washing machine

My Laundry Favs: More than Good Smells.

Abby H.Leave a comment

Clean laundry is more than good smells.

Stain removal, like removing the deodorant residue on the underarms of shirts, can lead to a buildup.

Removing smells from body oil and dead skin flakes. Pretty gross!

Using the right kind of detergent, laundry booster, sand tain removal – These can all be hard to figure out.

These days, it’s three of us, plus the cat, but I do one load of laundry a day, sheets and blankets weekly. It’s a lot of work. Thankfully, I have a system worked out.

We’ve had hard and or mineralized water in our area, so I use the following:

Scent Booster. I use the Arm & Hammer brand. I avoid fabric softeners as they are waxy and can leave a film on your clothing that can capture dirt and dead skin flakes.

Laundry detergent. Right now, I am using Arm & Hammer liquid detergent. Some people prefer powder. I prefer Arial for powder. It cleans very well and does not have an overwhelming scent.

Stain Removers. There are many types of stain removal products; some are general-purpose, and there are also some that remove stains based on the type of stain.

  • For blood stains, I use this Carbona Stain Remover. It works better than saliva and hydrogen peroxide.
  • For general stains, I use Spray and Wash 
  • For greasy stains, I use a combination of Blue Dawn and a little bit of rubbing alcohol, scrubbed with a toothbrush. This really helps get grease stains out.
  • For General whitening/stain removal boosting, I add 1/4 cup Biz and 1/4 cup Oxyclean to my wash. Biz is great for overall stain removal. These two products cannot be used in conjunction with bleach products.
  • For my whites: I use bleach. This is usually only on my towels and sheets.

I do not use dryer sheets.

Beyond Laundry:

To maintain my washing machine, I clean it up once a month with these tablets. We don’t have a dog, but a couple of us have longer-ish hair, and Fiona the cat loves to shed. Another thing that helps keep your washing machine smelling fresh is leaving the lid open when it’s not in use. And wiping down the gasket inside the lid once a week.

I maintain my dryer by cleaning the lint trap after every load, and using a brush like this one in the lint trap about once a week. We get the dryer vent cleaned once a year. It is a little costly ($100), but it really cuts down on the time the dryer needs to dry the clothes, and it reduces fire risk in our home.

We also use cloth laundry hamper bags on a hanging system (similar to this one) in my closet. I wash those bags approximately once a month. And for the hard plastic laundry baskets, I wiped them out with a disinfecting wipe about once a week.

And as for all of the hangers, I use a hanger rack like this one.

Easy, Family Friendly Water Saving Tips

Abby H.

file0001379338996

You may have heard, California is in a pretty severe drought situation, which has led to some pretty severe water use restrictions.

As a California Native, I honestly don’t remember a time when we haven’t been actively conserving water. However, now it’s more important than ever.

How can you and your family help out? Like most things, small tweaks can lead to big  changes, especially if many people pitch in.  Here are a few examples of ways YOU and YOUR FAMILY can help out:

Fix any leaky faucets. It may be as simple as replacing a worn out gasket in the faucet. Depending on how many drips you count per minute and how many faucets you have that are drip drip dripping, you could be wasting up to 5 gallons of water A DAY!!!

Limit showers to 5 minutes or less.  I know take a long, hot shower is nice, but realistically, most ladies don’t need to wash their hair every day, and all that water is just going down the drain. If you need to relax, take a bath.  Once you are done… try the next tip.

Got kids who still take a bath? Once they (or you!) are done, scoop the some of the water out of the tub in a bucket (I like the 5 gallon Homer Buckets from Home Depot) and use it to water your lawn, houseplants, or even your garden. For more tips and info on how and when it’s ok to use gray water in your garden, check out this segment from KPBS Midday Edition.

Only run the dishwasher when it’s full. That seems like a no-brainer, but it really does save water!

Use the correct setting on your washing machine! If you don’t have a large load, remember to change the load size on your washing machine. Using Energy Star rated appliances will not only help you save electricity, but it will also help you save water! Read the washing machine  manual to learn about which water settings should be used.

Turn off the sink while you are brushing your teeth or shaving. You could save up to 8 gallons a day per person who brushes their teeth.

Consider removing your lawn. I know having a lush, green lawn is a source of pride for some homeowners, but now is not the time!  You can Xeriscape, which is where you pull out the lawn and replace it with decorative rocks or mulch and native, drought tolerant plants. It’s really pretty. And you’ll be saving tons of water!

Pick up some rain barrels. I know, I know, we’re in a drought! But it still does rain here from time to time. The City of San Diego has a rebate program for those who purchase and install rain collection barrels. For those of us who can’t install barrels, you can always set out buckets to collect water and store it appropriately.  We always set out a few buckets to collect water for our patio garden.

Take your car to the carwash! Most commercial carwashes use  recycled water, so taking your car to the carwash is a great way to conserve water. It’s a lot more water efficient- the average commercial carwash uses 30-50 gallons of water per carwash (and most of it is or can be recycled), whereas a DIY at home car washing can use upwards of 100 gallons of water!

Compost your kitchen scraps! Instead of running your garbage disposal (which requires water!) to dispose of organic waste (that includes food waste), start a compost pile/bin.  You can find small compost bins (including table top versions!) at Home Depot for those who don’t’ have a large yard (like us). In addition to most food waste, yard waste, newspaper, and cardboard can be added to compost piles/bins. You can learn more about composting here.

So, there are just a few ways you can be water wise. How do you like to conserve water?