Category Archives: Laundry

Laundry Tips…Exciting? You May Be Surprised!

OK, maybe not that exciting. But laundry is about as rambunctious as it gets around here, minus the light saber fights, that is.  So here are some tips for making your laundry day, you know, better.

*First of all, check out my Homemade Laundry Soap post.  Now go make some and watch everyone say, “Wow, she even makes her own laundry soap?!”

*Hit your spin cycle one more time. No, that’s not a new Brittany Spears song, it’s a laundry tip.  With really heavy loads like sheets, towels and jeans, you can run the spin cycle a second time to get rid of excess water.  Your dryer will work less as hard saving time and energy!

*Wash out your lint trap.  Don’t just wipe out the lint.  Once in awhile, run it under some warm water and get all of that residue off the lint trap.

*Stinky Washer
If you deal with a stinky washing machine, this may actually be exciting for you.  Does your washer have that nasty mildew smell?  Do your towels always end up with the small as well?  Mildew smell is one of my least favorite things and I searched everywhere for an answer to the problem.  Here are a few!

The inner basin of your washer remains wet long after your load is done.  Then you close the washer lid and that wetness sits and ferments and gets moldy and full of that nasty mildew smell.  So here is what you can do to clean it up and then keep it clean!

*Leave the lid up!  No men, we are not talking about the toilet here, don’t get excited.  Leave your washing machine lid open to give it time to air out.  Just this one act alone will help rid that smelly washer problem!

*Use less soap!  You do not actually need to use as much laundry soap as the measuring cup that comes in the box suggests.  Too much laundry soap clogs up the basin and makes it easier for the build up to happen in the first place.  So use about half of what you use now and see what a difference it makes.  You’ll also save money while using less soap!

*Run a hot load once in awhile.  Washing your laundry in cold water is great for saving energy but it’s good for your washing machine to run a hot load here and there as well.  So run at least one load a week in hot.  I usually do my towels in hot since they are white.  That hot water is very helpful in washing out your basin.

*Products to clean your washer with:  If your washer is super duper stinky, you may need to take some drastic measures.  Such drama, I know.

-Vinegar: Good old fashioned vinegar can clean that mess right up! Just use1/2 cup vinegar on a warm soak cycle and then run a hot cycle.

-Bleach: You can run a load or two of whites with some bleach in it and it will help clean out your basin as well.  Con: Bleach can be harsh and smell very strong.  But if it’s all you have, it should do the job!

Smelly Washer: I wasn’t a fan of the smells using the two products above so I found this product and bought it.  It really helped rid my washer of it’s nastiness. I like that it is made with all natural ingredients and for as long as the bottle lasted, the price is very reasonable!

See, that was exciting, wasn’t it?! Happy Laundry!