I want to become a good washer woman. I so am not that. I am the one who seems to have 1 load of laundry a week, with a pen left in a pocket. Sometimes it gets really fun & it is a crayon. Or, like last week, a hunk of purple playdough.
I don't often ruin delicates by accidently putting them in the dryer. But, on occasion, it happens. I used to do it a lot more. I am not sure if I have gotten better at this, though. It could just be that the likelihood of me wearing anything delicate has vastly decreased over the last several years.
One good thing I think I have learned is to use plain ole baking soda in the laundry. I put a big scoop in every load & I think the difference in cleanness is pretty huge. And, I don't use quite as much detergent. I used to always use a little more than the cap said to use. Now I use a little less. So, the baking soda is getting my clothes cleaner, and is saving money on my detergent usage.
The better I launder our clothes, the longer they will last, the less I will have to buy.
But, if I slip up with the laundry, there are still options.
When I do leave that pen in the khaki pants' pocket & it leaves a massive ink spot, I can just turn them in to a backpack. Or, if it happened to be a pair of Cargo pants, I could make a messenger bag.
A grease stain that just won't come out of that t-shirt. No problem. I can make a kid sized tee from it.
Speaking of laundry. We have had the stomach flu in this house for over week. I bet there is a load I could put in right now...
12 comments:
ahhhh, laundry. is this every woman's dread?! Its not like its a hard job to do... but it ALWAYS needs to be done. I feel like I do at least a load a day, but there seems to be an overflowing fountain of clothes still in the basket. Crazy. Its one reason I'm a fan of summer laundry. We seem to day way less when we're wearing way less :)
The baking soda idea you gave me on FB has been awesome! I'm doing the same thing; using a lot less detergent. Which is good, especially since I don't buy the nice, organic stuff. I figure less of this stuff is better. I think the soda is getting stains out better than some of the stain remover was!
So thanks :)
I still have a problem with getting stains out. I don't think I put the right stuff on, or wash it fast enough. Does the baking soda help with stains too?
My favorite thing I've found in the dryer was a handful of dead roly-polies. Ryle had left them in his pocket.
Those are wonderful links! I shall bookmark them for "someday."
I have taken to adding borax to my wash, lessening the amount of detergent I use -- do you know if it's the same as using baking soda? I should google it, because I am extremely curious. I buy borax cheaply and in bulk because of soaking & washing diapers in it. So I happen to have it always on hand. But baking soda... now my curious mind must know more!
Today is my laundry day, in fact, so I am in the midst of doing more loads & building up the ironing pile (for tomorrow).
I would love to hear your thoughts on stains. I use OxyClean for some things and SimpleGreen for some things... but I hate stains. Sometimes I just ignore them and let them stay stainy! (aaaaah I can't believe I just publicly confessed that... must repent!)
I think the Baking soda is working better on stains than my stain remover spray. I'm not too good at stain treating. Melissa, we wear our stuff mighty stain-y, too!
Yes, I've never been really good at getting the stains out either. Here are a few things I try to do occasionally (maybe if they were regular, I wouldn't have the stain problem!): Treating a stain right when it happens, not letting it sit overnight, letting things soak overnight in Oxyclean, letting clothes dry in the sun. I go through stages of using baking soda, but I don't know if I've ever noticed a difference. I will have to give it another shot. Thanks!
I am going to try the baking soda idea in next weeks laundry. I think I had heard that one before but never tried it, and you are totally inspiring me to. I am loving these Thrify Thursdays, Erin!
I dream of being a "good washer woman" too, but I have so many questions about the whole thing. What to wash in Cold/Cold or Warm/Cold or Warm/Warm. What to wash as Delicate or Casual Handwash or Slow Handwash or Normal. So many settings - it's all terribly confusing. ;)
Im intrigued by the baking soda. Do you put a scoop in every single load, regardless of colors or temperature?
stephanie@metropolitanmama.net
Stephanie - I do put a scoop of baking soda in every single load, regardless of temp or color.
I'm no expert. But, the way I do my laundry is colors in Warm water & whites in Hot & delicates in Cold. Seems to work okay!
I have read that whites get whiter is washed in Hot.
I am going to try the baking soda idea in next weeks laundry. I think I had heard that one before but never tried it, and you are totally inspiring me to. I am loving these Thrify Thursdays, Erin!
I think the Baking soda is working better on stains than my stain remover spray. I'm not too good at stain treating. Melissa, we wear our stuff mighty stain-y, too!
ahhhh, laundry. is this every woman's dread?! Its not like its a hard job to do... but it ALWAYS needs to be done. I feel like I do at least a load a day, but there seems to be an overflowing fountain of clothes still in the basket. Crazy. Its one reason I'm a fan of summer laundry. We seem to day way less when we're wearing way less :)
The baking soda idea you gave me on FB has been awesome! I'm doing the same thing; using a lot less detergent. Which is good, especially since I don't buy the nice, organic stuff. I figure less of this stuff is better. I think the soda is getting stains out better than some of the stain remover was!
So thanks :)
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