How To Save Your Laundry (and your money)

Buying clothes can make a huge dent in your family budget. As it is, most of the time our children grow out of clothes so fast that you’re lucky if they wear an item more than once.

Here are some tips that will lengthen the life of your laundry.

If it’s not dirty, don’t wash it. Hang it up to air out and then put it away.

Spot treat ASAP so a stain will not set. (see also Laundry Stain Removers)

Sort, sort, sort. Darks, Mediums, Whites and Sheets/Towels. Avoid washing clothes with sheets/towels to eliminate lint. (PS: to maintain the absorbency of your towels, don’t use fabric softener every time you wash them – just every 3rd or 4th time)

Don’t dry it. Heat from the dryer will fade the color and wear out the fabric. Not to mention the shrinkage factor. Use a drying rack, hangers or an old fashioned clothes line.

Don’t use more detergent than recommended. Always use the correct amount of detergent according to directions — more is not better.

Turn dark clothes inside out and wash in the coolest water possible; dry on lowest heat.

Read the label! If it says dry-clean only, dry-clean it. If it says hand-wash, then hand-wash it. (PS: I’m not a big fan of the at home dry-cleaning kits. They don’t seem to do a good job and you have to be there right away to take items out of the dryer).

Include a few tennis balls in each dryer cycle. The tennis balls not only cut drying time by 25% – 50%, but also fluff the clothes and towels. This is especially helpful when drying a bed-spread or other large item – no wet spots!

Tips For Doing Laundry

It’s funny that I really don’t mind doing laundry. In fact I like it. The folding is mindless work that I do while catching up on my favorite soap opera. I love it when my drawers are nice and neat and organized. I get a kick out of my closet being full of clean clothes. Oh, and the smell of clean laundry – mmm.

But I’m sure you are not like me and you probably dread doing the laundry. Well, here are some tips that will (hopefully) help you out with this necessary evil.

If it’s not dirty, don’t wash it. There is no reason to launder a perfectly clean shirt just because you wore it. If there are no spots or smells, hang it up to air out and then put it back in the closet or drawer.

Sort as you go. If you have the space, create a sorting station so you can sort your clothes into darks, lights, whites and sheets/towels. This makes the process of doing the laundry faster. And, it gives you the opportunity to delegate that task to someone else without worrying about darks mixing with whites.

Give clothes a good shake when they come out of the dryer. Putting items into the dryer all bunched up will cause wrinkles. Anything that will eliminate ironing is worth doing!

Get the family involved. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Even a toddler can sort dark from light. They can even help put away their clothes. And when your children get older, make them responsible for doing their own laundry.

Laundry Stain Removers

Stains don’t have to ruin your laundry (and we don’t have to be as dramatic as Lady Macbeth). Having something on hand to treat spots right away will help preserve your clothes (and your money). I never leave the house without my Tide To Go pen – with a toddler, spots and spills happen daily. I also recommend the Oxiclean stain remover wipes.

But first, a few rules.

• Treat as soon as possible
• Always blot, don’t rub
• Treat from the wrong side of the fabric (the inside)
• Never apply heat to spots or the stain will set
• Check clothes before putting them in the dryer to see if the stain is out – if not, repeat washing

Now, here is a list of common stains and how to get them out.

Blood: Pour hydrogen peroxide through the stain, rinse with cold water, pre-treat and launder as usual. Or, make a paste of meat tenderizer* and water; rub the paste into the spot and let it sit until you launder.

Fruit Juice: Rinse with cold water; then using your finger, scrub with a detergent or soap pulling the fabric as taut as possible to really work the soap into the fibers; rinse with cold water, again pulling the fabric as taut as possible. Pre-treat and launder as usual.

Grass: Scrub white, non-gel toothpaste into the stain with an old toothbrush; rinse and launder as usual. If the stain is on jeans (denim) saturate the stain with rubbing alcohol and let it set; rinse with cold water and repeat until stain has come out.

Sweat: White vinegar and water

Tomato based (ketchup, sauce, etc.): Rinse with cold water, then saturate with white vinegar and rinse again. Pre-treat and launder as usual.

Oil based (dressing, veg oil): Sprinkle with baking soda to absorb the oil; once completely absorbed (the baking soda will cake-up) scrape off, pre-treat with white vinegar and launder as usual.

Dirt/Mud: First, allow to dry. Then vacuum the area with the hose attachment; rub a cut potato over the stain and launder as usual

Baby Formula: Rinse well. Then make a paste of un-seasoned meat tenderizer* and water; rub the paste into the spot and let it sit until you launder.

Greasy Work Clothes: Sprinkle spots with baking soda to absorb and draw grease out; pre-treat and launder as usual. For stubborn stains, spray the spot with WD-40® and let it soak in; work in undiluted dish detergent using your fingers; rinse with the hottest water you can for the fabric. Final tip: pour a can of Coca-Cola® into the washing machine when you wash.

* A note about meat tenderizer: a paste of meat tenderizer and water will tackle any protein-based stain; be sure to use unseasoned

For more specific stain removal instructions, I recommend About.com’s Housekeeping Section.

Eco-Friendly Laundry

Who Needs a Big Chunky Bottle of Tide Anyhow?

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to do laundry and not have to worry about how the detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets were affecting the environment? Well there alternatives to what’s currently sold in local retail stores. You just have to be willing to spend some time, do some research, and wait for the products you order to come to your door.

