8. A tree trunk: It should be heavy enough to act as its own base and have branches for hanging. Having once made one from an evergreen that fell in my backyard, I peeled off the bark revealing the smooth bare wood surface making it an even nicer piece of art.
9. Square bracketed ceiling rack: These are usually for hanging pots and pans in industrial kitchens though some people have them at home. If you have access to one it can be great for hanging clothes.
10. Unused refrigerator egg tray: Believe it or not, this is a great item for sorting out and hanging ties. It can be hung or screwed into a wall or closet with ties fitting right through the holes where eggs normally rest.

There you have it; ideas on making your own hanging racks for all kinds of laundry and clothing.  One last bit of advice: if you’re going to use found objects for hanging clothing make sure to clean them well, as you don’t want to dirty clean clothing before its time. A further step would be to paint, shellac or stain the objects, which will help preserve edges from the constant movement of hangers.  Whatever direction you head in good luck and may all your laundry needs be met.

Jakob Barry writes for Networx.com.  He covers various home improvement topics, including green lighting ideas, reducing household allergens and home safety awareness.

I am pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday over at Life as MOM.

There are numerous reasons why clothes become wrinkly:
- They are left in the washer too long
- They are left in the dryer too long
- They are folded in a haphazard way
- The item is made of a material that is known for wrinkling (think linen)

One super easy way to help prevent wrinkling takes just a few seconds and minimal effort.

Whether you own a top-loader or a front-loader, clothes naturally end up twisted and tangled together in the last spin of the washer. To even have a chance of eliminating wrinkles, you must untangle the clothes before putting them in the dryer.

The sheets I washed this week are a good example:

This picture was taken as soon as I opened the washer door.  So you can see that the sheets are mostly in a twisted ball.

If I picked up this whole load of sheets and put them straight into the dryer, two problems would arise: 1) The sheets wouldn’t dry well at all and I’d possibly even have to run the dryer cycle twice.  $0.60 per hour in the dryer = around $1.00 or so to dry this one load of sheets  2) When they finally did dry, they would be completely wrinkly.

Clothes and other linens need the freedom to tumble freely in the dryer. If they are twisted when put in the dryer, less surface area is exposed to the heat.  Meaning it takes longer for them to dry.  And it is well-known that the dryer is one of the most costly items to run in a home.  Less drying time = a lower power bill.

So when putting them in the dryer, they should look like this:

Nice and fluffy!

It’s also prudent to try to prevent wrinkles from a financial standpoint.  My dryer has the Steam Dry option (which is by far one of my favorite features!), so it’s easy just to have the clothes dry another 15 minutes and the dryer steam out the wrinkles.  I admittedly use this feature all of the time – but it does cost money in terms of our power bill.  Preventing wrinkles in the first place also prevents one from using any of the ‘Wrinkle Releaser’ spray-on products.  They are definitely not cheap!

So when moving clothes from the washer to the dryer, make sure to un-wad them and gently shake them out. You want your clothes or linens to look nice and fluffy in the dryer.

This step adds maybe 30 seconds to the time it takes to switch loads.  But this 30 seconds can save you money and prevent wrinkles.  It’s worth it!

I’m pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Have you priced Little Girl Tights lately?  Super expensive.  Even the ones at Wal-mart aren’t cheap, although they are definitely cheaper quality.

So how do you make them last as long as possible while still looking nice?

I’m so glad you asked.  Here are a few tips:

• Always wash tights on the delicate cycle.
  Little girl tights are often a poly/cotton blend, which can pill if washed with lots of agitation.  And moderate to heavy agitation can often cause pilling.  So wash the tights on cool/cold on the delicate cycle.  Every once in awhile (as in every 3-5 washes) the tights will probably need to be washed on the ‘normal’ cycle to get rid of sweat or dirt stains.  But definitely don’t wash on the ‘normal’ cycle every time.
• Wash tights in a mesh bag.
  If you read here much at all, you know I am a big fan of the mesh bag for everything from washing stuffed animals to washing lingerie.  For more delicate items, a mesh bag adds an added layer of protection.  Little girl tights are no exception, so use one every time.
• Never ever ever dry tights in the dryer.  Ever.
  The dryer heat makes them pill.  And it also makes the elastic old before its time.  In general, dryer heat makes them just look old before they really are.  I either hang dry them from clothes hangers or use my S-hooks if I only have a pair or two.
• Buy higher quality tights to start with.
  It’s painful to pay out $15 (or more!) for little girl tights, but if they last most of the season it seems smart to do.  If you pay for good quality items to start with, there seems to be more incentive to take better care of them.

Just out of curiosity, where do you buy your little girl tights?  Since I have two little girls in tights (and maybe 3 soon!) I’m always on the lookout for great quality at a good price.  If you know of any great sites, please leave them in the comments!

I am pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday over at Life as MOM.

There are a couple of laundry questions that I am asked repeatedly, and one of those is:

How do I get my clothes to last longer?

There are several reasons you would want your clothes to last awhile: you (like me) have a minimal clothing budget, you have a favorite outfit that you want to keep forever, or you want to be a good steward of the items you own.

