Monday, November 10, 2008

Money Saving Monday

I love doing laundry. Well okay, love me be a little strong. Like, um, enjoy, um, hm, well I don't have a good word. I don't dislike doing laundry. But I'll tell you why I almost like it. The smells. Oh, the smells. Don't you love the smell of clean sheets and clothes? (Not towels because my towels always just smell like towels.)

But here is my dilemma.

Detergent is full of chemicals. It pollutes the ground and water. It's expensive. If I want my clothes to smell good, I have to buy detergent and fabric softener. I buy all natural makeup, organic shampoos and lotions and use cloth diapers. This detergent doesn't fit in with my lifestyle. But it smells so good.

What shall I do? I've tried using the more natural cleaners, and while they clean just as good, they don't have a lingering smell. (I have to use them for my diapers anyway.)

I've tried using just baking soda, and/or vinegar, but it doesn't get the clothes clean enough.

So you see my dilemma? What do you do? AND I need the clothes to be soft. So....I love fabric softener but stopped using it a while back.

Also, while you're helping me figure out how to wash my clothes by telling me your methods, how do you wash your diapers? I'm constantly getting a residue build up. I'll switch detergents, it will be fine for a month or two, then the ammonia smell comes back and the redness and ultimately a rash, if I don't change detergent. So I don't know what to do to combat that, other than constantly change detergents.

10 comments:

Unknown said...

I use Seventh Generation detergent. No, it does not leave a lingering scent on the clothes, but like you said, it is more important to me that I am using natural soap on our clothes, and in our washing machine. If I am going to use natural skin care products, makeup, and household cleaners, then I need to have natural laundry detergent too. As for washing the diapers, I can't help you there. It has been many months since I've done the cloth, so I can't remember how I washed mine.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Beulah said...

I love Ecos detergent! It can be a bit pricey, but the smell is wonderful and stays! If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, their natural detergent is just as good and not quite as expensive. They also sell these little lavender dryer sachets. They smell divine! They are pretty cheap and last for several runs through the dryer. When they wear out, you can dump them on the floor to use as carpet fresh!

It's funny you say the towels smell like towels. I say the same thing about sheets! lol =)

Yara said...

I use melaleuca
well.... I was using that when dh decided Lorelei would potty train, but it was working great for a while there...
and they have scented and unscented... I have a bottle of each, and love the scent on my clothes
it's pretty safe (not toxic) stuff
so I feel okay using it
email me if you wanna know more

Annie said...

I use melalueca also and love it. I use both their unscented detergent and their dryer sheets. I think they have fabric softener also but we don't use it so I'm not 100% sure. It's great stuff!

Unknown said...

i just got some new diapers from Kelly's closet in the other day and she had a paper talking about how to strip your diapers and it said to use oxy clean every couple months i have not tried it but it maybe worth a try you could probably go to her website to get more info on it if you want

Unknown said...
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Anonymous said...

I'm not sure about the smell of this homemade laundry detergent, but this website has the details: http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com
Maybe you could leave a comment and ask.

Enjoy your blog : )

Karen
So. MD

Michelle said...

Thank you all.

I really want to try 7th Generation, but dont you think it's a little expensive. I can actually get it at my grocery store but it's $20 and...whew. That's a lot. But if I had a coupon I would be convinced.

Beulah I don't have a Trader Joes, is that the only place to buy Ecos?

Karen thanks for that site. I'll check that out for sure!

Unknown said...

ok my favorite place to by all my natural cleaning things (dishwasher detergent and laundry soap pretty much, i make my other stuff) is www.drugstore.com. they very often have 'free shipping if you spend $25' and with their selection of all natural products that is not hard to do! and their prices are pretty good. seventh generation is pretty good but sometimes i don't like that their products are not ALL natural...just more natural. same with method though i do like their laundry soap a lot (probably more than 7th) i've tried planet which worked well but it was powder and i'm starting to like liquid better. i wasn't impressed with ecover laundry soap though i looove their dishwasher detergent. you might enjoy mrs.meyers brand products b/c they come in a variety of smells (i don't do smells in my laundry so i can't be much help in that dept.) i did read something once about making your own dryer sheets by putting essential oils on a wet rag and throwing it in the dryer. also, though you will hate me saying this, you reaaaly should try to get off softener. it's really bad for your dryer and your clothes b/c it leaves residue. you should take your lint collector and run it under water and make sure that it doesn't repel water b/c that could mean it is not letting air through properly which can cause a dryer fire. i would recommend less soap (b/c thats what makes clothes feel stiff and rough is soap build up) and the occasional vinegar rinse to soften things up. also drying on a lower setting i think makes the clothes feel softer.

as far as diapers, make sure you are not using too much soap b/c that can build up some harsh residue. especially is you have an HE washing machine it takes veery little soap. i only use about half the recommended amount and it works fine. i'm sure you know about stipping with vinegar. also i'm a huuge fan of oxi-clean. i usually throw the diapers in a do a quick rinse to get things going. then i do a normal wash on hot with soap. then depending on how they look sometime i might do another rinse or another wash or usually i just call it good. tea tree oil can be good to throw in with your wash that seems to do good when you are having wierd smells. and if you must, there is always the occasional bleach wash to bring them back to life (i hate bleach with a passion so i've only done this a few times..but i hate to say...it does work well) izzy is potty trained!! woohoo! so my diapering days seem to be at an end for now :) HALLELUJAH! haha

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/8088/clngrn.html -- this is a neat site with lots of cleaning recipes just though you might like to check it out.