The Easiest Ways to Save Money at Laundromat
Having depended on laundry and folding services for a long time, I recently decided to save money by doing my laundry at a laundromat. Reader, I didn’t save a dime and basically just wasted a bunch of my precious time sitting under fluorescent lights in a dirty room with no Wi-Fi guarding my clothes from greedy neighbors who might try to yank them out of the car if I had to. go somewhere else to do something more productive while they dry. Laundries are expensive, but I vowed not to give up. Here are some laundromat money saving tips that I learned that we can all learn from.
Wash only on a full load, not on a full load.
If you pay a flat fee per load, it goes without saying that you should wait until you have a full load to start your laundry. However, this can be tricky if you have things that need to be cleaned immediately and don’t have time to wait for more messy things to pile up. In this case, try washing what you need at home instead of dragging it to the rug. Washing things in a sink or basin is actually easier than you think. I did this on vacation a few months ago and the process went smoothly, but only because I followed our guide to hand washing fabrics to T.
Be careful, however, if you bring a full load to the laundry, you don’t bring too much, as you may need to run through the dryer twice if you have too many wet items. You know what’s worse than paying for a full drying cycle for half a batch of clothes? Payment for two drying cycles from one complete. Find a schedule that works for you, such as bringing one medium-sized load to the laundry once a week at a designated time so you always have the right load size and never feel like you have too many or too few items to wash. both cases will waste your money.
Don’t buy soap or softener there
On my first trip to the laundry, I was full of hope, seduced by the promise of do-it-yourself productivity and wise financial decisions. When I asked the woman behind the counter for some soap and was told it would cost me about $10, I returned to reality. Do not, under any circumstances, buy soap or laundry detergent from a laundromat, as they will charge you an outrageous price in the name of convenience.
If you can’t stand the thought of lugging a giant Tide tub around with you every time you bring an already heavy bag of clothes, consider buying detergent in bulk, store it at home, and then add just a little to your washing machine. vessel on the move. You can use old sports drink bottles, old shampoo containers, or travel containers to carry detergent and conditioner. Don’t forget to pack some drying wipes because they cost more than they should when you’re there too, and if you go to the pharmacy, someone is sure to rip your things out of the dryer. (Laundry is a war zone. Never forget that.)
Don’t Use So Much Soap
Check the machine you are using to make sure it is labeled “high efficiency”. If so, you really need quite a bit of detergent to clean your clothes, so you can save money in the long run. Even if it’s not high performance, you can probably still cut down on the amount of soap you use . You don’t need to fill a small pocket halfway; a quarter is enough. If you use too much soap, not only are you wasting it, but it can lead to buildup of detergent residue on your clothes. Also, if cold washing is available, choose it whenever you can, as long as your launderette charges less for it.
Dry your clothes at home
It’s understandable to want to wash all your laundry in one go at the laundry, but you can save money by doing half the work at home. Once your items have completed the spin cycle in the wash, consider bringing them home and air drying. This advice is popular on Reddit , but a bit subjective. If you have a long commute between work and home, it may not be ideal to pack all your wet clothes in a bag, but if you can get home quickly, it will save you some serious money. Some, like Frugal Budgeter , recommend stopping the dryer early if you need to use it, but this doesn’t always work. My laundry, for example, just charges a flat fee. It doesn’t matter if my clothes are there all the time or not; I have already paid for the time. Read the instruction label on your washer and dryer to determine what you are paying for, and then decide whether you will use the dryer all the time, half the time, or not at all.
Shop around
Laundry prices vary greatly from place to place, but that’s not the only reason you might want to shop. Don’t forget the value of your time. The nearest laundry is one block away, which is convenient, but it has no Wi-Fi or jobs, so the hour and a half of my life is basically spent on one task every week – or at least they were … However, if I drag my heavy bag is only two blocks away, I can go to a place with tables and Wi-Fi, and then work there, saving my time as much as possible. It’s not really “saving money” but something like this: the more work I do within a limited number of hours a day, the more money I make. If possible, visit several laundromats in your area to see which one is the most economical for you, but again, bring your own soap.