How to save money washing clothes?

lovelylaura01

How do you wash your clothes?
We are using those gel tablet things but is it cheaper to use powder or something else? Any advice would be great.

kettlenic

apparently it is good to use plain white vinegar for fabric softner as it removes all the soap and does not leave a smell

Honey_Bear

Following advice on other MSE threads I bought a 1kg bag of Soap Nuts from Ama-place. I live in an area where the water is neutral - neither soft or hard, so five half-nuts last about seven or eight washes - and they both wash and condition. At this rate the kilo bag will last the rest of my life. They contain no chemicals whatsoever, so they don't cause or exacerbate skin problems.

I keep a tiny supply of biological liquid and an optical whitener in the cupboard and use them instead occasionally when I need to jazz up underwear or whites, but for towels, bedding and clothes soapnuts are just the best possible MSE solution.

Pee

I tend to use tablets and go for recognised brands on special offer. I am a bit funny about lesser known/ own brand washing powder, although hopefully others will be along to suggest good own brand products.

I also tend to air my clothes a lot, so if they are not dirty they don't get washed. They get hung up and worn again a few days later.

WantToBeSE

I use Formil from Lidl, and stock up when its on XXL offer.
I also use hlaf of the recommended dosage if i am using any other washing liquid/gel/powder etc.

ianders

There's a seller on ebay selling crushed washing tablets in 10kg bags. Works out at around 4p per wash.

They also sell dishwasher tablets too.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2355621

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4071417

threemuttleys

I use Aldi non bio (son has eczema) and use a small amount (1 egg cup) and then the same of soda crystals

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

Lidl sometimes have good deals on daz wash powder so I stock up then (its not going to go off!) Aldi or Lidl non bio liquid otherwise and dont use much. Wash on 30 dgrees or cold wash but towels, pants and sheets on 60 degrees.

BitterAndTwisted

How to save money?


Never do tiny or half-loads just to get stuff out of the way.

Be less fussy about what you're using. I've never found much difference in results between the expensive branded products and supermarket's own-brands other than the perfume. Asd@'s own-brand is about 90 pence for a kilo box.

Use half of the manufacturer's recommended dosage. If the laundry comes out just as clean as it did before try halving it again. Those tabs and gel-thingys are really just a sneaky device by the manufacturers to ensure you use more than you really need.

Turn the temperature down. I think this is the biggest saving and personally I can't see any reason why you'd need to almost boil or sterilise lightly-worn clothing just to freshen them up a bit. Unless things are clearly stained and/or soiled most dark clothes can get away with being washed in cold water.

Make you own laundry-gloop for around a penny per load. That could save you a fortune

[Deleted User]

I use almat from Aldi, have used both gel and powder, use half the recommended amount in the machine and an occasional slurp of white vinegar in the rinse cycle.

Wash ordinary clothes on 40c bedding and towels on 60c the quick wash takes less than an hour, clothes perfectly clean , dried if poss outside. most do not need ironing, but I do like ironed bed linen on my bed, the fresh air smell of clean bedclothes stored in lavender is wonderful. A bottle of Almat gel lasts me for at least double the number of washes it says on the bottle. Always wash full loads. I wear clothes more than once, hang them up to air before putting them back in the wardrobe.....get 3 - 4 wears before they go in the laundry basket. When I am slopping around in the house, I wear the same top clothes all week, just change my underwear, knickers every day, bras every second day. Never wash bras in the machine, I wear heavily scaffolded bras they get hand washed once a week and drip dried over the bath.

furndire

I use Eco Egg for most of our wash (now that I've got the b thing to stop coming undone in the wash). USe a spray for stubborn stains or the paste that they provide.