Liquid laundry detergent

Out of liquid laundry detergent? Maybe not. You can pry the spout off with a butter knife or screwdriver to get the last bit of liquid from the bottle. There's usually enough for at least one more load of laundry - two if you're sparing. When that's used up, add a little water to the bottle and use it to clean floors, tubs, sinks, woodwork - whatever needs it.

Use less detergent this way

Use less detergent and get your clothes cleaner, too? Yes. All you have to do is allow a 10 to 15 minute soak between the first minute or two of agitation and the rest of the cycle. Be sure the detergent is dissolved. Try using a little less detergent, and if clothes come clean then, use even a little less next time until you see a problem, then increase it just a little. Always measure!

Clothespin holder

Hanging clothes on the line outside? Make a clothespin holder from a child's pullover shirt. Just sew the bottom closed and put it on a wire hanger. You can bend the hanger to keep it from slipping off. Hang it on the clothesline and slip it along as needed.

Free hot water

A barrel or bucket painted black or other dark color, filled with water and set in the sun (even in the winter) will absorb enough solar rays to heat hot enough to wash dishes, do laundry, or even bathe. It may take a few hours, so keep an eye on it and move it if necessary to keep it in the sunshine. Alternatively, stretch a long hose across a sunny lawn (even on a warm winter day as long as you keep it up out of snow) will heat water in a few hours.

Clean your floor for free

Catch a bucket of hot soapy water from the washer when it spins the first time and use it to mop your floor. It works well for cleaning woodwork, too. You can probably find other uses for it if you look around. Saves on water and cleaner.

Soap is soap

If you bought shampoo and didn't like it, don't throw it out. Use it to clean the bathtub or mop the floor, wash painted woodwork or launder delicate items.

Free laundry basket

Substitute a cardboard box, lined with newspaper, or better, line it with plastic bags. You can cut hand holds from the sides. Sturdy cardboard boxes will last as long or longer than many plastic laundry baskets.

Use less; save money

Never use more than you need. Just because it says on the box that you need a full cup, doesn't mean that you really do need it. Half a measure of laundry detergent, a quarter of an inch of toothpaste and a half teaspoon of dish detergent are examples of what is usually enough, rather than what the manufacturer says is enough.

Stain pretreatment

Save those squirt dish soap bottles! One way to use them is to store solution to spot treat laundry stains. Fill the bottle with about a quarter cup of laundry detergent (NOT the kind with bleach in it) and a tablespoon or so of ammonia. Finish filling the bottle with water and use it like any commercial pretreatment: Squirt the solution directly on the stain, let it set for a minute, then launder.

You can wash suede clothing

Did you know that you can wash suede clothing? While it's usually recommended that you have them dry cleaned, a gentle wash in your washer will do it. Just stop the machine before the spin cycle and squeeze as much water from it as you can. Lay it flat to dry, then brush to relax the nap. Washing by hand is even gentler if you don't wring it out when you're through. Again, squeeze the fabric, then put it to dry on a flat surface.