These days, everyone is looking for good laundry tips that will make wash day easier.
Our busy lifestyles require a quick and easy solution to all household chores and laundry is no exception.
Gone are the days of heating tubs of water and scrubbing each individual clothing item on a washboard with lye soap.
Today, our fancy newfangled machines now do most of the work for us, but there are still the problems we face with getting stains out of our clothing and keeping our machines in good working order.
We are also faced with product after product on our grocery store shelves that are supposed to make our laundry day easier. But do they really?
Sure, some of them are great products! They work just like they are supposed to. But at what cost? Not only are these products expensive, but they often contain chemicals and other products that contribute to allergies and asthma problems for our family members.
We could learn a lot from following the laundry tips of our grandparents, and save a lot of money too. Keep reading for some great old-fashioned household tips for laundry day.
The one product that is a must have is laundry detergent.
To prevent fading, wash your clothes in cold water with special cold-water formula detergent.
This product is specially formulated to counteract the chlorine in city water that fades our fabrics.
I don't know of a substitute for laundry detergent unless you want to make your own lye soap like Grandma did.
Of course, it probably wouldn't be very practical for the washing machine.
You do have a choice when buying your detergent, however.
Boy, do you have choices!
Be sure to check the number of loads per container versus the size of the container. Sometimes it takes more detergent of certain brands for each wash load.
Usually you can get more loads out of "original" formulas versus formulas that have a lot of additives such as bleach, fabric softener, or scents. Stain removers, fabric softener, laundry boosters, and bleaching agents can be added at home with products you probably already have in your home like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar.
Keep reading to see "Laundry Tips for Saving Money" coming up next for more information about how to do this.
Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your wash cycle along with your regular detergent. It is also safe for all your baby clothes, since it is all natural and nontoxic.
Baking soda is also a great fabric softener. It is all natural and will not aggravate asthma or allergies. This time, add to your rinse cycle.
Vinegar is also a good fabric softener. Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to your rinse cycle. It also fights lint, removes soap residue, reduces static cling and leaves clothes brighter.
For cotton blankets, use 2 cups of vinegar in the final rinse. Your blankets will be soft and fluffy with no lingering soap residue.
If you enjoy scented laundry products, here's a tip for you:
Place a lid on the jar or container and let it sit for about 2 weeks. Then add the desired amount to your wash or rinse as a fabric softener or laundry booster.
Since hydrogen peroxide is the key ingredient in most commercial nonchlorine bleaches, why not just buy hydrogen peroxide for a fraction of the price?
Just add 1 cup to your wash and you will get the same results as commercial nonchlorine bleaches.
For colorfast delicates, just use 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide with your usual detergent on the gentle cycle. Your delicates will no longer be dingy or stained.
Another great bleaching agent for whites is Lemon Juice. Just add 1/4 to 1/2 cup along with your detergent to your wash cycle. It smells good too!
For those grimy gym socks, or other discolored whites, try heating a pot of water to boiling, then add 1 cup of white vinegar and your clothing items. Remove from heat, soak overnight, then toss in the washer and wash as usual.
Adding 1 cup of white vinegar to your wash cycle will also kill bacteria and germs to keep workout clothes and towels fresh and bacteria-free.
And if you add 1 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle, it will break down the uric acid in underwear and baby clothes.
We have all been there! Somehow we missed something when we sorted the clothes and a clothing item has bled and tinted a whole load of clothes.
It is usually red, isn't it? Then you have a whole load of pink towels, underwear and socks!
To fix this boo-boo, try this:
Add 1/2 cup of detergent, 1/2 cup of salt, and 1/2 cup of baking soda to a tub of lukewarm water and soak the items until as much dye as possible has been removed. Then launder as usual.
I personally prefer to use "Mister Steamy". It is an AS SEEN ON TV product. It seems to work really well for fluffing and softening clothes.
It comes in a two pack, and it is probably about the same price as tennis balls.
I hope that you have found these laundry tips useful. Be sure to keep checking back for more laundry tips. And don't forget to share your own laundry tips. You will find the link just below