Laundry Badassity

[OldDogNewTrick]

OK, installed a retractable clothes line last month. I dry all our sheets, blankets, towels, socks outside now. Saves me running the dryer a minimum of 1 load per week. Husband commented the sheets have never smelled better and he finds something oddly homey about laundry flapping in the wind. I guarantee you we are the only ones in our neighborhood doing this.... it is against HOA rules, but Florida is a "right to dry" state and I'm careful to put away the line when done. We have partial fencing and a lot of bushes to shield the site from the street. A++

This week invested in Soap Berries and wool dryer balls to move the laundry project forward. Trying to phase out chemicals in general, especially ones that flow into our rivers and gulf. And save money at the same time. After reading tons of reviews spent $18.99 on a pound of Organic Soap Berries through Amazon. The cost per wash is supposed to come out to $0.14. I'm counting! I'm very happy with performance so far. Actually, thrilled. But laundry soap performance is something that is best gauged over time... watching my whites to see how they turn out.  Oh, I add a splash of white vinegar to my fabric softener cup when doing items dried on the line, softens them up and removes all soap residue. The fresh air washes out the vinegar scent.

Wool dryer balls.... A+++ I can't say enough about them. I still use the dryer for our business clothes, dresses, shirts, etc... The wool balls completely eliminate any need for fabric softener or dryer sheets. My clothes come out soft, zero static, smelling "clean" not fragrancy, and best of all, I believe the drying time is reduced a bit. These balls were $18.00 for 6 and should last forever.

Cost/Energy Savings: 6 to 8 less dryer loads per month. No Tide, No Downey, No Fabric Sheets. Hundreds of dollars saved for the year.
Environmental Savings: Asking a little bit less of our coal powered electric plant, removing a my small portion of chemicals from possible water table, river, gulf contamination.

[mxer54]

Watch the vinegar...my wife tried that and all of my shirts eventually got "dry"...they lost their stretchiness and I hated it.

[Emilyngh]

Good for you!

We have two retractable lines and make this (but with natural dish soap instead of dawn) for our laundry soap.   http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/no-grate-homemade-laundry-soap.html

It is super easy to make, super duper inexpensive (less than the soap berries I suspect), natural, and works well for us!

[OldDogNewTrick]

Good for you!

We have two retractable lines and make this (but with natural dish soap instead of dawn) for our laundry soap.   http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/no-grate-homemade-laundry-soap.html

It is super easy to make, super duper inexpensive (less than the soap berries I suspect), natural, and works well for us!

Thank you for sharing. Will have to give that a try. I've been turned off by the dry recipes that requires tons of hand-grating and cooking. (although I was going to try those too if the berries didn't work out).

[socaso]

So glad to hear good things about the wool dryer balls. I've been considering getting them for a while but I think I'll take the plunge now!

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Good for you!

We have two retractable lines and make this (but with natural dish soap instead of dawn) for our laundry soap.   http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/no-grate-homemade-laundry-soap.html

It is super easy to make, super duper inexpensive (less than the soap berries I suspect), natural, and works well for us!

Thank you for sharing. Will have to give that a try. I've been turned off by the dry recipes that requires tons of hand-grating and cooking. (although I was going to try those too if the berries didn't work out).

It doesn't take very long to grate a bar of soap, but if you have a food processor with a grater attachment, I hear you can use that. I've never tried it because grating the soap by hand seems easier than washing the grater attachment :-). Grate a bar of soap, throw in food processor with one cup borax and one cup washing soda, and you're done. Many people like to add a little OxyClean, either to the powder or just to any load with whites in it.

[SKB]

What brand of soap berries do you recommend? I'm trying this.

[greenmimama]

Sounds great, we have been using dryer balls for at least 5 years now, they are really simple to make and when you have more of them in your dryer they work better.

I would just google it, or LMK, I'm on my phone right now, but very easy using clearance wool yarn and color doesn't matter

[OldDogNewTrick]

What brand of soap berries do you recommend? I'm trying this.

http://www.amazon.com/NaturOli-USDA-Organic-Soap-Berries/dp/B001DU4XPY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1397824703&sr=8-3&keywords=organic+soap+berries

[HairyUpperLip]

Very good job!

