I must say, you all have quite an opinion when it comes to laundry after I posted about how I do laundry last week! I think it's fantastic that almost all of you have some sort of laundry routine. Today I'm going to talk about my laundry cleaning. I also thought it was funny how many of you commented on my "normal" laundry room and how you felt better knowing mine wasn't so fancy, either!
I have one kid who used to have pretty bad eczema, a husband with severe allergies to anything smelly, a kid with asthma, and another kid who's almost as bad as her Dad. Please note: I am not a cleaning expert! This is just what I have learned over the last few years and picked up from Pinterest on cleaning my laundry {I am a little weird about my whole house now too}. I use NO bleach, at all--NONE. I don't have any in the house, that I know of. I have ALL fragrance free {clear of any stuff} cleaners - meaning there is no added coloring or fragrance to them. They are in their natural state and smell like nothing, really!
I no longer user fabric softener. I just started this about 8 months ago. It was quite by accident, but I haven't liked traditional fabric softener - what it did to my machine, what it did to my clothes, and just the idea of it bothered me. I used Shaklee dryer sheets for awhile. I like those, but I ran out and didn't order more in time. I saw on Pinterest that you could use vinegar as fabric softener. So, I had lots of vinegar and tried it. I was surprised that it worked pretty well. I just used the same equivalent of vinegar into the machine that corresponds to how large the load is, using the cup that comes with the detergent. I pour it right into the "fabric softener dispenser". And, no, your clothes don't smell like vinegar - at all! One reader last week said she added lavender essential oil to her vinegar to give her natural-cleaning a fresh smell - I can't do that, but it's a great idea if you like that.
My detergent isn't anything fancy. I just use All Free and Clear or Seventh Generation Natural Fragrance Free detergent and pour it all into my beverage container. No secret formula!
Last, I add baking soda to each load to freshen my laundry {about 1 cup for a full load} right on the top of the clothes, maybe sprinkled around. Why? Because it freshens my laundry and a bunch of other reasons. You know how when you have a dirty, nasty smell you put out baking soda? It brightens whites, freshens {getting rid of odors}, and more. And baking soda is SO super cheap - and so is vinegar, too!
I also use dryer balls to further soften the laundry in the dryer. I think if I did one or the other, it wouldn't work so well - but combining both vinegar and the dryer balls works great. It's NOT as soft as with fabric softener {it's pretty close though}, but it still does most of what it would do, without the residue that fabric softener leaves on your clothes and in your washing machine. I am thinking of investing in some wool dryer balls, though. I hear good things about those, too!
The other bonus I've found is I have a LOT less lint in my dryer when I do a load. I kid you not - I do a big load of towels and there is half the lint. I also have noticed that my towels absorb better because they don't have the layer of fabric softener on them. Just a bunch of great reasons I've actually found to stay away from fabric softener - plus, I really can't stand the smell of the super perfumey stuff. I think I've just not had scented laundry for so long that my nose is extra sensitive now. But, I understand some people love the smell! So, the essential oils are a really great way to go naturally, should you want that.
When it comes to stains, I'm still getting better at that without having any bleach. I know some people LOVE bleach - that's fine for you. But, I just know from what I've read and the toxins that we already have in our Los Angeles air, we just have to get rid of as much of it in our house as we can. So, you can see I have a couple of Shaklee products I like. I will put the Nature Bright with loads of whites or colors that need some extra bit of stain help for the load. I use Basic H on grease - I'll put about a dot on the grease stain and it works pretty good to get it out. I use the Dawn Bleach Alternative along with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to make several stain management formulas - armpit stains, homemade oxyclean, and many more. I don't use fabric softener in the laundry but I like to have a homemade Febreze spray {for the times we need it} so I use the Shaklee fabric softener to make my own.
I've created THIS printable {above} for you should you want a reference for natural cleaning, like I use. I've added my favorites and what I use. Just click on it and you can print it up and keep in your laundry room for reference. For more of my cleaning ideas, go to my Pinterest Cleaning Board.
