Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Laundry Money Savers

I have been using this laundry detergent for over two years (http://www.yellowbrickhome.com/2011/03/16/diy-suds/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YellowBrickHome+%28Yellow+Brick+Home%29) but with one very important (I think) additional step...using the blender.  After I grate the Fels Naptha and combine everything, if I don't blend it in my blender, the Fels Naptha separates from the Borax and Arm & Hammer Soda.  I have a regular five cup blender and I can only blend one cup of the mix at a time.  There's no formula for how long...just until it looks uniform.  I still only use one tablespoon of the finished laundry detergent (except on especially dirty laundry I use two).
My son has eczema and this laundry detergent doesn't irritate his sensitive skin.  HUGE savings from buying regular laundry detergent and even HUGER =) savings from having to by Dreft.
Another laundry money saver is using your dryer sheets twice!  Bounce dryer sheets can be used a minimum of 2x before having to use another.  I can use mine a third time on something that doesn't need much static protection, like jeans.  But a third use isn't feasible on almost anything else.  I've tried it on towels, shirts, sheets, and they all need a little more static protection than a third use provides.
Distilled white vinegar can be used in place of fabric softener!  I use 1/3 cup in a full load of laundry.  Vinegar can also be used as an anti-bacterial soak for stinky t-shirts, cloth diapers, or stinky towels.  Just starting to run a load until your washer drum is full of water, add the vinegar and detergent, let it soak for a couple of hours, then run the load like normal. 
If you have sensitive skin (or a sensitive nose or just don't like the toxins in bleach), you can still have bright whites!  Just add 1 cup hydrogen peroxide at the beginning of your wash in your bleach dispenser.  This can be used in combination with vinegar.  It's not as cheap as bleach, but it doesn't ever yellow your whites like bleach can when over-used, and it's so much better for you.
Shaking out your clothing after removing it from the washer, before placing it in the dryer, can help your clothes dry faster, saving money on drying time.  This is especially noticeable with jeans and towels.
That's all I can think of for now for laundry money savers!  I'll add more if I can think of them!

1 comment:

  1. On the use of statick sheets: after the second use I put them in an attractive basket on my dryer. When there are three or four I will toss all of them into a load of laundry. After that they are DONE!

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