[SAHD]

I to have stopped using the dryer except, for socks, but I live in WA state and it rains all the time, so I have to dry my cloths indoors, not as ideal.  BUT anyhow, I was wondering is there a way to line dry the towels so they do not have that scratchy stiff feeling???

Thanks

[MicroRN]

I to have stopped using the dryer except, for socks, but I live in WA state and it rains all the time, so I have to dry my cloths indoors, not as ideal.  BUT anyhow, I was wondering is there a way to line dry the towels so they do not have that scratchy stiff feeling???

Thanks

I'm not very good about hang-drying things out here in WA, but I did in VA.  Something that works is to let them get mostly dry by hanging.  When they are still a tiny bit damp, toss them in the dryer to finish for about 5-10 min. 

[happy]

Get thicker skin?

[SAHD]

Get thicker skin?

I was a rhinoceros in my previous life!

[happy]

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Everytime there's one of these laundry threads someone wants their towels soft and fluffy like they come out of the dryer. So when you hang them on the line they are a bit stiffer, yes they're not exactly the same. So what.  They still work.  If you're skins' that soft, get thicker skin. Or just go back to the catheter and bedpan.  End rant.

Ps home made laundry powder/liquid is heaps cheaper than soap nuts @14c a wash.

[OldDogNewTrick]

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Everytime there's one of these laundry threads someone wants their towels soft and fluffy like they come out of the dryer. So when you hang them on the line they are a bit stiffer, yes they're not exactly the same. So what.  They still work.  If you're skins' that soft, get thicker skin. Or just go back to the catheter and bedpan.  End rant.

Ps home made laundry powder/liquid is heaps cheaper than soap nuts @14c a wash.

The towels are a bit stiff, but their absorbency is improved. The fresher than fresh scent offsets a bit of scratch. We reuse our bath towels for the whole week and I've noticed after the first shower they soften up. I've put a splash of white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser and noticed a very little improvement.

The soap berries may not be as economical as homemade detergent, but they contain only one ingredient, saponin. If that does the trick cleaning wise I'm alright with 14c a load.

[happy]

Edit: Post removed because of unintended ambiguity.

[SAHD]

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Everytime there's one of these laundry threads someone wants their towels soft and fluffy like they come out of the dryer. So when you hang them on the line they are a bit stiffer, yes they're not exactly the same. So what.  They still work.  If you're skins' that soft, get thicker skin. Or just go back to the catheter and bedpan.  End rant.

Ps home made laundry powder/liquid is heaps cheaper than soap nuts @14c a wash.

MOD EDIT: Tasteless post is tasteless. Please read up on the forum rules WRT being a jerk and being respectful of other members. The above facepunch is part of the value of this forum and didn't warrant the response it got.

[sunnyca]

Wool dryer balls.... A+++ I can't say enough about them. I still use the dryer for our business clothes, dresses, shirts, etc... The wool balls completely eliminate any need for fabric softener or dryer sheets. My clothes come out soft, zero static, smelling "clean" not fragrancy, and best of all, I believe the drying time is reduced a bit. These balls were $18.00 for 6 and should last forever.

Bought these shortly after reading your post and just tried them for the first time this week... fantastic!

[BPA]

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Everytime there's one of these laundry threads someone wants their towels soft and fluffy like they come out of the dryer. So when you hang them on the line they are a bit stiffer, yes they're not exactly the same. So what.  They still work.  If you're skins' that soft, get thicker skin. Or just go back to the catheter and bedpan.  End rant.

Ps home made laundry powder/liquid is heaps cheaper than soap nuts @14c a wash.

ha ha My ex-boyfriend used to complain about the same thing.  And I thought like you do, Happy.

And no man should complain about how I do laundry.  ;)

[momo5]

can I use soap berries or homemade laundry soap with a front loading washer? manual says to use only high efficiency detergent.

[Lkxe]

can I use soap berries or homemade laundry soap with a front loading washer? manual says to use only high efficiency detergent.

I use soap berries in my front loader- the bag of berries goes in the barrel first. I have put the dry homemade in the drum as well but I have never used the liquid and it would make me nervous the the homemade would gunk up the passage.

[Moonwaves]

can I use soap berries or homemade laundry soap with a front loading washer? manual says to use only high efficiency detergent.

