2 Great Laundry Tips.....Money Savers....

That is awesome! Thanks! I think I will give it a try.  Have you ever tried it?

My DD best friend 3 doors down just told me she does this...She is a Miss Susie Homemaker.

She said she did not believe it when a lady told her , and she says it does work...It is May now and she is using the same "dryer cloth" since the New Year....

And the bath towel trick she says really works too...

She said to wear gloves so your hands don't smell like fabric softener....

But she swears by these two tips....

The lady said she is using the same bottle of liquid softener for 2 years now.....So you really don't need to get a huge bottle to even do this....Just soak and pour back what you squeeze out....

I do the bath towel trick.  I use an old one that I keep in the dryer.  I wouldn't say it cuts the drying time by half, but I'd guess 1/4 to a 1/3, depending on what (and how much) you have in the dryer.  I 'm going to try the fabric softener trick. 

 I came across that tip about the softener a few years back, and was SO happy to try it, as the scent that I REALLY like seems to have been discontinued, and I have 2 big bottles of it that I bought on sale...maybe I need to find someone to will them to when I'm gone!

I came across the towel trick by accident one time, and WOW, is it good for those clothes that don't take well to ironing, but get a little wrinkled in the wash, or something that needs to be dried FAST!

ViolaB 

 I"m going to try the towel trick. Thanks!

Thanks for the tips 

ok, I usually don't use the liquid fabric softener since I have a Cabrio washer that requires me to use only the "HE" (high efficiency) brands in it but since my Cabrio dryer requires the #2 dryer sheets which is very costly too I thought I'd try this tip....I Sent my daughter out to buy me a cheap, fresh smelling (Mountain Fresh) softener & followed your tips to making the homemade dryer sheet....it's currently hanging up to dry when I realized I better see if I forgot any steps when I realized I had used a metallic bowl when your tips specifically said soak in an non-metallic bowl...now my question is what effect if any will using a metallic bowl have?

 EnterRestN1

I love your avatar! 

Yes, We can!

 I put a cup of vinegar in the wash along with the detergent and a scoop of the oxygen stain remover. Everything comes out so soft and I don't have to run downstairs to add the vinegar during the rinse cycle. It helps with stains too.

love the towel idea...thanks!

My favorite 3 tips--

You don't need fabric softener at all--you'll save even more if you don't use it.  I don't and my clothes are never stiff.  Besides the expense, fabric softener has the disadvantage of making your towels less absorbant AND clogging your dryer lint screen creating more of a fire danger.

Detergent--I use about 1/4 the amount recommended by the manufacturer

Cycle--I use the shortest cycle on my washer.

Using less detergent and the shorter cycle, I've discovered my clothes come out MUCH MUCH cleaner (no detergent residue, and there isn't time for the washed out dirt to be re-distributed on the clothes), AND my clothes look better longer (don't wear out as quickly).  Detergent manufacturers, like toothpaste makers--always tell you to use more than you need.

except, when I have done the bath towel, it leaves lint, etc.

I have actually stopped using fabric softener after I decided to *go Green*  I now use a small amount of vinegar to avoid static cling and that's it.  Fabric softener is actually harmful - according Green websites

I will admit, items don't come out as soft as my once treasured Downy fabric softener though.  The change (dare I describe it as such) is acceptable to me. 

I too plan to switch to vinegar in the rinse cycle when this jug of softener is done. A magazine I was reading said the softener is really not a fabrics best friend, but that vinegar really kept it nice as well as reducing static, etc.