20 Genius Ways To Save Money At The Laundromat

Everyone likes clean laundry. If you’re like most people, you probably don’t enjoy doing laundry. But even worse is spending a lot of money on laundromat fees.

However, there are a few ways to save money at the laundromat when washing your clothes.

These tips will not only help when you don’t have the extra money, but they will also help you take the best care of your clothes, so you don’t have to buy new ones as often.

Wear Clothes More Than Once

Good Housekeeping Magazine has tested jeans, for example, and concluded that they do not need to be washed after every wear.

Consider spot cleaning as needed and hang for next time. Try getting more than one wear out of your clothes instead of throwing them directly into the hamper. Add stain remover immediately to avoid set-in stains when you get a stain.

The bottom line is the average American family does more laundry than needed.

Wait Until You Have a Full Load

Each wash load costs money when you go to the laundromat, so the amount of laundry you have matters. You can run fewer wash cycles if you wait until you have a whole load of laundry.

That also means you can go to the laundromat less frequently and have less laundry to do at one time, saving on both laundry costs and the cost of getting there.

All these can add up to lots of money in the long run. Consider a laundry routine, and instead of three smaller loads, do one large load.

Sort Your Clothes Before You Go

Go through your dirty clothes hamper before leaving for the laundromat. That helps you determine whether you have enough clothes for larger loads.

Try sorting your clothes according to which ones you wear most or which are most important. You can limit washing partial or small loads as much as possible to get the most out of your money.

Hand Wash Small Loads at Home

Consider hand washing your clothes instead if you only have a small load.

That helps you save on a trip to your local laundromat and may also help your clothes last longer because it prevents different fabrics and materials from rubbing together.

Additionally, hand washing uses less water and detergent.

Some everyday items for hand washing are underwear and other delicates, clothes that aren’t stained or sweaty, and smaller items like handkerchiefs.

Bring Your Own Detergent

Buying your detergent at the laundromat may be convenient, but it costs more than if you purchase detergent wholesale or in large amounts. Bringing your own laundry detergent saves money.

If you do multiple loads of laundry, the prices add up quickly. You can also bring other laundry products, such as fabric softeners, dryer sheets, and more.

Also, consider buying large containers and transferring the soap to smaller containers to save even more money.

Use Less Detergent

If the clothes you are washing are not too dirty — for example, there are not a lot of stained or smelly clothes — then you can use less detergent per load.

That is usually easier to do if you use powder or liquid detergents, which are easier to measure per load.

Moreover, it’s often better to use less than the recommended amount if the detergent is highly concentrated and you use high-efficiency washers.

Consider Using DIY Detergent

You can also try making your own laundry detergent. Many homemade laundry detergent recipes available online are much cheaper to make than buying commercial detergents.

Many people online only recommend DIY laundry detergent for relatively clean clothes since they may need to be more effective at removing tough stains.

Skip Fabric Softeners or Dryer Sheets

One of the easiest ways to save money when doing laundry is to skip using fabric softener and dryer sheets.

There are many anecdotal accounts online of people who don’t use fabric softener or dryer sheets, but their clothes still turn out clean and smell great.

You can also limit your use of fabric softeners to your favorite clothes to make your supply last longer.

Switch to Dryer Balls

Consider switching to dryer balls if you can’t live without fabric softeners or dryer sheets. Six wool dryer balls cost around $10 to $15, but each can be used hundreds or thousands of times.

That makes them more economical than similarly priced dryer sheets, where 120 to 180 single-use sheets offer the same effectiveness as a dryer ball.

Shake Out Clothes Before Drying

Dry cycles can take a lot longer if you load the machine with balled or bunched-up soaking wet clothes.

Even smaller items like socks and underwear may dry a little. Try shaking out your clothes a couple of times to get them untwisted before putting them inside the dryer.

That also allows for more even drying and cuts back on the wrinkles.

End the Dryer Cycle Early

Depending on the dryer machine in your local laundromat, stopping the dryer cycle earlier may allow you to dry two loads of laundry for the price of one.

This practice can also help ensure you do not overdry your clothes, which may damage the fabric. You never know if the moisture sensor is working.

Test a piece of clothing often before adding more money to the machine.

Check and Clean the Lint Trap

Check the lint trap of the dryer before each use. A full lint filter or lint trap prevents the air from circulating efficiently inside the machine, which can lead to a longer dry time.

Checking the lint buildup is also one of the ways you can reduce the risk of mold and dryer-related fires.

Wash Clothes with Cold Water

Consider water temperature. If the laundry facilities charge extra for hot water, skip it. Unless your clothes are filthy, cold water works just as well as hot water.

It costs more money to heat water, which may contribute to your laundromat’s rising prices. Additionally, using cold water means spending less time in the laundry room waiting for the water to heat up.

Check Washer Settings First

Checking the laundry machine’s settings before turning it on may be a good habit when washing clothes.

The previous machine user may have changed the settings to fit their needs, which might not align with your cost-cutting plans.

Try to use shorter cycles or quick load settings whenever possible. Choosing a high-speed or extended spin cycle helps wring out more water and shorten drying time.

Pretreat Stains at Home

If you pretreat stains at home before washing clothes at the laundromat, you can select a faster spin cycle or use cold water without any worries that the stain will not come out.

Most experts recommend pretreating stains at home if you use DIY laundry detergent. 

Use DIY Stain Removers

Commercial stain removers can be expensive. Just like with DIY or homemade laundry detergents, there are plenty of recipes online for DIY stain removers.

A look into your medicine cabinet or pantry might already yield some very effective stain removers.

For example, hydrogen peroxide is effective against blood stains, baking soda or lemon juice can remove stains on white clothes, and dishwashing liquid works great for oily or food stains.

Air Dry Whenever Possible

If you wash your dirty clothes on a high-speed or extended spin cycle and have enough space at home, consider air drying or line drying your clothes instead.

That consumes less energy and costs a lot less since you do not need to pay for a dry cycle.

Moreover, you can skip using dryer sheets and spend less time at the laundromat. Purchase a clothes drying rack and a cart with wheels to take your wet clothes home. Wet clothes are heavier than dry.

Wipe Washers and Dryers Before Using

With your washer, you always know whether you used bleach or a specific hypoallergenic detergent.

However, you don’t have this knowledge when you use public washers and dryers at the laundromat.

Wiping out the inside of the washer and clothes dryer may help prevent stains which can lead to additional cycles.

It may also prevent mishaps like bleach stains, which can cause you to buy new clothes.

Bring a Waterproof Bag

You don’t need to worry about rain when using your washing machine.

However, if you are going out to a laundry room in the middle of the rainy season, there is a genuine possibility you might get caught in the rain when going back.

Bringing a waterproof laundry bag or a large plastic trash bag can help prevent your newly washed and dried clothes from getting soaked.

Join a Customer Loyalty Program or Rewards Program

Ask your laundromat owners if they offer customer loyalty cards or have a rewards program. This is a great way to keep costs down.

Although these types of promotions may not seem like much, they can help you save money little by little with each trip or load of laundry.

If your go-to laundry service doesn’t have a loyalty or rewards program, try to ask around nearby laundromats and consider switching to the ones that have comparable prices and such a program.

Final Thoughts On Genius Ways To Save Money At The Laundromat

Every penny saved helps when you want to save money at the laundromat. These are a few helpful tips to help make your next laundromat visit more affordable.

By following these simple guidelines, you can save yourself some money and avoid any unnecessary stress. You can save a lot of money when you don’t have your own washing machine.