While many of us have a washer and dryer at home, some of us have to venture to the laundry mat and this can get quite expensive. If your family size is large or small, you can take advantage of many of the money saving tips below.
How To Save Money At The Laundromat
First and foremost, shop around. If you are lucky enough to live in an area that has many choices in places to go, shop around and find one that has the lowest prices. While many are very close in price, there can be vast differences. Of course, you won’t wanna get one that will be too far from your home or what you save will be eaten up by how much gas you spend to get your laundry there.
Find out the perks of the place you wash at and take advantage of them. Many Laundromats offer frequent user cards that give you free washes or dry time after so much spent. This can be a simple punch card or a points value card. Many laundromats also offer free soap.
Make your own detergents. There is no need to buy the small, one time use soaps sold at many Laundromats. Also, no need to haul heavy containers of soap that you bought. Simply make a large portion of soap and keep it in a 5 gallon bucket. When you head to the Laundromat, just take what you need in a small container. Making your own detergent is simple and allows you to only pay pennies per load. You can also make your own fabric softener.
During warmer months, take your clothes home to dry on the line if possible. Not only will they smell wonderful, but you will spend 30-40% less on doing your clothes.
Only wash full loads and pick the right size. When paying to do your laundry, it is very important to make sure each load is filled to capacity so you get the most bang for your buck. If you only have small loads, try to see if you can find a friend to go in with and share the cost.
Wash what you can by hand and dry on low temp at the Laundromat. This includes bras, delicates and some things that are labeled “Dry Clean Only”. Dry clean only is often not necessary with many items. These items often just require gentle care and low dry temps.
Keep a good eye on what actually needs to be washed and what just got thrown in the mix. Washing clothing that is not really that dirty or isn’t dirty at all will leave you spending money that you don’t need to.
Wear clothes more than one time to avoid having to wash them as frequently. Most clothing items (other than underclothes such as underwear) can be worn many times before it actually needs to be thrown in the washer. Wearing things more than once will ensure you spend less.
Use less soap. You may think you need a lot, but most laundry facilities have soft water, so you usually need to use less than if you were doing it at home. This could mean you are using more than twice the amount needed if you aren’t careful.
As a last ditch effort, consider getting rid of some of your clothing. If you own less, you will need to wash less.
Good tips on saving at the laundromat. When I was going there when my washer broke, when it was warm outside, I hung my clothes out to dry, This saves a lot of money. I also like to wear my clothes more than once. It is expensive to always wash clothes after one wearing.
One of the things I have learned that has saved me a lot of money at the laundromat is combining loads. If you don’t have any new colored shirts, you can be pretty safe with combining colors with whites. I have done this a few times when I have needed to save money and it works. You just have to be careful when you have jeans because they can color your white clothes. Aside from that, you have to shop around and see if there are really cheap places to do your laundry.
I agree that you should consider making your own detergents. I’m sure they’re probably pretty easy to make. I think it’s important to just make sure they’re made with safe ingredients.
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Thank you for sharing this information of how to save money at a laundromat. It is good to know that clothes can be worn more than once without being washed in between. It is also good to remember that a local laundromat would save gas money because of a reduced commute.
I agree that it is a good idea to skip the dryer if it is warm enough. Hanging your clothes out on a line could save a lot of money. My wife and I are living without a washer and dryer for the first time and it has been a big adjustment. I will have to give all of these tips a try.
My cousin is thinking about how she needs to stay on top of her laundry and make sure that she has clean clothes and they can be done well. He would really like to go to a laundromat run by a professional so that it will clean better. I’ll be sure to tell her about how drying clothes on the line can save some money and they will smell better.