Author Topic: Baking soda and T-shirts.  (Read 8114 times)

drachma

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 69
Baking soda and T-shirts.
« on: June 07, 2014, 09:18:30 AM »
Not related.

1. i wash my hair with baking soda and sometimes plain soap. what are the benefits and drawbacks of brushing ones teeth with baking soda? Are there health impacts related to your teeth?

2. How do you handle Tshirts? I take good care of my clothing to make it last as long as possible, and have good laundry practices, but T shirts just plain get worn out. Is there a way to reduce this portion of the clothing budget?

Typically I wash them "when they get dirty" on cold with minimal soap and hang dry. I use arm and hammer powdered stuff. I'm sure it's more than "soap and baking soda" so is there a cheaper way to go here? I dont press my tshirts. I try to keep stuff for separate purposes - I don't work out in them or beat them up too bad. I keep them loosely folded on a wire shelf.

3. are there any other care suggestions for making clothing last? I feel like ironing is the most damaging part of the process for my work clothing. I have been tumble drying on low for 20min right after the washer to help reduce the wrinkles I need to iron out. This seems to help but it's still a harsh process.

4. do you have any other techniques for getting stains out (usually coffee, wine, or blood... sheepish grin) that are cheaper than the tide "to go" pens? I feel like these don't really work all that well in the first place, i just never learned another solution.

Well, maybe they are a little related.

Erica/NWEdible

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 881
    • Northwest Edible Life - life on garden time
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2014, 09:28:53 AM »
What are the benefits and drawbacks of brushing ones teeth with baking soda? Are there health impacts related to your teeth?

Clean teeth. Baking soda is fine for brushing. It's less abrasive than many commercial toothpastes and the alkaline pH helps neutralize the acids from bacteria that can damage tooth enamel. I brush with plain baking soda and have for about two years now. I actually prefer it to toothpastes which seem oddly sweet to me now.

socaso

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 698
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2014, 09:31:49 AM »
I brush my teeth with baking soda a couple of times a month to deep clean them. A dentist told me that was ok but not to use it every day because it is rather abrasive on your tooth enamel. When I brush with baking soda I also rinse with a capful of hydrogen peroxide. The combo really whitens my teeth. You want to rinse with water first so you don't have a science experiment in your mouth.

socaso

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 698
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2014, 09:32:37 AM »
I'm concerned I was unclear. Brush with baking soda, rinse with water, rinse with hydrogen peroxide.

Gerard

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1570
  • Location: eastern canada
    • Optimacheap
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2014, 09:40:05 AM »
wrt t-shirts, I have seen laundry advice to wash them *more* often. When they're kinda-dirty (but not yet stinky), small dirt particles grind away at the fibres. Maybe wash them more often on a gentle cycle with no/less soap?

Also, and here you should do as I say, not as I do, buy better t-shirts. The ones I get at six for ten bucks in Chinatown don't last super long.

Splendid

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 83
  • Age: 36
  • Location: Virginia
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2014, 06:17:39 PM »
....

4. do you have any other techniques for getting stains out (usually coffee, wine, or blood... sheepish grin) that are cheaper than the tide "to go" pens? I feel like these don't really work all that well in the first place, i just never learned another solution.

Well, maybe they are a little related.

In the hospital, we use hydrogen peroxide on blood. Pour or dab it on the spot until it comes out. This is fresh blood, though, not dried. Also note that sometimes peroxide can bleach the fabric, so you might want to test it first. For oily stains, cover the stain with dawn or baby powder for a while, then wash as usual. Not sure about coffee or wine, sorry.

Emg03063

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 458
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2014, 10:13:41 PM »
The best way to minimize fabric wear is to line dry instead of tumbling, but free T shirts are a dime a dozen (so to speak) in the US.  I can't remember the last time I purchased one.

Mississippi Mudstache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2171
  • Age: 40
  • Location: Danielsville, GA
    • A Riving Home - Ramblings of a Recusant Woodworker
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2014, 11:37:15 PM »
For red wine stains, scrub with white wine, then wash. The white wine causes a chemical reaction that removes the color, but you have to do it before the stain dries (like H2O2 on blood).  I don't have any tricks for coffee other than wash ASAP.

The Borgs

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 80
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #8 on: June 08, 2014, 01:46:02 AM »
For blood on clothes, try to get it when it's relatively fresh, wash with cold water and rub in salt, rinse until it's gone. Once something hot gets it (water, iron or tuble drier), blood sets and won't shift.

mc6

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 242
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #9 on: June 08, 2014, 02:12:18 AM »
The best thing I've found for laundry stains is called Zote, and it's a bar of laundry soap found in Latin supermarkets.  Pretreat the stain and launder as usual.  Lasts a really, really long time for like $1.29. 

libertarian4321

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1395
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #10 on: June 08, 2014, 04:05:11 AM »

2. How do you handle Tshirts? I take good care of my clothing to make it last as long as possible, and have good laundry practices, but T shirts just plain get worn out. Is there a way to reduce this portion of the clothing budget?

Typically I wash them "when they get dirty" on cold with minimal soap and hang dry. I use arm and hammer powdered stuff. I'm sure it's more than "soap and baking soda" so is there a cheaper way to go here? I dont press my tshirts. I try to keep stuff for separate purposes - I don't work out in them or beat them up too bad. I keep them loosely folded on a wire shelf.


Am I missing something here?

Tshirts (printed) can be had for 3 for $10 any day of the year (or less) new.  You can get them used for about the price of a pencil.  To say nothing of all the places one can pick up free Tshirts.

Even the cheapest, thinnest Tshirt will likely last dozens of washings.  So $30-40 worth of Tshirts could last you years.

