Saving Time & Money on Laundry

Most 20-somethings probably don't live in apartments with in-unit laundry facilities. Some are lucky enough to have on-site laundry rooms, but those machines are often pretty expensive and a lot of them require the use of a pre-paid card. Even then, going to the laundrymat is often cheaper than using the complex's facilities.

Here are a few ways to save money & time on your laundry:

(1) If you use a laundry mat, only use it for washing. Pile the clothes neatly in their baskets (or bags), then take them home and line dry them. You'll spend less time sitting around the laundry mat, and you can keep all those quarters. If you're one of the lucky few to have a washer/dryer in unit, you should still line dry to save on utility bills.

(2) Do your laundry at your parents' house. Until my parents up and moved to England a year ago, I showed up Monday nights to watch Heroes and do my laundry. This might only work if you like your parents.

(3) If you've got a friend with a washer/dryer offer a trade. You could offer to clean something at their place, cook dinner, or to buy their laundry detergent. This one's also a great excuse to hang out with friends for a couple of hours.

(4) Combine laundrymat trips with a similarly laundry-disabled friend. Combine your loads and wash them together. You can save money and be less bored than you would be hanging around a laundry mat by yourself.

(5) Don't use too much detergent.

This post was inspired by Shawna of bumblef**cked.com.