No tumbling, no softening, and washing less often: how to save money on laundry

Since there seems to be no escaping the cost of living crisis (neither the reality nor the expression), this week we explore how to reduce the cost from something so impossible to escape: the laundry.

From choosing the right wash cycle to advice on buying and using detergent, there are a few pretty simple ways to save money in the area. Luckily, some even result in less laundry overall, saving time and money.

The easiest way easy to save money on laundry? Do less!

"In general, our frequency of washing is much higher than that required for sanitizing," says Georgia McCorkill, Fashion Lecturer at RMIT . Rather than putting everything in the laundry at the end of the day, develop new habits and systems for keeping clothes fresh.

Hang clothes instead of putting them away. leave on the floor, air out clothes near a sunny window and iron them before putting them away.

These tactics will work for bulkier items such as jeans, jackets, shirts, coats and the knits. Airing and steaming are particularly useful for dry-clean-only garments, which are particularly expensive to clean. It's also worth considering if dry clean only items can be hand washed.

Workout gear, underwear, jerseys bodies and t-shirts require a different approach: make sure you have enough of these...