How to reduce laundromat cost?

**gmarie** · 06-15-2012, 08:44 AM

This may have been discussed before, but I'm looking for ideas to reduce my laundromat cost. We currently spend about $40/ month. ($10/ week). I'm not sure what my goal should be? Maybe 1/2 this amount?

We do have a clothes line - however I tend to have time for laundry in the evenings, when I can't put out wet clothes. But, I have always air dried my shirts, and some pants, and hang them in the window to dry.

I do own a Wonderwash, but I am nervous about using it since I don't have the separate spinner, and I am afraid they would take too long to dry? Does anyone own one who can give me tips?

I am okay with washing my clothes less often. I'm thinking that maybe I need a schedule? Does anyone else do this? (week 1=pants, week 2= shirts, etc) and hand wash all of my gentle/cold water items, and then do one load of towels in hot, and 1 load of warm of everything else? We do not use paper products so I am washing rags and dish cloths with my towels.

We do tend to use too many towels - I am thinking of hiding them from DH and giving us each a set number per week. How many do you use??

If we do this, maybe I can get away with doing a towel load every other week? (I do put tie the rags in plastic grocery bags to keep them separate from the other laundry)

Any ideas? Thanks!!

**melanies** · 06-15-2012, 12:43 PM

I would get a bucket (or something similar) and one of these: Wringer and then do as much as you can at home, especially in summer. Do you have one of those rolling rack type things that you can hang your wet clothes on? I dont use the dryer very much, so I line dry (indoors) most of my clothing. Its better for them and they usually are dry in 24 hours.

**nuisance26** · 06-15-2012, 01:31 PM

~Can you tap a friend, neighbor or co-worker for use of their machine? Ask around. Someone may let you use their machines for 1/2 the cost of the mat.~

**frugalfranny** · 06-15-2012, 01:34 PM

Lots of variable here......but what comes to mind right off is...........

try a cheaper soap

sort differently

work it out where you are only going every other week........no matter what has to be done to accomplish that---wearing clothes more often before washing, it would save on gas if nothing else

quit using some product that you now use.............I never use a softener or dryer sheets..........unless it is a WHOLE load of fleece items. It is more important that my clothes are CLEAN...........not that they smell good.

as for towels............THAT is the first thing I would work on..............I use ONE towel a week..........towels cost a LOT to wash and dry. And I wash mine in hot water.........which doesn't matter at the laundromat......but.......

**gmarie** · 06-15-2012, 02:17 PM

One of my job is in a home office and she has offered but I felt funny about it... I should mention it. I occasionally bring it with me to my mom's but it makes me feel like a helpless child so I try to avoid that!

I don't use softener or dryer sheets, switched from Tide to whatever is on sale.

One towel a week is a good idea!

But, we would need to buy more underwear/socks if we go to every other week.

**nuisance26** · 06-15-2012, 02:27 PM

~I would take your mother up on the offer. You get to visit and do laundry in one shot. Do pay her though. That will decrease any awkward feelings you may have.
It's really just practical. I've never understood why families and community groups didn't pool their resources for large expense items. It just seems ridiculous for everyone to own things they don't use every day. A single washer and dryer set could easily handle the needs of 3 families without much inconvenience in scheduling. With meticulous scheduling, 5 or more families could share. Of course, this would make the most sense if it were 5 immediate neighbors and you had your machines in a special room in a garage or lean-to with an exterior access door. You wouldn't want to give everyone free run of your home.
Is there any way you could buy a couple of portable machines for your apartment and charge your neighbors to use them? They might love the convenience of laundry a couple doors down instead of going out. You could do it all yourself and make a side job out of it as well.~

**Hamada** · 06-15-2012, 03:47 PM

I use the laundry room here which is coin operated. Have been able to wash clothes every other week. I do not mind hanging clothes up that I have only worn for a couple hours a day. I do have at home clothes which I change into if I am going to be home for the rest of the day.

The main way I am able to do this is by having enough underwear, socks, and bras to last me 14 days. Sure there was a little cost at the beginning but I know I am saving money by doing my laundry this way. Also dry clothes inside that do not go into the dryer. It all dries well mainly on the drying racks I have.

You may end up with a system of doing multiple loads of laundry every other week and only one load of laundry every other week. If you need more dryer time for a load of laundry add the coins while the dryer is still running. Usually you only need an extra quarter to make sure heavy clothes get dry.

**gmarie** · 06-15-2012, 09:49 PM

Thanks - it was my boss who offered; my mother is 1.5 hrs away, and doesn't seem to like me doing laundry when I visit, but she would never tell me not to. Of course, I've never offered her money so that would help. But, with the price of gas, I can't really visit that often anyway.

We do not live in an apt - we live in a small cottage with no close neighbors. Love it here - we get the privacy of a house and yard for the price of an apartment. ;-) Good ideas though!

I do own a Wonderwash (purchased last year in an attempt to solve this problem) but couldn't really figure it out; and can't wring the clothes. DH thinks I should return it, but I am determined to give it another try soon. ;-)

**donnawatts** · 06-18-2012, 06:50 AM

Hand wash the light stuffs and give the bulky ones to laundromat. As simple as that.

**freebs** · 06-18-2012, 08:52 AM

here is a table top spin dryer Spin Dryer or you can get a wringer style mop bucket and wring your clothes out where you would wring out the mop.

**gmarie** · 06-30-2012, 05:24 PM

thanks everyone, we did really well this month with reducing our laundry costs. I have a bag of towels and rags that need to be washed and smell horrendous, but it's worth it!

We have a nice snowball again this month so I'll live with some stinkiness. Our cottage only has one closet and not a lot of space so we use the top part of our armoir as a clothes hamper. It keeps the smell out of the rest of the place for the most part and we don't' have to see the dirty laundry .;-)

**SwirlyThing** · 06-30-2012, 07:54 PM

We use the same towels all week long. Girls use 2 (one for hair), and guys tend to use just one. Then hang them to dry between showers. I typically only do bedding in hot water, to kill dustmites.

**Ali Lee** · 07-01-2012, 12:23 AM

You can always wash your underclothes in a sink using dish detergent, shampoo, etc. Hang over a hanger, back of chair, towel rod to dry. Buy extra when you can. Just be sure those towels & rags are dry & not damp when in your basket. They will mold if damp.

**gmarie** · 07-06-2012, 08:46 AM

Visiting my mom tomorrow so taking the towels (and our sheets) with me to wash. Maybe I'll bake her something for payment. ;-)

**kita** · 07-06-2012, 12:13 PM

About the boss' offer. Could you look at it as spreading out your laundry trips? Offer a few bucks and do a load once a week of what you HAVE to do. Then do several loads at the laundry mat the next week. After that do one load that will tide over.
Don't sort your clothes unless you have to. When I went to the laundromat I found that my clothes were either colorfast or maybe just faded enough to not need sorting. I did sort "fuzzies" (towels, fleece etc.) from my black slacks which picked up lint from three feet away.
Also those dryers have enough accumulated dryer sheet stuff in them from the day, I never needed to use dryer sheets. One of my brothers is sensitive to soap and never used it when he washed in the laundromat. I thought he was crazy but he showed me that there was so much soap left in the machines that the only way to get his clothes rinsed well was to just let that leftover soap do the cleaning. I never got to where I wouldn't use soap but I cut it way down. Watch other people use the machines and you can see how much soap they throw in there. All you can see in the front of the machine is solid bubbles. And sometimes it is the same on the final rinse.