Laundry Questions

Hi T.,

I've been cutting the Kirkland (Costco) brand ones in 1/2 and they work great. It seems like I've even cut them in 1/3's also.

Take Care,
C.

I noticed some responses were concerned about stiffness with air drying. I have found that cutting down on the amount of soap helps. They have us use double what is needed to get the cloths clean, and then the dryer breaks down the extra, so if no dryer then you get stiff cloths. By using less soap I save money, have wonderfully clean cloths, and can hang dry with no stiffness.

I do tear my laundry sheets in half. It works just as well. I feel better about saving money and less chemical or whatever it is from the dryer sheet with the laundry.
my sister makes her own laundry soap and seems happy with it.

Hi T., I am not sure of the homemade soap, but would like the recipe myself if you come across one. What I do know for sure that works great is if you buy the cheapest liquid fabric softener, mix a cup of it with two cups of cold water in a container add some nice but older wash clothes to the mix and soak them for about 5 mins, the ring them out and put in a med to large plastic bag, fill it with a many as you want, then put it away for future use so when ever you do a load of clothes toss one right into the dryer with the wet clothes it works just like the paper sheets but can be used over and over.when done with the cloth soak it again and put away you will love the cost and the softness, static free clothes,of corse the good smell too. S. L. ____@____.com Vancouver wash. Do babies in dreft,

I normally use the sheets just on synthetics, never on towels, rarely on whites. I reuse them and after several uses, dust the living room, especially electronics with them. Or I dust down the computer/work area with them. They work great on all the electronic stuff and you don't need any dusting spray or anything, just the well used fabric softener sheet. That being said, and after reading some of the responses, in my next load, I'm going to try some vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser of my washing machine. I love vinegar and use on numerous other cleaning jobs, as well as in many food dishes, so I buy it by the gallon and always have it around, so why not? (Vinegar is also a good digestive aid) I have used it in the laundry, but as a laundry boost when it starts agitating. I didn't know it works as a softener, too. After 3-5 min. in the perm. press cycle of the dryer, I hang dry the clothes (not towels, napkins or underclothes) and I'm curious to see if the vinegar will make the clothes a bit softer.
Thanks, mamas, for all the great advice!

I see there have been some posts that have talked about this, but dryer sheets are actually very bad for you and the environment. See these web pages:

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2006/10/18/dryer-sheets/
http://www.naturalnews.com/002693.html
http://www.thegreenestdollar.com/?p=361

I haven't used them for years, and never have a problem with static cling. I do hang my nylon and quick-dry clothes though, and sometimes if they get in the dryer accidentally they cling to things. But when I dry them on a rack everything is fine. So, that's the cheapest way....not to use them! Good luck!

I half my dryer sheets for towels/bed sheets. For regular clothes I quarter the sheets.
One box will last me nearly a year and there is no difference with the exception of sent. It removes all the static with less sent -which I want since I am sensitive to most sents.

T., I never use those sheets. I only use Downy in the wash. I never have static, the smell is fresh smelling (and minimal)and the clothes come out soft. No matter how little of the sheets I used the smell was just too strong. I also didn't like how everything would smell like my laundry all day long. We do however, drop a sheet in the bottom of the diaper pail to help keep that smelling fresher.

I've never made my own soap, but a friend did and said it really didn't make much difference from using Tide or something like that. Personally, I use Tide and love it. We have an front loading washer and Tide works beautifully in those.

I have never heard about the dryer sheets, but I dont use them anyway.
As far as soap, I have never make my own but I love the kind I use. Its called SA8 (if you want to know more about it or how to get it just ask me). We get a 6.6lb box and it lasts us 2 months and we are a family of 3.

Some other money saving tips I use are cloth diapers, Norwax cleaning clothes (reusable washable), vinagar water and baking soda for cleaning. If you want to know more about any of it let me know.

