1) Save your clothes, especially delicates by line drying. No more white color points on blue shirts either. The dryer beats your clothes up. Clothes last longer so you need to buy less.
2) Cheaper more effective detergent: grate 1 bar felds-naptha bar soap (laundry section or bar soap section) 1 cup Borax + 1 cup washing soda (laundry aisle) Use 1 table spoon for small load and 3 tablespoons for a large load.
3) Use bar of felds-napta as a stain remover and scrub with a scrub brush.
4) Use vinegar as a fabric softener. Soap is basic. Vinegar is acid. Acid removes a base. No soap left in clothes, so clothes are soft. Never a salad smell.
5) Throw 6 tennis balls in the dryer to speed up drying time. Also fluffs washed down coats and comforters.
6) Hang dry clothes on plastic hangers. Then just carry them to the closet. No need to fold and hang.
7) Get a "Korral" from kids section of IKEA for $1.99. Basically, an indestructable cargo net. Throw the dirty clothes on top of it. Gather the corners and away you go with one hand for the railing. Drop the corners to dump the load. Use it to carry folded clothes back.
8) Buy cheap knee highs. Tie in a knot 1/2 way up. Cut with scissors to make 2 lint filter traps for the water discharge of washer. That will keep the plumber away. Change weekly.
9) Clean your flexible dryer vent hose yearly. Better yet, hard pipe with 4 inch pipe used to exhaust fumes from hot water heater and never need to clean it. This will avoid fires and save your machine.
10) I hang a broom stick over the stationery tubs by plastic electrical ties. That is where I dry things on plastic hangers. A broom stick will not sag like a rope and no floor space is lost.
11) In the utility room, use the vacant areas with shelves near the ceiling. Use a 30 inch grabber from the hardware store to grab items off these high shelves.
12) Few dry clean only items really need to be dry cleaned. The exception is a suit where you really need proffessional pressing.
13) There is no magic soap for washing delicates. Read on the net how to wash sweaters. Many recommend the same stuff you use on your hair or animal hair.
1) Save your clothes, especially delicates by line drying. No more white color points on blue shirts either. The dryer beats your clothes up. Clothes last longer so you need to buy less.