Clothing. We all wear it, we all have to wash it and we all spend money doing it! This is the first in a two part series on how to save money by taking proper care of your laundry/clothing.

Washing clothes costs money. It is estimated that the average family of 4 spends around $300 a year washing and drying their clothing. I’m sure if you use a laundromat and have to pay by the load it’s much more than that. So how can you cut the costs?

Photo by Damclean

#1. Evaluate how frequently you wash your clothes.

The less laundry you do, the less water, energy, detergent, softener and time you use.

Personally, other than socks and underclothes, I take a look at each piece of clothing when I take it off at night to see if it actually got dirty during the day. Most of the time sweaters, slacks/jeans etc only need to be aired out before being put back in the closet or dresser.

Photo by Jeila

Airing out is easy. I keep hangers on the knobs of our high dresser and anything that is going to be used again for another day I hang up overnight to “air out”. An additional benefit-garments aren’t perma-creased into a wrinkled mess from sitting in a pile on the floor

The more frequently you tumble dry your clothes, the faster they wear out. Think for a minute-where does that lint in the lint trap come from? Those are clothing fibers that have been beaten out of your clothes! So by washing and drying your clothes less frequently you are actually extending the useful life of the clothing.

#2 Promptly take care of the clothes that you have.

A habit I developed when the kids were just babies was to keep a stain stick right in the laundry basket As soon as a stained item comes off of me or the kiddos, I treat it.  This really helps most stains wash right out! (a side note-I am a mean mommy who does not allow my kids to drink anything dyed purple or red-those colors NEVER come out). Treating stains promptly means that your clothes remain wearable longer-saving you the money of replacements.

Photo by Rmkoske

#3 Make Mending Easy.

A few years back I started keeping a small sewing kit on top of my fridge. In it are 3 spools of thread (white, black and thick white button thread) a seam ripper, a small pair of scissors, a few safety pins, a thimble and a piece of cardboard with three threaded needles pushed through it.

Now when I fold laundry (in my den) and I notice a loose button or a seam that is starting to rip, I just set the garment aside and I make the repairs that night while watching TV. It is amazing how much more likely I am to fix things when I have all the equipment right on hand instead of having to dig it out of my craft/sewing area.

So, what great tips do you have for taking care of your clothes and making them last longer? Join the discussion at the Blissfully Domestic Forum and we can all talk about it!

New York mama Jenn has been blogging about ways to “Use what you have, get creative an save!” over at Frugal Upstate since 2006. As one of the “Eleven Moms” (Walmart Money Saving Gurus), she creates fun and informative vlogs on a variety of money saving topics.