Showing posts with label Laundry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laundry. Show all posts

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Roughing It: On The Line


During the summer months, I have been trying to line dry as much laundry as possible. I know I've written at length in the past about saving money in the laundry room, but I have just got to post about how much I am loving my little laundry line and rack in the summer sunshine on my back porch. It all started with a little pamphlet in my hydro bill. The pamphlet was offering a $75 dollar rebate to any household who could, over the course of a year, reduce their energy usage by 10%. 
As I have just acquired two male boarders, I didn't even consider their offer - my bill will be going up, not down. But some of their suggestions appealed to me; particularly the challenge to line dry our laundry. 
At first, it was a pain in my tookus. 
It takes four times as long to hang it as it does to throw it in the dryer, in addition to which we have wasps slowly taking over our back porch so the irritation of those precious minutes was compounded by wasp evasion. But as the days have turned into weeks, my daughter has started 'hep'ing mummy, which is sweet though terribly inefficient. And there is something surreal, in the very best meaning of the word, about wearing an apron in morning sunlight and hanging warm, clean smelling, damp clothing on haphazard ropes strung on your porch to the sound track of wasps wings and lawn mowers. 
As your bare feet kiss a sun warmed porch, something inside your soul just knows that it's GOOD.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Roughing It - Homemade Laundry Soap, The Verdict

Alright, I have been using homemade laundry soap long enough to feel like I know a bit about it, and here is my official tried and tested opinion.
This is the best recipe with the clearest and easiest to follow instructions. It was the first one I used, and it turned out the best.
For really dirty loads, I add an extra cup of washing soda to boost the cleaning power. And you really CAN use vinegar as a fabric softener (I noticed no fading or bleaching, but I don't use it in every load). The  "Dryer Balls" or reusable fabric softener sheets work fabby (just not on fuzzy baby blankets. Trust me)
BUT
Even with bleach and hot water, homemade laundry soap just doesn't cut it for whites or heavily soiled light colors. I have a baby, and a lot of her white & pastel colored items are now super stained.

So I recommend homemade soap for all medium and dark loads and the occasional light/white load. Which means that I went out today and purchased liquid laundry soap (a bit defeatedly, I assure you).

Along that train of thought though, YOU SERIOUSLY NEED TO TAKE A CALCULATOR, PEN and PAPER to the grocery store. I went in thinking I would pick up the cheapest detergent I could find and was all set to grab the biggest box of NoName powdered stuff when I noticed the amount of loads the box yielded. So I made my way down the isle with my calculator figuring out the price per load, and WONDER OF WONDERS, I got a name brand concentrated liquid detergent for way cheaper than the "economy" sized box. It just goes to show. They'll gouge you if they can so SHOP SMART!

Also, (although you thrifty animals probably already do this) today I bought the huge NoName brand dish detergent refill bottle and am just going to fill my empty Sunlight bottle up. It saves a bit of money, and it saves on packaging, so double bonus.

And can I just say that buying bulk is not always cheaper. Walnuts were twice the price in bulk as in the baking isle.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Roughing It - Homemade Laundry Soap 2.0, The Review

I finished up the bucket of powdered laundry soap I made, and only got 15 loads out of it.
It worked just fine, but was less cost effective than the liquid batch, and even though it was so easy to make, I would have to make it 6 times as often, which is not really easier in the long run.
I would use this recipe again if I needed something really quick, but not as a long term solution to my laundry needs.
I will try a new formula this week.
Also, my box of Oxy Clean, along with my fabric softener, is gone, so I will be trying out alternatives to those products.

A tip for the other housewives out there: I swear to you that doing one load of laundry a day will revolutionize your routine. Never do 5 loads of laundry in one day again. Never fold clothing for an hour straight. I start my load first thing after breakfast and fold it early afternoon. I learned this from Fly Lady http://www.flylady.com/ among other fabulous tips on how to stay sane.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Roughing It: DIY Dry Cleaning

I had a question about DIY dry cleaning this week.
I read, read and read some more, and I would have to say that as far as I will go with DIY dry cleaning is the Dryell Kit at the grocery store.
Most of the DIY recipes involve coating your clothing with clay, wheat germ and other bizarre stuff and rubbing it, hitting it or shaking it, sometimes in a bag. I've been working on my anger for sometime now, and I try not to cuss much, so I will say that my response when I read the above information was absolute and utter silence. But if looks could kill, my computer would be dead.
On the other hand, the Dryell Kit is easy to use {but smells like a clean old man, if that makes any sense} and is cheaper than dropping your clothes at the dry cleaner.
Also, I feel I should tell you that you will need to dab clean any spots or stains because the Dryell kit will not take those bad boys out.

Roughing It: Homemade Laundry Soap - For HE Machines?


I've had a question on wether you can use the homemade detergents in High Efficiency Washers. Here is what the site I got the recipe from says:
Can You Safely Use Homemade Laundry Detergents With A High Efficiency Washer (HE Machine)?
  • I have no experience with this but there are lots of comments that say it’s fine to use. Be aware that using anything other than what your machine manufacturer recommends may void your warranty.
  • Go through the comments in the original post and you will also find several recipes offered and recommended for HE machines. (see below, comment by "Troy")
  • Homemade detergent is low sudsing which is important for HE machines.