Did I miss anything? I sure hope not!
I have one kid who used to have pretty bad eczema, a husband with severe allergies to anything smelly, a kid with asthma, and another kid who's almost as bad as her Dad. Please note: I am not a cleaning expert! This is just what I have learned over the last few years and picked up from Pinterest on cleaning my laundry {I am a little weird about my whole house now too}. I use NO bleach, at all--NONE. I don't have any in the house, that I know of. I have ALL fragrance free {clear of any stuff} cleaners - meaning there is no added coloring or fragrance to them. They are in their natural state and smell like nothing, really!
I no longer user fabric softener. I just started this about 8 months ago. It was quite by accident, but I haven't liked traditional fabric softener - what it did to my machine, what it did to my clothes, and just the idea of it bothered me. I used Shaklee dryer sheets for awhile. I like those, but I ran out and didn't order more in time. I saw on Pinterest that you could use vinegar as fabric softener. So, I had lots of vinegar and tried it. I was surprised that it worked pretty well. I just used the same equivalent of vinegar into the machine that corresponds to how large the load is, using the cup that comes with the detergent. I pour it right into the "fabric softener dispenser". And, no, your clothes don't smell like vinegar - at all! One reader last week said she added lavender essential oil to her vinegar to give her natural-cleaning a fresh smell - I can't do that, but it's a great idea if you like that.
My detergent isn't anything fancy. I just use All Free and Clear or Seventh Generation Natural Fragrance Free detergent and pour it all into my beverage container. No secret formula!
Last, I add baking soda to each load to freshen my laundry {about 1 cup for a full load} right on the top of the clothes, maybe sprinkled around. Why? Because it freshens my laundry and a bunch of other reasons. You know how when you have a dirty, nasty smell you put out baking soda? It brightens whites, freshens {getting rid of odors}, and more. And baking soda is SO super cheap - and so is vinegar, too!
I also use dryer balls to further soften the laundry in the dryer. I think if I did one or the other, it wouldn't work so well - but combining both vinegar and the dryer balls works great. It's NOT as soft as with fabric softener {it's pretty close though}, but it still does most of what it would do, without the residue that fabric softener leaves on your clothes and in your washing machine. I am thinking of investing in some wool dryer balls, though. I hear good things about those, too!
The other bonus I've found is I have a LOT less lint in my dryer when I do a load. I kid you not - I do a big load of towels and there is half the lint. I also have noticed that my towels absorb better because they don't have the layer of fabric softener on them. Just a bunch of great reasons I've actually found to stay away from fabric softener - plus, I really can't stand the smell of the super perfumey stuff. I think I've just not had scented laundry for so long that my nose is extra sensitive now. But, I understand some people love the smell! So, the essential oils are a really great way to go naturally, should you want that.
When it comes to stains, I'm still getting better at that without having any bleach. I know some people LOVE bleach - that's fine for you. But, I just know from what I've read and the toxins that we already have in our Los Angeles air, we just have to get rid of as much of it in our house as we can. So, you can see I have a couple of Shaklee products I like. I will put the Nature Bright with loads of whites or colors that need some extra bit of stain help for the load. I use Basic H on grease - I'll put about a dot on the grease stain and it works pretty good to get it out. I use the Dawn Bleach Alternative along with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to make several stain management formulas - armpit stains, homemade oxyclean, and many more. I don't use fabric softener in the laundry but I like to have a homemade Febreze spray {for the times we need it} so I use the Shaklee fabric softener to make my own.
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| Click Here for Printable |
I've created THIS printable {above} for you should you want a reference for natural cleaning, like I use. I've added my favorites and what I use. Just click on it and you can print it up and keep in your laundry room for reference. For more of my cleaning ideas, go to my Pinterest Cleaning Board.
Did I miss anything? I sure hope not!
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