Radical laundry reduction

pigpen

whosforachat wrote: »

The smelliest part of me is my feet; my rule should be that if it has been within 2 metres of my feet, change it every day!

LMAO.. hubby woke up this morning and happened to touch my foot.. he leaped out of bed and told me I was gross lol.. they were only a little bit sticky!!!

But I do change my footwear every day.. sometimes more often.. I have to dry shoes before I can put them back on!!!

katyk_2

helsmadhouse wrote: »

My problem is my husband (lol), he comes home at night, changes from his suit/shirt and gets a clean t-shirt, wears it til bed time then puts it in the wash!!! He hasn't sussed out that i fish it out in morning, air it and put it back in the draw. (Have been doing this for last 13 years and he hasn't clicked!!)
:rotfl:
I used to work in a laboratory testing washing powders, so i know only to put in the amount needed for soft water, soda crystals (60p a bag!!) will soften the water so i don't need more. A scoop of sodium borax helps to get stains out (90p a box)- and of cause i only buy washing powder (by the trolley load!!) when its on offer.

I know one woman who offered to iron her OHs things when they were engaged one time, only to have him 'mention' that some of them had not been done properly...result is that she refused to ever iron any of his things ever again and told him to organise that himself. The result is she washes for everyone (presume he never criticized that) and irons for herself and her daughter but he pays someone to do his ironing for him every week. They have been together for about 20 years now and he still does not do his own ironing, and she still won't do it! She even offered to do it if he paid her the same rate he was paying externally but he did not take her up on it...:rotfl:

Thanks for hint - can you tell me where I buy the soda crystals and sodium borax and do they work on coloured and whites alike?

angchris

borax you can find in boots hidden away with the washing powders and tescos sell washing soda but look in the corners of the bottom shelf because they really dont want you buying that and not a full priced tub of washing powder :rolleyes:
i make my own washing powder, if anyone is interested the recipe is:-

1 mug of grated soap bar (anything will do)
1 mug of borax
1 mug of washing soda crystals

takes 5 mins tops to make...throw it all in a sealed tub, give it a quick mix and use about 2 tablespoons per load. this is dirt cheap to make and lasts for agesss, im still using some i made 6 months ago and theres 3 of us in the house!
i can`t remember the last time i bought "proper" washing powder, give it a whirl you`ve nothing to lose and you never have to buy expensive washing powder again!:j

katyk_2

Thanks Angchris
Does your 'recipe' tend to cause problems for those with sensitive skins? I can have a few problems that way?

ceridwen

Hi angchris

Know about this one - but havent tried it yet. Currently having a go at soapnuts - which seem to be working fine (and lovely soft sheets).

Cant use soapnuts for handwashing clothes though. As I handwash all clothes except my socks/knickers - then would your "detergent" work for that?

oldMcDonald

I've only just noticed this thread, but will now subscribe and watch with interest!

I have a huge amount of washing to do each day, at least 3 loads, and would love to get it down a bit. There are 7 of us in the house, DH & me plus 5 kids. One of our children is disabled and gets through at least 2/3x clothes changes a day, plus I often have to change his bedding in the morning. Thats one load. Another load is taken up with a 'normal' family clothes wash, and a third load will be household stuff such as towels, sheets, tea towels etc. I spent the weekend getting rid of all the clothes that are too old / way past mending / too small for anyone in the house and now have a car full to take to textiles recycling / charity (my poor little car is far too small to fit it all in (it's a little Allegro(!), but if I dump it in our bus then it will sit there for months as we will just walk round it, dumped in the car means that it has to be taken to it's destination, otherwise we can't use car!).

I'm hoping that at least the volume of 'possible' laundry will be reduced as it stops the kids from deciding that something is too small and then chucking it in the wash rather than put it in the charity bag.

My kids still seem to have a huge amount of clothes still. On average, how many trousers, tops, shoes etc does everyone elses kids have? I started to cull the clothes down a bit but I worried would never be able to get clothes washed and dried before they run out (we have no TDrier)! I think if i had an idea of what a normal amount of clothes per child was then I may be able to cut the wash loads down a little further.

Poeple always pass clothes down to my kids and I really should sort through and keep some, pass some on

oldMcDonald

cwp500 wrote: »

Never ever ever iron anything that cant be seen.

In the dim and distant past I had a boyfriend who was a manager of a car sales showroom. He had recently bought his own place and had to fend for himslef for the first time (his mum refused to do his washing no matter how much he whinged at her ). He would only iron the front of his shirt as the sleeves and back would be hidden by his suit - he would rather spend a hot day boiling himself in his full suit, than spend a couple of mins ironing and then be able to take his jacket off

ishbel76

Angchris, do you think it would be ok to use your recipe on washable nappies or do you reckon it might irritate baby skin?
Thanks

pigpen

ishbel76 wrote: »

Angchris, do you think it would be ok to use your recipe on washable nappies or do you reckon it might irritate baby skin?
Thanks

try this one..

A large tub capable of holding about 4 litres and with a good fitting lid (or a few smaller tubs)
A 5 litre stock pot or any old pan.
1 bar unscented white soap - something like Simple or a supermarket own brand sensitive soap
1 cup (250mls) washing soda crystals
4 litres water
About 20 drops of a suitable essential oil. I use tea tree, lavender or chamomile but any oils safe for children will be fine

Grate the soap boil the water.. add the soda crystals and soap stir until it is all dissolved put in the oils.. leave overnight to cool.. I pour off some excess water but others stir it in.. either way it makes no difference.

decant to storage tubs and #iuse about a tea cup full for a wash.

Put it into the drum rather than the drawer though as it is thick it has been known to block the pipework!

It is great for most stuff but not so good for getting whites really white.

fine for babies and sensitive skin... providing you use a soap that doesn't irritate. I've used tescos own soap.. johnsons baby soap.. allsorts!

I'd not use borax on my skin and definitely not the childrens.

ishbel76

Thanks Pigpen, will give that a try.