7 laundry swaps to take ££s off your bills

First published on Monday 19 December 2022

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We’re all on the lookout for everyday tips and tricks to save us money. And what better place to start than in your laundry basket …

Saving money on the cost of doing your family washing and drying can quickly add up. According to one calculation , doing your laundry could cost an average of £136.66 a year in water and energy bills alone.

But there are ways to cut costs! We’ve rounded up 7 easy laundry swaps to save you money that you can start using today .

And for even more money saving laundry hacks, along with family washing tips, head to our Fairy Cares Laundry Room hub.

1. Wash at lower temperatures

Always use the same programme on your washing machine? Chances are it’s set at 40 degrees.

Dropping the temperature to 30 degrees will save you money, and still leave you with clean clothes.

According to The Energy Saving Trust , washing at 30 degrees uses around 40% less electricity over a year than washing at higher temperatures. With the soaring costs of energy bills, that’s a saving we ALL want to make.

Fairy Non Bio PODS® and Washing Gel both work brilliantly in a cool wash. Pop a Pod in your washing machine drum before adding your laundry on top. Or pour gel into the dosing ball and leave to work its magic!

Both have a gentle formula that’s tough on stains, kind to skin. In fact, the whole Fairy Non Bio range has been voted number 1 for sensitive skin*, meaning all the products are gentle enough to be used on everything from baby clothes to bedding.

*Online panel of 3327 females among which Fairy Non Bio was voted most often as the #1 detergent & fabric softener for sensitive skin.

2. Only do full loads of laundry

Washing a few school shirts or a handful of babygrows at a time might seem like a good option (and means you don’t end up with them all in the laundry pile at once). But doing lots of half loads can actually work out more expensive in the long run.

That’s because you’re using more water and electricity than you would if you just used your washing machine when you had enough for a full load.

If you really need to wash your toddler’s top or a school jumper asap, pop it in your sink with a small amount of Fairy Non Bio Washing Powder . Here’s all you need to know about the best way to hand wash your baby's clothes.

3. Wash your clothes at off-peak times

‘Is there a best time to do laundry to save money?’ is a question loads of us are asking right now. And the answer is, potentially yes!

Some energy suppliers charge you less for using electricity at off-peak times of the day and night. Exactly when these off-peak times are depends on your supplier, but they could be between 11pm and 8am for example.

Meanwhile, peak times of the day usually include between 4pm-7pm.

Depending on which tariff you’re on, it could mean doing your laundry at off-peak times will save you money. However, fire chiefs have warned people NOT to run washing machines at night as it could be a fire hazard.

But if you’ve got young kids and are up at the crack of dawn, popping a short wash on at 6am could be a money-saving option.

4. Use the right amount of detergent

Did you know HOW you wash your clothes could make them last longer, and save you having to buy new clothes.

Using too much detergent can damage the fabric and leave marks on your clean clothes. You’ll also need to buy laundry products more often.

Fairy Non Bio PODS® and Fairy Non Bio Platinum PODS® each contain the exact amount of detergent needed to get your clothes clean.

Both have a gentle formula that is kind to your clothes while still removing any stains. Even better, they both do the job at just 30 degrees and on short washes.

5. Ditch the tumble dryer

According to USwitch , using your tumble dryer for less than two hours a week (117.8 minutes) will cost you £86.84 a year.

If you’re anything like us, the tumble dryer can easily be on for two hours a DAY. Which works out at a bill of hundreds of pounds a year. Gulp.

Using a clothes airer or heated clothes rack is a cheaper (or totally free) way to dry your family’s clothes. And thanks to Fairy, you don’t need to worry about clothes smelling damp.

Fairy has launched its very clever SolarDry™ technology which eliminates the musty smells you can often get when drying clothes inside. Pour Fairy Outdoorable Fabric Conditioner into your fabric softener drawer and your laundry will have a lovely scent of drying outside (even when it’s on your airer inside!).

Fairy Scent Booster will add even more long lasting freshness to your family’s laundry.

6. Look after your washing machine

You want your clothes to be sparkling clean after every wash. If not, you may need to rewash them which costs time AND money. So it pays to make sure your washing machine is working perfectly.

It’s a good idea to clean your washing machine filter every 4-6 weeks, along with your washing machine drawers. This will get rid of any detergent and softener that may have built up over time.

Regular maintenance washes (which are basically a deep clean for your machine) will get rid of any bacteria and mould that might be festering inside. It’s usually pretty straightforward to do a maintenance wash: check your washing machine leaflet for instructions.

7. Choose laundry products you KNOW will work

Buying cheap detergent can be a false economy, especially when clothes come out with the stains they went in with! So picking laundry products that are loved by parents is our final money saving tip.

Fairy Non Bio PODs® and Washing Gel have a winning formulation which means they’ll shift stains even in short or cool washes. The Fairy range is popular among mums in our Forum thanks to it’s stain-shifting power and kindness on delicate skin.

Meanwhile Fairy Fabric Softener, including the new Outdoorable Fabric Conditioner , will leave everything huggably soft.

And for clothes that smell fresh for way longer, it’s got to be Fairy In-Wash Scent Booster.

Discover the whole Fairy Non Bio range here and start saving on your laundry while still getting your clothes fresh and clean!