Saving money: Laundry hacks to wash less money down the drain

HOUSTON - How many loads of laundry do you do a week? 

We wear clothes. We wash clothes. We repeat. But laundry rules have changed and new hacks to help you wash less money down the drain.

Laundry expert Cyndi Bray with Wad-free says it's no longer necessary to wash all your clothes in hot water. Use cold.

"A lot of the detergent on the market is actually formulated to work best in cold water. Most of the energy you use in the washing machine goes to heating the water. So dial that temperature down to cold and you’re going to save a lot of energy. And your clothes are going to last a lot longer, too," said Bray.

You only need two to three tablespoons of detergent, especially concentrated formulas. Switching from pods back to liquid or powder detergent can cut your detergent cost in half.

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Bleach can break down fabrics, and you don't need a separate stain remover. You can pre-treat stains with your liquid detergent, or use an oxidizing detergent. And using fabric softeners actually reduces your towels' absorbency.

Wash full loads with the extended spin cycle to extract more water. Switch loads while the dryer is still warm from the previous load. And don't fill the dryer more than two-thirds so that air can circulate.

"Then in the dryer, you know when one sheet wraps itself around every load, nothing inside dries?" Bray asked.

There are different clips on the market you can attach to sheets and blankets to keep them from wadding up. Bray invented the Wad-Free clip.

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"So they come out cleaner, your washer won't go off balance, and they dry 75% faster," she explained.

Clean your dryer's lint tray between each load, and vacuum out the vent and hose once a year.

Bray says to set the dryer to lower heat. 

"Turn the temperature on the dryer down to low. Even if you run that dryer for a longer period of time, you’re going to save a lot of energy," said Bray.  

Run loads during off-peak energy hours, like evening and morning.

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And when it's time to replace your washer and dryer, the U.S. Department of Energy says that Energy Star-certified units use up to 25% less energy.

Using dryer balls can reduce static cling and help clothes dry faster because they allow air to circulate between the clothes. You can make a dryer ball by putting wool in an old pair of nylons or just use a clean tennis ball.

Laundromat users can save money by only washing clothes when they're dirty, using full loads, and using less detergent. Some laundromats offer discounted days of the week or loyalty rewards.