I use soap berries in my front loading machine with no problems. Have done for years.

The only problem I have is one that never happened in Ireland (very soft water) and only started when I moved to Germany (very, very hard water). I'd heard other people complain of whites coming out with strange orange/brown stains on them. Never happened until I moved here so I have to assume it has something to do with the difference in water. I just do whites sepearately now, using a conventional (eco-friendly) powder. Actually, I just used the last of the box yesterday and I've been living here for more than five years now so that's not bad going. I don't wear an awful lot of white. Want to give making my own soap a try soon so will try using some of that to make my own laundry detergent for whites for the future.

To use vinegar as a fabric softener, it works best if you have a machine where you can see what stage the cycle is at. I was slightly disappointed when I first started using it - happy enough but things definitely wasn't as soft as machine-dried. Then once I forgot to add vinegar until the wash was nearly finished - I just pulled out the drawer and added it, as it turns out to the last rinse. And stuff, including towels, was all as soft as any time I'd machine-dried. So it seems to be key to get the vinegar in the last rinse.

[Lyssa]

I guarantee you we are the only ones in our neighborhood doing this.... it is against HOA rules, but Florida is a "right to dry" state and I'm careful to put away the line when done. We have partial fencing and a lot of bushes to shield the site from the street.

Curious European here: Why is line drying so much of an issue in the U.S.?

I can understand if a couble of renters use a garden together that the landlord would make up a "no line drying" rule in order to prevent conflicts along the lines of "I'm paying as much as the next guy but I can never ever even read a book outside because his laundry is always everywhere".

But in your own garden? Why shouldn't there be a "right to dry"?

[Greg]

Curious European here: Why is line drying so much of an issue in the U.S.?
I can understand if a couble of renters use a garden together that the landlord would make up a "no line drying" rule in order to prevent conflicts along the lines of "I'm paying as much as the next guy but I can never ever even read a book outside because his laundry is always everywhere".
But in your own garden? Why shouldn't there be a "right to dry"?

Because in many places Americans are crazy.  They'd rather have the fake, shopping-mall, catalog-picture appearance of good quality of life than actual good quality of life.  And we have an unhealthy tendency to want to control what other people do.

Unless it's about guns, and then you better not tell anyone what to do.  Sigh.

[Constance Noring]

Plus, line-drying is what _{poor people} do. Quelle scandal!

They'd rather have the fake, shopping-mall, catalog-picture appearance of good quality of life than actual good quality of life.

I blame it on the remnants of Cold War thinking. Those dirty Commies say our consumerist lifestyle is decadent, do they? Well, do they have clothes driers in every house on the block? I THINK NOT.

[Lyssa]

Plus, line-drying is what _{poor people} do. Quelle scandal!

They'd rather have the fake, shopping-mall, catalog-picture appearance of good quality of life than actual good quality of life.

I blame it on the remnants of Cold War thinking. Those dirty Commies say our consumerist lifestyle is decadent, do they? Well, do they have clothes driers in every house on the block? I THINK NOT.

I see. :-) Thanks to both of you.

Cold war was less dryer and more car focused around here: west Germans got themselves stuck in traffic jams for hours and the GDR called those jams a capitalist propaganda fabrication since there couldn't possibly be so many cars.

[MicroRN]

But in your own garden? Why shouldn't there be a "right to dry"?

Because it make make the neighborhood look poor!  The Homeowners association in my in-laws neighborhood does not allow clotheslines (although if you have a backyard 6ft privacy fence, you can have a line behind there).  Also, a certain percent of your yard must be lawn, I think 50%?  Well maintained, of course.  They also have strict rules on acceptable colors to have your house painted. 

[EngineerMum]

WRT towels being hard and scratchy. Firstly, I must preface this with, I don't do any of these things on a regular basis, because I grew up with hard scratchy towels and it doesn't phase me. However, hubby grew up with soft dryer towels and from time to time I've considered making the towels softer for him. Right, disclaimer done. A couple of things you can try to make towels softer coming off the line is to
- put your washing machine on lower revs / less spin cycle so they come out a bit wetter
- give towels a good shake before you hang them
- bring them in off the line before they are 100% dry (this requires good timing and I wouldn't want to do it intentionally when it isn't warm and dry enough indoors to prevent smelly / mouldy results)

I do find that my towels are less crunchy in winter or dried on the clothes horse inside than when they have been left baking in the 40 degree C summer sun for a couple of days. But even then, a good crumple, or one use, and they are fine for the rest of the week.

