Comments on: Clothes-washing Wednesdays

By: Bankrupt Bettty

Bankrupt Bettty — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:02:50 +0000

I bought a small portable washing machine from Haier corporation that hooks up to my sink. I can’t do big or heavy loads, those items I still have to take to the laundromat. I can do small batches of laundry and if I do it a couple times a week, I can keep up with the worst of it.

In the summer I hang clothes out on my clothes line, in the winter, I hang items on a drying rack and if the weather is right, back on the clothes line (sometimes your clothes will freeze and not dry and then you still have wet laundry and it has to thaw). You need a breezey sunny day in the winter to do this. If the weather is too cold or not condusive to line drying, I take the clothes to the laundromoat just to use the dryer.

To do a load of laundry around where I live the prices range from $1.75 to $2.25 per washer load. Dryers are 25c for anywhere from 6-8 minutes per quarter.

I do use the laundromat for my blankets and dog beds that need washing. I’m willing to pay for the large triple load machine to get the dog beds washed (hot wash cycle) and dried.

I’m hoping one day to move to a house complete with a garage, dry basement, and a washer and dryer, all things I currently don’t have.

By: HopewellMomSchool.

HopewellMomSchool. — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:21:00 +0000

1. Check your public library for coupon exchange!
2. Plain white vinegar removes odors and softens clothes very well. Put it in like Downey–I put it in the Downey Ball.
3. The homemade laundry soap works great and saves money!

By: Bee.

Bee. — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:52:00 +0000

I’ve actually cut out dryer sheets completely, as I ran out once in college and my clothes turned out fine. It may be an adjustment if you’re used to them, though.

By: Kacie

Kacie — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 04:26:00 +0000

I use my shower curtain rod to hang up some things, and I also have a drying rack that folds up when not in use. I can only fit about one load of clothes on it at a time, and I don't think blankets or sheets would do very well with it.

Good thinking about the extra moisture in the winter!

Thanks so much for sharing the tips.

By: Arlene.

Arlene. — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 03:56:00 +0000

Have you considered buying some drying racks or tension rods to use for hanging things up and drying around the house? That would save on your laundry bill, plus in the winter, you would be putting some moisture back into the air at home. If you’re not too far from the laundromat, that is.

Oh, and I rarely fill the cap to the first line with laundry detergent (only if it’s a VERY dirty load — like my husband’s work uniforms or grass-cutting clothes, etc). Otherwise, I use about half of what’s “recommended.” We don’t stink, the stains still come out, and it stretches the soap. Works for me! :)