Regardless of the reason, making your clothes last a little longer than average doesn’t take much more effort than what you are already putting in your laundry routine.  Here are some tips to get your started:

Wash items on delicate

Even if the item is a material (such as a sturdy cotton) that can tolerate the agitation of a ‘regular’ cycle, you can prolong the wear by washing on ‘delicate.’  I wash most of my clothes routinely on ‘delicate’ and every 3rd or 4th wash, I run them through the ‘regular’ cycle.  The less agitation clothes receive, the longer they look new.

Don’t wear your nice clothes to do messy, sweaty, dirty jobs

For example, don’t wear a pair of nice shorts to work in the yard or wear your favorite shirt to finger paint with your daughter.  You think you won’t get it dirty or sweaty, but chances are you will.  Just take the time to go change into older clothes and eliminate the need to deal with the laundry aftermath of a gross job.

Have clothes that are designated for lounging around the house and doing laborious work

When I come home from being out and about, I almost immediately go change into my ‘house clothes.’  These are not sweatpants and comfort clothes – they are clothes that I can work easily in my home, but also not get bent out of shape if I splatter grease on my shirt while washing dishes.  Also, my husband has designated clothes to wear when he mows the grass or works outside in the yard.  By not wearing our ‘good’ clothes to do messier jobs, we prolong the life of them.

If needed, wash the item in a mesh laundry bag

I’m a fan of mesh laundry bags and I think they prolong the life of clothes in many ways.  Definitely use them for lingerie items, any items with strings, or clothing items where pieces may come off, such as sequins or appliques.  The mesh bag absorbs a lot of the agitation of the machine and prevents the delicate items from being stripped away from the fabric.

Wash clothes inside out

Some fabrics, such as certain polyesters and cotton/poly blends, pill very easily.  And again, it is from the agitation of the machine.  The agitation (which is a good thing since it helps get clothes clean) makes the fabric rub against itself and that creates the pilling effect.  Turning clothes inside out before they wash will not completely prevent pilling, but it certainly helps.

Buy good quality clothes to start with

Notice that I didn’t say ‘Buy expensiveclothes.’  It may take some time, research and a few good sales with coupons, but good quality clothes can be bought affordably.  Clothes that are made well from the start and are constructed with quality fabrics will stand the normal wear and tear much better than cheaper quality clothes.

Hang clothes up to drip dry

The heat from the dryer can be brutal.  It can ruin elastic and contributes to the pilling of some fabrics.  To lengthen the life of your clothes, hang items until they are mostly dry and then toss them in the dryer for the last 10 minutes or so.  The dryer will knock the wrinkles out without the clothes suffering the intense heat.  This is a much more high-maintenance way to dry clothes, but the lasting effects on your clothes are worth it!

Wash clothes less frequently

Determine if clothes are really dirty before throwing them in the machine.  Did you only wear them for an hour or so?  Then chances are they can be re-worn unless they are stained.  The less clothes are washed, the longer they’ll look new.  I detest dirty clothes, so I am certainly not advocating wearing items that are not clean.  Just take the extra 5 seconds to evaluate whether the garment needs to really be washed, and if not go ahead and hang it in the closet for next wear.

What tips do you have to prolong the life of your clothes?

I’m pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday over at Life as MOM.

Drying clothes without using the dryer is one of the most frugal things a person can implement when it comes to laundry.  There are several methods: hang drying, using the clothesline and also using a drying rack.

If you’re in the market for a new drying rack, here are a few possibilities from which to choose:

This is a wall-mounted drying rack that can be mounted indoors or outdoors sold by Space Savers.  It easily folds up against the wall, however is not the most aesthetically pleasing when folded in my opinion.  It does come with a protective sleeve if using outdoors.  It appears rather sturdy – it can hold up to 100 pounds of clothes!

This drying rack is a stackable mesh unit also sold by Space Savers.  While it can only accommodate one sweater or shirt at the time, if you purchase multiple units they stack on one another to save floor space.

This drying rack from Ikea has loads of drying room.  You could dry sweaters and shirts on the top while hanging other items down the sides.  I love this design.  And it folds compactly when not in use.

I just adore Project Laundry List.  Go take a peek around their site if you have even the slightest interest in green laundry.  They sell this over-the-tub rack in their store.  This is a fabulous design idea for those with extremely limited floor space.  And it folds flat to 2 inches when not in use.

I stumbled upon this little gem from Best Drying Rack.  Did you see how small if folds up?  It’s fantastic!  The video on their site shows it to be extremely sturdy and not made of any plastic parts, which I really like.  This is such a cleverly designed device.  The top even turns around so you (and your basket) stand in one spot and let the rack do the spinning work!  I love it!

Lastly, this is a product from Envirodryz.  This is an indoor/outdoor drying rack that comes in a large and small version.  The above picture is their smaller version.  I really like the casters on the bottom of this rack.  The large version holds up to 4 loads of laundry.  Now that’s serious.

Do you use a drying rack?  Have a specific rack that you love?  Tell us about it in the comments.

I am pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday over at Life as MOM.  Go visit for more frugal ideas than you can shake a stick at.

Every Sunday, Kristi over at Spend Less and Save More posts a Sunday Savings Tip.  And this week I am honored to be her guest poster!

Head on over and check out a way to keep clean clothes out of your dirty hampers.

And put a few cents back in your pocket as a result.