Saving money in the laundry

Everyone is looking for places to pinch pennies, and Consumer Reports points to a few in your laundry room. I don't have a strong opinion on any of the products it names -- mainly because I've never heard of them -- but the magazine points to a broader issue.

That is the profusion of products out there in every category. Heavens, ever try to buy toothpaste? The options are endless. Isn't there such as thing as, you know, just toothpaste? I have no philosophical problem with this panoply of choice. It's just that if you want to save some money it's a place to look.

I posted recently about whether we really need laundry detergent. If you think that way, here's a sampling of ideas from Consumer Reports.

• Whirlpool and Maytag rolled out pricey washers that circulate air through a load of laundry and periodically tumble the load to help prevent the odor that can develop when you leave clean laundry in the washer too long. But none of the damp laundry we left in these and other machines for up to two days developed any odor. 

• Martha's Stewart's new Martha Stewart Clean Laundry Detergent (21 cents per load in conventional washers, 28 cents in high-efficiency machines) is among the detergents with greener claims in Consumer Reports' latest tests. But it cleaned about as well as plain water in conventional machines—and only slightly better in high-efficiency front-loaders. And WIN's uber-pricey High Performance Sports Detergent (64 cents a load) didn't clean exactly like a champ in our tests. 

• The Affresh tablet cleaner, ($8.70 for a three-tablet pack) proved ineffective against a residue on the door gasket of our front loader. We suggest running a cycle with household bleach to help disinfect the inside of your front-loading washer. Thoroughly clean any residue from any gaskets and bellows around the door. If you don't have small children around, leave the door to the washer open when not in use.

Instead of shelling out for these products, Consumer Reports says, read 6 steps to cleaner clothes and Making laundry less of a chore for ways to get better cleaning and longer lives for your clothes and washing equipment.