I used to use dryer sheets but switched over last year to simply forming a ball out of aluminum foil and throwing it into the dryer with the clothes. It works great! The metal attracts the static and it is reuseable too! Talk about cost effective! if you want a bit of scent, throw in a lavender bag from Trader Joes or a couple drops of essential oil in the rinse cycle or on the ball of aluminum foil. It sounded way to easy so i was skeptical, but i've been pleasantly surprised at how effective it is. And now we don't have all the chemicals from the dryer sheets on our clothes (you should see what they put in that stuff...yuck!)And yes, use 1/2 cup of vinegar in the fabric softener compartment of your washer for great softening of your laundry. Good luck!

S.
www.hazelaid.com
All natural, organic, handmade hazelwood necklaces for the relief of eczema, acid reflux, & teething pain for babies and their families.

I always use a half dryer sheet, but never with towels, since fabric softeners make the towels less absorbent. Are you on city water or well water in Philomath? Is your water soft? Here in Salem, where the water is naturally soft, I use a coffee scoop (2 TB) of Tide in my front loading washer. (I also use about the same amount of dish washer detergent in my dish washer.) The detergent manufacturers want you to use a lot, so you buy more frequently. Try using less detergent per load. As long as there is a small amount of bubbles or foam, the detergent is doing its job. A giant box of Tide lasts me for a long time.

I too have been thinking about making my own laundry detergent. Here is the best guide I found online
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/09/making-your-own...

I liked it because it showed a visual and showed how well it worked. I think I would use castille soap for a more environmentally friendly option and that way I know it is safe for my family's sensitive skin. I am curious so let me know how it goes.

Hi T.!

Here's a method I have used to stretch ours. We use the Arm and Hammer Free powder stuff to start with..usually the biggest box. Then we add a box of Arm n Hammer Washing Soda..(We have skin issues so its all we can use). Mix that in and you have a color safe bleach added as well...(from what I can tell its safe for all fabrics. Since its based in baking soda you can always add more to it. I have added up to three boxes of baking soda on top of what I listed above with seemingly no change in quality. One of the big boxes stretched that way gets us through two and a half months doing laundry every other day at least two full loads for up to two months. It's really quite efficient and it costs me about $20.00 for all of it.

Hi T., I dont know about making your own soap but if your looking to save a little money I do know of a great way to find more afordable products, have you ever heard of melaluca? They are a health and wellness company that you shop directly from (you have to be a member) and you save 30 to 40 percent off the grocerie store brands, and all their products are super concentrated, the 96 oz of their laundry soap does 192 loads! that would take 6 bottles of tide to equal the same amount to loads. The 96oz is $29.99 but it lasts forever. They also have the smaller size of 64oz thats $12.99, my family of 4 has been using it for a month and we have hardly put a dent in it! And all the products are green, chemical free so they are safer for our families. If you want some more info get a hold of me or check out my web site saferisbetter.com hope this helps you
____@____.com

We have always used Shaklee laundry soap and fabric softener. I love their products. We also don't use fabric sheets as they are a waste of money we by liquid softener and then just pour a little on a hand towel and throw it in the wash. Way less expensive and works just as well maybe even better. Or you can mix liquid softener and water and spray it in the dryer before you run it.

I don't know if you're a member of Costco or not, but they have an organic laundry soap called Ecos. It's not more than Tide and it has soy based fabric softener in it. It works perfectly for me.

I've always been curious about the whole making my own laundry soap idea. I might just give it a try. However, for the dryer....I use ½ c. to 1 cup of vinegar for my softener (in the rinse cycle) - it sounds weird but it works so good. It's all natural, it softens and there is no static cling. Once vinegar drys there is no smell, only the smell of clean. Our kids have started helping out with the household cleaning and wanted to find something we can all use besides all the chemically loaded cleaners. We use a diluted version on our floors, bathrooms, tables, countertops, windows etc. No steaks and no smell once it drys. Costco sells vinegar...2 gallons for about $4.00. I encourage you to give it a try in your laundry....it's great!

I heard about using 1/2 cup of vinegar as fabric softener. I keep forgetting to try that. I don't like the sheets because I don't like the smell and am worried about the chemicals. Maybe that would work for you.

Not only is a half sheet as effective as a whole sheet but you can also use that same half sheet more than once. At least 3 or so times.

I only use a dryer sheet when the load has synthetic material that will collect static. The box I have now is 2 years old and is still half full. I only do my own laudry. But a family of three could make a box last a year or more.

