I always serge the very edge of my fabric before washing and since I started that I haven't had a single fraying issue with washing.
Pinking shears would also work very nicely and are much much faster than clipping. Also a lot cheaper than a serger! I was making a satin dress for a friend a few months ago, and although I serged the edges of the fabric before washing (yes, it was a washable satin, but it did not go in the dryer!!) when I cut out the pattern pieces they immediately began to fray. So I took my pinking shears and carefully pinked the very edges and didn't have another fray at all the entire time I sewed the dress together.