I'm as cheap as the next guy, but is this really worth worrying about?

greaper007

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1117
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #11 on: June 08, 2014, 05:20:33 AM »
I like the T-shirts from urban outfitters because the fit tends to be better.    I've been wearing the same two for 2 years now on a weekly basis (sahd, no work clothes).   

Go for the poly cotton blend, it's way more durable than straight cotton.   Though I like to wear the straight cotton even with lots of holes.    It can look cool if you know how to accessorize it.

Daley

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4825
  • Location: Cow country. Moo.
  • Still kickin', I guess.
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #12 on: June 08, 2014, 08:53:27 AM »
buy better t-shirts

Second this. Buying higher quality t-shirts will simply last longer. It's all about being frugal, not cheap. Mustachian frugality is about making things last longer, reducing your consumerist consumption, reducing your waste generation, and generally making the world a better place. Supporting shoddy workmanship in the clothing industry (even by taking free shirts as some people here have suggested) does nobody any favors, as it continues to feed a demand for disposable garbage.

The ones I get at six for ten bucks in Chinatown don't last super long.
free T shirts are a dime a dozen (so to speak) in the US.  I can't remember the last time I purchased one.
Tshirts (printed) can be had for 3 for $10 any day of the year (or less) new.  You can get them used for about the price of a pencil.  To say nothing of all the places one can pick up free Tshirts.

These are examples of being cheap and perpetuating the problem, not being smart about your investment and frugal. (No offense, Gerard, Emg, Lib.)

The most important part is, if you know and do a little research, you'll discover that the price gap between these garbage options and the good stuff if you know where to buy it is minimal. 100% pre-shrunk, white cotton Gildan G500 t-shirts from JiffyShirt.com can be had for $1.75 a pop (plus a little for shipping). I kept wasting money on shoddy Hanes undershirts for years, and they kept lasting for less and less time with the last batch barely giving me a year before literally falling apart at the seams. Then about four years ago, I finally did the research and bought 14 of those Gildan shirts. After shipping, I spent $30.97. That was August of 2010.

Each one of those shirts has been washed and tumble dried at a laundromat approximately 100 times because I always wear undershirts (even in the blistering heat). Heavy abuse. Are they starting to get old looking? Yeah, a little dingy, a little stretched in spots, but no holes. I wear them as undershirts though, so they're really not visible. Even in their current state, I should easily be able get another one-two years out of these things under the current abuse regimen.

Not bad for $2.21 per t-shirt (with shipping) brand new, eh?

It doesn't much address the whole sweatshop issue with this stuff, but is it even possible to buy a first world made t-shirt anymore? I certainly haven't found any for a while.

The only word of caution I can give you is sizing if you take this route, however. I normally take an XL, but I have to buy L in these shirts. Check your sizing measurements closely against the manufacture sizing, especially if used as an undershirt... because they really don't shrink much.



Even the cheapest, thinnest Tshirt will likely last dozens of washings.  So $30-40 worth of Tshirts could last you years.

My wife gets foisted those things for free whether she wants them or not. They don't. Ten washings before they start to develop holes, tops. So you're right about investment price, but grossly wrong about source and quality.

Gerard

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1570
  • Location: eastern canada
    • Optimacheap
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #13 on: June 08, 2014, 09:51:50 AM »
These are examples of being cheap and perpetuating the problem, not being smart about your investment and frugal. (No offense, Gerard, Emg, Lib.)

No offense taken! I'm happy to be wrong if I end up smarter.

In Canada, my delta between good and bad shirts is bigger than yours, but I hadn't considered mail order. I've been justifying buying these shirts because I have a lifespan plan for them (public shirt, home-only shirt, dirty-work shirt, rag, garden ties, compost). This gives them about a ten-year lifespan if I wash them in cold water and hang them to dry (just composted a shirt I bought at Target in 1998). But obviously I could have that same plan with a longer-lasting shirt.

Daley

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4825
  • Location: Cow country. Moo.
  • Still kickin', I guess.
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #14 on: June 08, 2014, 10:54:21 AM »
These are examples of being cheap and perpetuating the problem, not being smart about your investment and frugal. (No offense, Gerard, Emg, Lib.)

No offense taken! I'm happy to be wrong if I end up smarter.

In Canada, my delta between good and bad shirts is bigger than yours, but I hadn't considered mail order. I've been justifying buying these shirts because I have a lifespan plan for them (public shirt, home-only shirt, dirty-work shirt, rag, garden ties, compost). This gives them about a ten-year lifespan if I wash them in cold water and hang them to dry (just composted a shirt I bought at Target in 1998). But obviously I could have that same plan with a longer-lasting shirt.

Excellent! I figured you'd be cool with it. Sane people wouldn't take it as a personal attack, but sometimes you need disclaimers around here. ;)

The only wholesaler I currently know of up in Canada is t-shirt.ca. Shipping's a bit higher up there and the tax is up front, but it looks like the Gildan 5000 can still be had for under $4 CAD a shirt. The 5000 is basically the same as the G500 - bit heavier construction, so should last even longer. If given the option, I'd certainly take the 5000 over the G500, but the G500 is a decent enough shirt itself all things considered.
« Last Edit: June 08, 2014, 11:01:57 AM by I.P. Daley »

Thegoblinchief

  • Guest
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #15 on: June 08, 2014, 08:15:29 PM »
I'm a sucker for nerdy graphic tees. TeeFury has good quality shirts, much better than some other sites I've tried.

Other than that I wear mostly technical fabrics rather than cotton.

TreeTired

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 454
  • Age: 139
  • Location: North Carolina
  • I think we can make it (We made it!)
Re: Baking soda and T-shirts.
« Reply #16 on: June 08, 2014, 08:59:02 PM »
My wife likes to use 20 Mule Team Borax as a laundry booster.  I bought it to kill ants (worked incredibly well) but she tried it in the laundry and like it there.