It has been said that the laundry room is the one of the most toxic rooms in your entire home. This statement is based upon the fact that commercial laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets have high levels of toxic chemicals in them. These chemicals have been known to cause serious health issues including cancer and liver damage. Is it any wonder that people are looking for safe, eco-friendly alternatives to doing their laundry?

There are many products on the local supermarket’s shelves that claim to be “environmentally safe.” But one has to wonder if they live up to their claim, or if they’re just jumping on the latest hot marketing bandwagon.

Products claim to be “non-toxic.” Some claim to be either “biodegradable” or “organic.” Unlike the labels on food products, laundry products are not regulated. A manufacturer does not have to prove their claim; they don’t even have to list the ingredients that are in the products they sell.

When searching for eco-friendly laundry products, try to look for products that have a list of the ingredients, as well as words indicating what’s NOT in the cleaner, i.e., “chlorine-free” or “no phosphates.”

Here are some ways to have a more eco-friendly laundry room:

• One of the easiest ways to make your laundry more “green” is to switch from liquid detergent to a powder. Since liquid detergents already contain large quantities of water, it costs extra for packaging. If you must buy a liquid, choose one that is concentrated.

• Another way to lessen laundry’s impact on the environment is by allowing it to air dry on a clothes line rather than using your dryer. Sunlight, which is free, is a natural bleaching agent; it also disinfects the clothes. If you must use a dryer, switch to a gas dryer. They are cheaper and have less impact on the environment.

• Don’t use dryer sheets because many of them contain the same chemicals found in liquid fabric softeners. Besides being hazardous to your health, aren’t biodegradable. To help reduce static cling, dry natural fibers and synthetic fibers separately.

Here are some phases to familiarize yourself with when looking at the products on the shelf.

• Stay away from any product that has “Danger,” “Warning,” or “Caution” on the label. Those with “Danger” or “Poison” are the most hazardous. Next avoid those that bear a “Warning.” Products that merely have a “Caution” are least hazardous, but still should be used only when there are no other alternatives.

• Look for products with specific claims, not generic ones. “No phosphates” or “plant-based” tells you more about a product than saying it is “biodegradable.” Choose those products that list their ingredients, and choose those that are made with plant-based instead of petroleum-based ingredients.

While these tips are not exhaustive, they are a few steps that you can take to lessen the environmental impact. They will help lessen the chemicals in your home, and possibly save you money at the same time.

Natural versus Store Bought Disinfectants

You need to disinfect your home; so, you want the best product for the job, right? That’s understandable. However, do you have to run to the store and pick up the first chemically-loaded disinfectant that you come across, or are there alternatives that are natural and safe for your home and family?

When most people think of a common disinfectant, they probably think of Clorox® or Lysol®. Are they the best choices to use? What about the natural products available online? Or can you make your own? How do they compare in availability, price, and effectiveness?

While Clorox® and Lysol® are available at almost any retailer that sells cleaning products; there are natural products that you can purchase online. You can also make your own disinfectant spray.

Clorox® Bleach has been available commercially since 1913. They have created numerous cleaning products in the ensuing years. Their products range from plain Clorox® Bleach to aid in whitening clothes to cloths to help clean and disinfect hard surfaces around your home and a disinfecting floor and surface cleaner.

While Clorox® is well known for disinfecting, the products are not entirely safe if not used exactly as indicated. Two hazardous ingredients in many of the Clorox® are didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride and n-alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride. The packaging says to avoid skin contact and that you should use protective eye wear and gloves while using it.

The Lysol® products have been in production a year longer than Clorox® Bleach. However they’re not any less hazardous. Lysol® also lists dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride 0.08% and dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride 0.02% in their ingredients.

So, if you want to disinfect your home, but don’t want to subject your family to the chemicals in these well-known products, what options do you have? Watkins, a familiar name since 1868, found that pine oil is a natural disinfectant. This naturally-occurring disinfectant may just be what you’re looking for.

Pine oil (a phenolic disinfectant) is an essential oil used in cleaning products such as Pine Sol and similar products. You can use Pine Sol (which is a Clorox® product), but you can also purchase pine oil from various sources online as well as many local health food stores. By doing this, you are able to control the ingredients in your cleaner and disinfectant.

Other eco-friendly essential oils you can use to disinfect are tea tree oil and thyme. These essential oils are interchangeable when used in homemade all-purpose cleaners or disinfectants.

To make this homemade recipe, combine two tablespoons of borax (easily found in the laundry aisle of any grocery store) and one-fourth cup of lemon juice and two cups of hot water in a spray bottle. Cover the bottle and shake until the borax is dissolved. Add twenty drops of either tea tree oil or thyme essential oil. Shake again and then use as you would any commercial product.

Another homemade recipe, especially good for disinfecting toilets is a combination of vinegar and essential oils. Mix two cups of white distilled vinegar with three drops of tea tree, thyme, eucalyptus, or pine essential oils. Spray in the toilet then clean as usual. When making homemade cleaning products, please make sure to label the bottles.

While it may be easier to find commercially made cleaners and disinfectants, homemade cleaners and disinfectants can be made for pennies on the dollar. You can pronounce all of the ingredients that you add to them, and you can rest assured that what you use won’t be hazardous to your family.

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