I hang almost all of my laundry to dry (only undergarment always go in the dryer). Indoors in the winter and outdoors in the summer. This is the biggest money and energy saving tip of all.
Here are some tips to help keep your clothes soft, in good condition longer, and save money:
Put your towels in the dryer for 10 to 15 minutes BEFORE, not after, hanging them to dry and they will be soft when dry. Do not use fabric softener. Fabric softener is a water repellent and your towels will not absorb moisture as well.
Put all other items in the dryer when they are slightly damp and they will be dry and wrinkle free in about 15 to 20 minutes.
If you do not want to hang your clothes than you can use a ball of wadded up aluminum foil instead of fabric softer in your dryer. Clothes will be static free.Click here to find out more and see comments. Another option is to use 1 Cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. Update 8/1/13 - 1/2 cup of white vinegar seems to work just as well. It will not leave a smell.
Make your own laundry soap for pennies. I sometimes make the Dugger family soap, but there are many similar recipes on the Internet. Click here for the Dugger laundry soap recipe.
Do not use fabric softener on clothes that wick away moisture. Fabric softener is a water repellent and the wick-away-moisture clothes will not do what they are supposed to do.
Turn dark colored clothes and clothes with iron-ons inside out before washing and drying and the color and iron-on will look new longer.
All natural fibers shrink: wool, cotton, rayon, and silk are natural fibers.
100 percent cotton fabric shrinks 1 inch per foot. It may take many washings to notice the shrinkage, but it will only take one time in the dryer. Remember heat shrinks - hot water, hot dryer = shrinkage.
To keep new jeans looking new longer; add 1 cup of salt to the rinse cycle the first time you wash them. The salt will set the dye and they will not fade as fast.
Clothes that need to be pretreated before washing are not put in the laundry basket. They are folded so the stained area is showing and then stacked next to the laundry basket, so they don't get forgotten. Good luck getting kids and spouses to do this one, but it sure is a time saver.
Whenever possible wash all clothes in cold water to cut back on the hot water heater expense. I find that the powdered laundry soap does not dissolve in cold water very well. I put the powder in the washing machine, add warm water and in just a minute or two the soap is dissolved. That is just enough time to go grab the pile of laundry in the bedroom and go back to the laundry room. Then I turn the knob to cold water and finish filling the washing machine.
I never use the gentle cycle (not enough items for a full washer load), but I put all clothing that should be washed on the gentle cycle or hand washed in garment bags and then in with the rest of the laundry on the regular cycle.
For clothes that are supposed to be dried on a cool cycle I lay them flat to dry and sometimes put them in the dryer along with everything else to finish drying and remove the wrinkles. I also lay sweaters and really stretchy things flat to dry.
I love the velvet covered hangers and my plastic hanger that I made flannel covers for when hanging all types of stretchy and big neck garments wet or dry. The clothes do not slip and fall off and they do not get ugly hanger marks near the shoulders. I recently saw a posting about putting a zig-zag line of glue on hangers to hold clothes on better. Added 2/28/12.
What happens when I forget to get the clothes in the dryer to finish drying and get soft? I don't usually care if I put them on wrinkled and stiff. It only takes about 1/2 a day of wearing something and it is soft and all the wrinkles are gone anyway. I do iron my church clothes and some work clothes though. I have also used water in a spray bottle to dampen clothes and them put them in the dryer to finish drying again.
I do like hanging my clothes on the clothesline on very windy days. The clothes dry fast and best of all, the more wind the softer the clothes.