It seems to be a little known fact that dryer sheets cause towels to absorb less moisture. For me the only use of dryer sheets is to prevent static electricity in synthetic fabrics.

I've never made my own soap or cut dryer sheets, but to save money, i go to the dollar tree for some of that stuff. they have full size boxes of dryer sheets for $1 of course and they work just as well as the name brand stuff (i've been using those for years) and if I run low on soap, you can get liquid or powder soap their that usually lasts me about 3 weeks, and I do about 3 loads a week. They have stain remover also (which I haven't tried yet) I would check sales at regular stores as well, I have gotten very large bottles of laundry soap at safeway for $3 before, just look around. You can find household cleaning products and even soap, shampoo and conditioner at the dollar store and dollar tree (though I recommend the dollar tree, they have higher quality products)

I am a grandmother and raised three kids so I believe you are a wonderful mother. The reason I know this without meeting you is that you second guess yourself all the time. Relax, enjoy your daughter and go with your first instincts because that is usually the best.

About the laundry. Dryer sheets unfortunately are not healthy. Here is some information you might like to know. Unfortunately most laundry detergents and other laundry products are not healthy. If you can do without them and go "green" that would be a plus. There is a book called "Green goes with Everything" by Sloan Barnett. This is a really good book and has lots of information on different ways to go green and save money.

I use green cleaners myself (not from the store - those don't work) and have been extremely happy with the results and I hardly spend anything on cleaners.

The following information is from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Fabric Softeners ….
Health Risks from Dryer Exhaust & Treated Fabric

Fabric softeners, like other fragrant products, contain petrochemicals used in untested combinations. These chemicals can adversely affect the central nervous system (CNS)…. your brain and spine.

These chemicals affect the CNS with the following symptoms: blurred vision, disorientation, dizziness, headaches, hunger, memory loss, numbness in face, pain in neck & spine, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, attention deficit disorder, dementia, multiple chemical sensitivity, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, seizures, strokes, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

The most common chemicals found in Fabric Softeners and their health risks are listed below:

Ingredient Side Effects

Alpha-Terpineol central nervous system disorders, highly irritating to lungs;
pneumonitis, fatal edema, ataxia (loss of muscle coordination), headaches, respiratory depression_______
Benzyl Acetate pancreatic cancer, irritating to eyes and lungs, respiratory
coughs and lung irritation________________________
Benzyl Alcohol headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drop in blood
pressure, upper respiratory tract problems, central
nervous system depression, and death in severe
respiratory responses___________________________
Camphor central nervous system disorders, irritates eyes, nose
& throat, dizziness, confusion, nausea, twitching muscles
& convulsions_________________________________
Chloroform headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, irritation of respiratory tract, loss of consciousness, kidney disorders, liver disorders, skin disorders, inhalation can be fatal____
Ethyl Acetate headache, stupor, anemia, leukocytosis, liver damage,
kidney damage, irritating to eyes and respiratory tract___
Limonene human carcinogen_____________________________
Linalool respiratory disturbances, depression, CNS disorders____
Pentane headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, irritation of respiratory tract, loss of consciousness
depression, dermatitis, CNS disorders

N.

My mom used to tear the dryer sheets in half until they quit making them with a slit down the middle. Then a friend told me that you can reuse them--I've used them up to 3 times.

I learned something about laundry, though. You don't have to use a dryer sheet if there is nothing synthetic in the load. And you shouldn't use it with towels anyway--it will reduce absorbancy. I do a load of whites--mostly my husband's t-shirts and underwear, and since it's all cotton I don't use a dryer sheet with that load. I can usually get away with not using it in the children's clothes, as well, since there is rarely anything synthetic in them.

As far as detergent goes, I have never tried the home-made stuff, but I might one of these days. A friend of mine posted a recipe on facebook and I am tempted to try it out.

Here's another way to pinch pennies. Don't buy expensive stain remover. Get a bar (or a pack of them) of ivory soap and rub that into almost any stain, then scrub a bit and it should come right out. This gets dirt out of socks--bleach won't--and baby poop out of clothes.

