How I Cut My Laundry Detergent Bill by 2/3
Ah, boredom…. One the pitfalls of stay-at-home-momdom recently lead me to discover how to cut my laundry detergent bill by two thirds. Hard up for reading material, I actually took the time to read the directions on the back of my laundry soap. Did I mention I how bored I was that day? I was shocked to discover I had been using way too much. The label said the amount of soap needed to clean a large load of heavily soiled clothes was level three on the scoop. I squinted my eyes to find level three. A miniature arrow indicated a spot less than halfway up the scoop. Above it were bold indications for levels four, five and six. I searched the directions to see what kinds of laundry warrant those numbers.
Guess what I found? Nothing! Under no circumstance did the manufacturer ever direct a consumer to fill the scoop they provided more than halfway full. I buy several brands of laundry detergent and stain removers and found this practice to be the industry standard. We dopey consumers just fill our scoop to the top without checking, and needlessly plow through our supply in double-time or faster. Even if one does read the directions, the scoops are marked very faintly, so it is hard to measure correctly.
I solved this problem by taking the time to draw a big black line at the appropriate measurement in permanent ink. On the liquid detergents, I placed a rubber band around the cap to indicate the correct fill line. When I buy a replacement, I just transfer the premarked scoop or cap to the new box. It’s a small thing to do, but in terms of money, it is the equivalent of finding your brand of detergent on sale for 50-66% off the regular price everyday. Shame on these sneaky companies.
Another Money Saving Tip for Soap
Many brands of dishwashing soap now come in ultra and super-ultra concentrates. Less water in the product seems like a smart, money-saving deal. Not so fast. Consider how much soap you actually use. If you allocate just a tiny drop, the ultra makes sense. However, if you always squirt the same amount, or pump it from a decorative dispenser, you are paying more for ultra, but you’re using it at the same rate as the regular product. That ends up being costlier and more wasteful.
All this boils down to the old adage: buyer beware! These savings are small amounts, but large percentages. It is also better for the environment to flush less detergent down our drains. These pennies, dimes and dollars just might just add up to a free spa day for mama. I think I need it, need to get out of the house more often. Too much boredom has caused me to read some strange things: like directions.
Leave a Reply