Save Your Clothes And Money Doing Laundry
I was doing laundry the other night at my wife’s request and I did them wrong. I am a man, what can I say?
She informed me I stuffed the washing machine too full and used WAY too much detergent. She is all about the plasectomy too and this is how she has started saving some money around our home:
Laundry detergent doesn’t clean the clothes it makes them smell nice…and it also breaks down the surface tension in the water so that it can dissolve water soluble dirt more easily. The actual cleaning is done by your washing machine agitator and the clothes rubbing against each other. In fact, the more detergent you use the faster your clothes wear out and fade.
So regardless of what brand of laundry detergent you use, don’t follow the manufacturer’s recommended detergent amounts. Instead make sure you are loading your washer correctly as too many clothes hinders agitation, clothes don’t get as clean, and too few clothes allow the clothes to stay away from each other preventing the rubbing action so they don’t get as clean. Experiment to see how little detergent you can use and still get the level of cleanness and fresh smell you want.
We use half the recommended amount that is directed by the manufacturer allowing us to use our All laundry detergent to go the entire month, before it would last 2 weeks max.
How much detergent do you use?
March 11th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
I use 1/4 the amount or less. Everything comes out great! My husband taught me this tip. As a bachelor who didn’t want to go to the store often, or maybe didn’t like paying for detergent (knowing him, it was the former), he made this discovery and passed it along to me after I’d been doing laundry for about 15 or more years; strange that my extremely thrifty mother never taught me this. She must not have known.
I never really thought about the washer being filled exactly correctly but it makes perfect sense. I have noticed inferior washing with both underfilled and overfilled washing machines. Tell your wife thanks for explaining that to me.
I also never use fabric softener. My mother did tell me that it damages clothing fibers. Who needs it, anyway? If your clothes are rough, it must be the fault of the actual fibers. And if it has static cling, well boo hoo – I can’t get too worried about something so trivial (I hate the scent of fabric softener, too)
March 12th, 2009 at 12:44 am
Good to know. I did not know this, but it makes total sense. I’m all about making clothes last longer (i.e. that favorite shirt, perfect jeans). Thanks for the tip. You’ve vindicated my wife (Mrs. PT) too, who’s always trying to get me to use less detergent.
March 12th, 2009 at 9:48 am
I make my own laundry detergent. One batch that costs less than $7 to make lasts my family a good 8 months.
1 bar Fels Naptha soap bar, grated
1 cup WASHING soda (it’s different than baking soda and can be found in the laundry aisle of the grocery store)
1/2 cup borax.
Grate the soap into a pot, cover with hot water, cook over medium heat until the soap dissolves. Put washing soda & borax in a 5 gallon buckt. Pour in the soap mixture. Stir until all powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket with hot tap water. Stir, cover securely and let sit overnight. The next morning, stir the mixture. Mix equal parts soap concentrate and water in a smaller dispenser. Shake before using. Use 1 cup of soap per load.
March 12th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Thanks for the comments!
@Suzanne – Wow, thanks so much for the recipe and directions. I didn’t even think about making my own and to be honest didn’t think it could be done. I know what I will be doing this weekend, added to the ole “honey do” list.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
You can make your own fabric softener too. 1:10 hair conditioner to water, shake and use. It works really well. Check this out:
http://www.moderntightwad.com/2009/03/macgyver-monday-fabric-softener.html
March 19th, 2009 at 7:29 am
Mrs. Modern Tightwad,
Thanks for the comment,the tip, and the detailed instructions on your blog. Any specific hair conditioner? I am assuming for normal hair only and not the conditioner formulated for colored, treated, oily, etc?
March 24th, 2009 at 2:36 am
I use 365 fragrance free conditioner from whole foods because I can get 32 oz. for $3.79. I would stick to product for normal hair and as little additional ingredients as possible. My aunt and uncle will be using suave, so I can let you know how that turns out. Thanks for stopping by my blog!