I met a woman in my local
grocery store recently, who picked my brain around what laundry detergent
I used and what I would recommend.
The truth is
that I don’t use any. This invited a
deeper explanation, and this is what has motivated the writing of this blog post.
When my daughter was a baby,
she had severe diaper rash and hyper-sensitive skin. I had to wrap my
mind around laundry alternatives very early on in my housekeeping career.
Most people smell like their
laundry detergent and they don’t realize it. Just walking down the laundry/cleaning aisle in the grocery store gives me a
headache. The ‘McFrugal’ in me also wants to mention how unnecessarily expensive
these commercial laundry products are.
I notice is how powdered
laundry products build a residual in fabrics and make them feel stiff and rough. This is especially true in regard to silk,
linen, and rayon. I am a Thrift Store
junkie and I have a hound’s nose for finding treasures. Often I have to soak and rinse clothing dozens
of times, just to get out the residual laundry products. I just keep rinsing until the water is so longer soapy. Fabrics get noticeably softer with each
rinse.
Instead of detergents:
Replace laundry powders with 1/8 to 1/4 cup of regular white vinegar. Vinegar
cuts the skin oils, deodorizes and helps to keep colours true, especially in cotton,
rayon and silk. If I need a little extra
oomph, try adding about a tablespoon of dish detergent to the load. If you prefer to use a natural liquid laundry detergent, I would still suggest using as little as you can get away with.
I don’t own a dryer so I have no advise here. I lightly spin the clothes in my machine or prefer to hand wash and wrap in a towel to sop up the water. I hang the clothes up right
away on a hanger carefully. This means
that I never need to iron. Dry clothes can be hung right into the closet.
Wash and Wear? No - oils from our skin can go rancid in fabric. A better plan is to wear
and wash. Wear something once then rinse
or wash lightly in vinegar, then rinse in clear water.
I wash whites in warm water. I grate some of a bar of basic laundry soap into a wash-cloth by using a micro-plane
grater. I gather it up loosely and throw it in
with the rest of the load.
Soaking is the old
fashioned way to really get clothes clean without wearing them out, physically or chemically.
Oxygen Bleach is a safe and effective way of
whitening without weakening and destroying fabrics.
Even regular medicinal peroxide can be used
to treat a stain on white fabric. For extra care use a Q-tip
to get spot-on, and then dilute quickly with water as soon as the offending spot is faded to your satisfaction.
Make your own heavy duty laundry
soap:
Buy a good basic laundry bar in
the Health food store (or make your own).
Grate the bar with a micro plane or grate in a food processor. Add equal parts of Washing Soda and Borax (a natural
bleach and disinfectant). This is
excellent for serious man-type laundry.
Stain Removal:
If you become a Master at
treating stains, many articles can be saved from the rubbish bin. Removing stains may only require a spot of
dish detergent or a dollop of your foaming hand soap on it. Put it in the hamper until wash day.
I make my own foaming hand soap. Buy a foam dispensing product and when it is
empty fill it with 1 Tlbs organic shower gel to 1 about cup distilled water. Body Shop’s ‘Satuma’ is what I use.
Stains from the oil from salad
dressing can spell the ruin for natural fabrics. I feel that I have nothing to lose by trying
and if the detergent or soap trick alone doesn't work, I spray the spot with Orange
Appeal or TKO (a natural solvent made from the outer skin of oranges. Just to note that this orange essence it is
very toxic to cats). Let the garment sit
until it is dry to the touch; then put a dollop of foamed hand soap on the same spot, let it dry and then re- wash it again.
I have used Laundry Discs in
the past and many people swear by them.
The purchase cost is high ($70) but the discs can last for years with
good care. I have had these, but never bothered to replace them.
I never
have to face a mountain of family laundry. I look for machines that include cold wash, soak, gentle and hand-wash settings rather than heavy duty settings. I am not in any way suggesting that this is the ‘right way’of laundry, only offering this as
being ‘my way’.
If you have persistent skin or respiratory issues, consider this; towels, linens and clothing treated with commercial laundry products may be the culprit. These products also have a harmful environmental impact. I hope this answers your questions. Thanks for asking.
Take care
Nelda