While we're on money-saving ideas, how about scrubbing your sink and shower with baking soda? You can buy it in a larger size in the laundry aisle, and it works great. I clean most surfaces in the bathroom with vinegar and water, too. I do use toilet bowl cleaner, but you could use straight vinegar there too if you wanted to.

Here's another idea. If you do a lot of dishes by hand, get a small container of soap, and when it's empty, fill it about 1/4 to 1/3 full, fill the rest with water, and use that on one of those cheap yellow and green sponges. They are so porous that if you squeeze them out well they will dry between uses (and not build up a lot of bacteria like regular sponges), and you only need a squirt or two on the sponge to clean several dishes. This stretches the soap quite a bit. I rarely fill the sink with hot water. It just gets dirty anyway.

Oh, I could go on and on.... but hopefully that gives you some ideas. :)

I avoid the dryer machine all together for the baby's clothes and hang all pieces (on hangers) when they come out of the washer machine. My reason was to preserve the clothes to keep them in 'like new' condition, however, this is a way to not use dryer sheets. A few specific clothing pieces I noticed do dry stiff so for these I put them in the dryer and pull them out slightly damp and hang. I do the same for many of my clothes too.

I use all free and clear soap. i haven't used laundry sheets (at all) in more than two years... no problems!

Yes, half dryer sheets work. I only use them when I have a static material in there. Not even on my towels and they are fine. Your detergent can have a soft fragrance in it that will stay.

I've been anti-dryer sheets for 20+ years when my doctor told me they could be causing irritation I was having in my genital area. They are convenient, yes, but in reality they are unnecessary. We as adults may be used to and have a tolerence for the chemicals that these leave on your clothes, but I especially do NOT use the sheets in loads with clothes my children will wear. Read here:

http://www.naturalnews.com/002693.html

And here, with additional tips for alternatives to dryer sheets - http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/04-29/stop-static-clin...

Also, dryer sheets have been said to cause dryer fires, especially if you don't clean the residue from the filter. From Snopes - http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/dryer.asp

Every since my son was born and we started washing his cloths I stopped using the dryer sheets and the towels still come out soft, maybe don't smell as good as before, but for that I keep a bar of soap in my linen closet. For soup I buy Country Safe in powder (I think that's the name, blue box, earth friendly) and I don't even remember when I bought it. It seems like it lasts forever. With the newer machine you need only half the amount. I also try to wait to get more laundry and do about 3 - 4 washes a week - still much more than what my mom did when I was growing up not that long ago :)

Hi, I stopped using dryer sheets and scented everything when my first child was born almost 6 years ago. Instead i purchased a pair of dryer balls that bounce around inside your dryer reducing static electricity and softening the clothes they bounce into. They are sold in pairs, usually last more than a year, and are completely green and healthy. They make great toys for the kids or the dog once i'm done with them! I think most natural food stores like the co-ops and Whole Foods have them, or google "dryer balls".
My husband complained for years about not getting scented clothes in his drawers, so he bought himself some of the detergent and dryer sheets he used as a bachelor....he broke out in a rash from them because his body had adjusted to being chemical free! Scent equals chemicals and chemicals equal suppressed imune response and toxicity of our bodies and environment. So much is being found out about this and how we poision our bodies. Especially during the "growing years" for your children try to go green, you will do youself and your sweet baby a huge benefit! Good luck!

When my son was born I purchased dryer balls. They have no chemicals, are environmentally friendly, and are good for thousands of washes. The price was about 10 dollars at babies r us. you may consider this as an alternative to dryer sheets, works great for us.

I also use vinegar in the rinse cycle and my clothes smell great (I mean awesome clean). My washer has a softener dispenser so it's really easy. I also use half or less than half of the recommended amount of soap. Any more really is overkill. I'm interested in making laundry soap, too. My husband put a shelf in above my washer so I like to set one of those bottles with the spigget on the shelf. Then all I have to do is press the button and it pours right into the washer. I'm planning to reuse one of those bottles with the homemade liquid soap.

I use dryer balls instead of dryer sheets and I like them. They fluff up and soften the laundry without chemicals. We have sensitive skin in our family so we prefer not to use the chemical fabric softners, but it also saves money. I bought a set of dryer balls for about $10 two and a half years ago and I am still using them.