Troy says:
Hello Everyone,
For the last year, I have been using the following Mix for my Sears Kenmore HE front loader:
3 bars Fels Naptha
3 cups Borax
3 cups Arm and Hammer Washing Soda.
Grate the Fels Naptha, then put in a food processor with a chopping blade and chop until fine.
Pour into a large bowl with the Borax and Washing Soda and stir until combined.
Use 1/4 cup in a HE front loader, use 1/2 cup in a top loader. In my HE front loader, it dissolves perfectly
I use Vinegar as the fabric softener and add Mrs. White’s Liquid Bluing for the Whites load. The whites come out wonderful, the colors are bright and clean., and best of all, it is better for the environment.
I also found this info:
Regarding High Efficiency (HE) Front-Load Washers
You may have been told you need to use “special soap” for your HE front-load washing machine. Let me enlighten you as to why. HE front-load washers require “special soap” for one reason and one reason alone…low suds; because they use less water, they require soap that is less sudsy. The good news is, the homemade detergent in this recipe is VERY low suds. Just make sure you use the recommended amount of detergent. http://diynatural.com/simple-easy-fast-effective-jabs-homemade-laundry-detergent/
PROGNOSIS:
Most of what I have read by impartial observers and those who have been using it for years say a resounding YES to homemade detergent in HE washers, with the odds slightly more in favor of the liquid detergent.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Roughing It - Homemade Laundry Soap 2.0

Well Scrubby Girls, I finished that enormous bucket of home made sludge. It lasted from October 21 to January 21, so I would say that 3 months worth of laundry for a buck or two was well worth it. Granted, it did need a boost now and again for stains and dirty dirties, but the savings makes home made laundry detergent unbeatable.
For whites, I recommend adding a cleaning booster like oxy clean or bleach, though. I found my whites and brights getting dull.

As promised, I am trying a new formula this time, and I have to say that even though the liquid stuff was easy, this was the work of a few minutes. This is what I did:

How to Make Powdered Laundry Soap:
Clean an old yoghurt container.
Finely grate a bar of soap. (I used Ivory)
Mix in a bowl with 1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda.
Pour into yoghurt container.
Label and put the lid on.
Use 2 tbsp for your average load.

Could it get simpler?
I think this way will be slightly less cost effective, but the simplicity might be enough to lure some of you to try it. I will let you know how long it lasts.

I am going to research less toxic washing boosters and fabric softeners this month and let you know what I find.

And a bit of good news - although most of your commercial laundry supplies are laden with toxins, I was very pleased to find that Spray'n'Wash spot cleaner/stain remover is given a very good rating for low toxins and is on safe lists for use! And I was ALREADY using it!

****

A thought I am having - if you want to try the homemade powdered soap but don't want to make it let me know and I will whip you up some for cheap so you can try it before you buy all of the supplies.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Roughing It - Homemade Laundry Soap 1.0, The Review

Sorry for my long absence, faithful readers! I had a busy week or so!
Okay Folks, here it is: The long promised homemade detergent review:

The recipe I used gets 6 stars out of 5 for cost effectiveness,
but only a 4 out of 5 for performance. I find that it works fine on most stuff, but for the really dirty (like pretty much anything a baby touches), it needs a boost. I had a box of oxy clean on hand and a scoop of that made a big difference. Seeing as oxy clean recommends a scoop in every load anyways, you could argue that the handmade detergent is fine, but I am going to try a new recipe when I run out.

Recommendation: If you want to give it a try, use a different recipe than I did, or wait for me to find a better one! I did read somewhere that adding extra washing soda boosts the cleaning power, so I am going to try that when I run out of oxy clean!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Roughing It - Homemade Laundry Soap 1.0

Homemade Laundry Soap.
Just say it.
It conjures up images of powdery white residue on dress pants and blue goo dried on the side of the washer. And for some reason, pioneer women with washboards.
But I am so cheap, I have gone and done it.
Yes. This morning I made laundry soap. In my stock pot.
So, before you write me off as some kind of granola eating nutbar, here are my reasons for this truly odd behavior:
1) It is DAMN cheap to make. Around a buck for 64 loads. Read that again, Tide lovers: A BUCK FOR 64 LOADS.
2) It is a lot less toxic for you and the environment than the store bought stuff because you aren't adding fragrance or dyes and whatever else they poop into there.
3) Because I can. It makes me feel all capable and wifely.
I got the recipe here: http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm but you can find all kinds of recipes (liquid or powder, scented or unscented) on line doing a simple google search.

I have to finish using up my Sunlight, but once we've switched over, I will post on my new concoction's effectiveness.

I have yet to use up my bounce sheets, but I have a set of Dryer Balls that I will be using after I do. Although you can find expensive ones that make all sorts of outrageous claims, I have a pair from the dollar store and they work fine. So for $1.25 (dang inflation) you can replace your bounce sheets. For good. This is really cheap.
A note on the Dryer Balls: although I found them fine with most things, they DO NOT like fuzzy blankets. I practically had an electrical storm in the laundry room.

As for fabric softener, I have bad news. It's one of the most toxic things in your home. Yep. That 'just washed' smell you sniff as you snuggle your kiddies to bed? Not so healthy. The good news is, apparently you can just use vinegar in your downy ball instead. I have about a years supply of downy so I won't be able to let you know on that for a while, but if you are interested in alternatives, this guy has SO many tips: http://tipnut.com/frugral-fabric-softener-recipes-dryer-sheet-tips/

Okay, so as a re-cap:
1) It's better for your wallet
2) It's better for the environment
3) It's better for you & your kids
4) It takes a half hour or less to do.

Any takers? :0D

PS - it turns out a milky clear color and smells clean.