[Theadyn]

There are soap berry trees where I now live, they are all over the ground, will have to give it a try.

[Pollyanna]

I have been making my own laundry detergent for a couple years now.  I save money and I love the process!  The blog onegoodthingbyjillee is fabulous and one of my favs... she has all sorts of recipes for household cleaners and all kinds of stuff.  I make her crock pot yogurt regularly.  Also started a few months ago making my own salt scrub -- how inexpensive it is to make vs buy. 

[Trudie]

To eliminate dryer sheets I have heard you can either put a half cup of baking soda in the water when you start your wash or put vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser... both are economical and organic.

I have a big-ass box of unopened dryer sheets that I'm returning to Costco.

[Zoe]

I use soap nuts, too. I get the nuts and make a liquid soap out of them. The liquid should be kept refrigerated though. A batch will last a week or two (it supposedly spoils). I only use 1-2oz per load of laundry with vinegar in the rinse.

[stripey]

WRT towels being hard and scratchy. Firstly, I must preface this with, I don't do any of these things on a regular basis, because I grew up with hard scratchy towels and it doesn't phase me. However, hubby grew up with soft dryer towels and from time to time I've considered making the towels softer for him. Right, disclaimer done. A couple of things you can try to make towels softer coming off the line is to
- put your washing machine on lower revs / less spin cycle so they come out a bit wetter
- give towels a good shake before you hang them
- bring them in off the line before they are 100% dry (this requires good timing and I wouldn't want to do it intentionally when it isn't warm and dry enough indoors to prevent smelly / mouldy results)

I do find that my towels are less crunchy in winter or dried on the clothes horse inside than when they have been left baking in the 40 degree C summer sun for a couple of days. But even then, a good crumple, or one use, and they are fine for the rest of the week.

I would like to add, if line drying towels (I have not owned dryer for 10 years):

- NO fabric softener (this also causes reduced absorbency)
- Do not over-add laundry detergent- this causes residue buildup on towels too
- If you have used fabric softener or excessive detergent in the past on your towels, stop using fabric softener and either wait until successive laundry cycles gradually strip the chemicals from the fibres. A long-timed load with a cup of white vinegar to a load will hurry this process up.
- Try soapnuts/soapberries (this makes towels softer)
- Try light ironing on moderate heat, high steam setting (I don't both to do this often, but it does work and some friends swear by it).
- Tumble-dry when only slighlty damp, for a limited time

It's worth noting that the fluffiness caused by tumble drying towels is caused by damage/destruction of the fibres. All that lint from the dryer? That's your clothes and linen breaking down...

*** I am not opposed to the concept of a dryer, however I manage fine without one and they do use electricity to run. In Australia most clothes are line dried (even in cold/wet climates! - inside), and many people don't own one. Most of the people I know with a dryer have (or have had) small children.

[Kaydedid]

Good for you!

We have two retractable lines and make this (but with natural dish soap instead of dawn) for our laundry soap.   http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/no-grate-homemade-laundry-soap.html

It is super easy to make, super duper inexpensive (less than the soap berries I suspect), natural, and works well for us!

I second this recipe.  This really works!  My husband is a maintenance mechanic and gets covered in grease on a very regular basis, plus some really nasty 11ph basic powders once in a while.
This recipe is great!  No grease, no nasty smells from his work (also put in some vinegar), and no skin irritation from the base powder getting on my clothes in the wash.

I tried the soap nuts, but they just didn't cut the grease.  Also, they work best in a half-full washer (the more room for agitation the better), and I like to pack that baby as full as possible.

Also, shout-out to Speed Queen washers.  My husband is a bit of a washing machine nut, and said these were the best ones he'd seen.  Reliable, simple, very sturdy, made in the US, and easy/cheap to fix.  The price has gone up a lot since we bought ours, but a used/heavily discounted might be a good buy, especially in the long term.  The one downside is they only seem to make top-loaders.  Yes, some companies still build appliances to last!