Wash your clothes in cold water. This act alone has helped my utilities bill instrumentally.
Seventh Generation's Struggling Student Give Away
Photo: Seventh Generation
A big area of expense for students? Laundry. Since Seventh Generation has been so supportive in the past, I gave them a call. As usual, they were happy to help. One lucky reader is going to receive a five item prize pack of Seventh Generation laundry and cleaning products. Read on for entry details and the full scoop on the prize package.
Got a great laundry tip or hilarious clothes washing blooper? Share the scoop below in the comment section by 9:00 a.m. EST Monday, September 8, 2008. You'll be entered to win. That's it. Tell us how you get out a particularly tough stain, or about the time you turned your Dad's underwear pink. The choice is yours. It just has to be a laundry tip or blooper.
Wanna know what you're playing for? Here's the list of items Seventh Generation will be giving away in their Struggling Student prize package:
- all purpose cleaning spray
- paper towels
- laundry soap
- fabric softener
- chlorine free bleach
Pretty loaded prize pack, in my opinion. Thanks, Seventh Generation!
Editor's note: Seventh Generation also has online coupons for those interested in exploring other items in their product line. If you are unable to find their products in your local area, they are also available on Amazon.
Additional editor's note: This contest is now closed. The winner is being contacted. If, however, you would like to continue to share tips and stories, you are more than welcome to. Thanks for participating everyone!
Best of Wise Bread
I use cold water and dish soap! Sounds crazy, but it has worked like a charm everytime. You have to use the cold water though; not warm and not hot. Get the stain wet with cold water then put a little bit of your dish soap on it and rub it out. For tougher stains use your finger nail to scratch it out!
i agree, wash all clothes in cold water. another thing: i have never separated laundry, ever.
and i have never noticed anything wrong/discolored/anything.
Add a capful of vinegar to your wash load to get the sour smells out of wash rags, keep your clothes bright and to remove tough laundry stains.
There are these amazing sheets that you can put in the washer that "suck up" any of the color that might be distributed on clothing.
It has been a lifesaver for me since I'm a college student, and I can't really sort out all my clothing (nor would I want to spend that kind of time and money by doing 5 loads) I would suggest them! =) Good Luck!
You haven't noticed discoloring precisely because you always wash in cold water. Here's a tip for you:
If you go home, don't let your mom wash your laundry! I went home and my mom washed my laundry in hot water for no good reason, she dyed everything blue! When I asked her how she managed that she accused me of giving her new towels, but I had always just washed them in cold water!
Somehow I ended up throwing my wool jacket in the washer. I do not know why I did not send it to the dry cleaner. Well, it went down several sizes. I took it to work and was able to give it to a smaller friend. That has not been the end of my laundry errors, however.
My number one tip for college students? Study in the laundry room while your clothes spin. Every year, stuff get stolen from the laundry room- soap, clothes in the washer, laundry baskets, etc, etc. You should stay in the laundry room with your stuff because many people feel entitled to your clothing.
As a full time grad student, I can use that laundry gift set:)
My laundry tip is: every time you have a food stain that has oil in it, prior to washing it, put some salt, let it wait for an hour or two then wash it. You will see that the oily stain will be removed completely. So you will save on time and utilities because you didn't need to wash it one more time to remove the stain, plus you will save on any stain remover products you would have bought.
Cold water, definitely. I do all of my darks and colors in cold water. In the winter, when cold water is really cold, I dissolves the liquid detergent in a little bit of warm water and dump it in to machine as it fills.
I add a scoop of Borax to every load that I can remember to do so.
Re-energize an old dryer sheet by dabbing a tiny bit of liquid fabric softener on it - works in a pinch.
Another thing is after the drier sheet starts to fall apart, you can use it for cleaning. The static it picks up works great on dust :)
If possible, try hanging up your clothes to dry. The laundry clothes dryer is one of the most expensive devices to run in a house. Hanging up your clothes to air dry not only saves you money, but greatly extends the life of your clothes.
I was 9 years old when I started washing my laundry. It's great when you have the commodity of your parents; they wash your clothes, make your meals, make your lunches for school, help with homework... AND TURN YOUR LAUNDRY PINK.
My dad has always been the one to wash the laundry in the house even though he was gone early in the morning to around 5pm with work. He made time to wash laundry, cook dinner and much more. Sure my mom helped out too, but not only was she taking care of me, she was also taking care of my sister who is 7 years younger than me and by the time my sister got into elementary school... she was working part time.. no longer a housewife.
One day my dad decided to wash everyone's laundry, including mine. He comes to tell me that my load is done in the dryer. And to my horror... ALL MY WHITES ARE PINK.
For the love of everything that is sugary. My white underwear was pink, my white shirts were pink and my beloved white socks were pink.
I told my parents that I would be doing my laundry on my own and they were more than happy to show me how to measure the soap and how much to use per load of water.
So I was 9 when I started washing my laundry. No pink socks, but I have accidentally washed white socks and tanks with denim temporarily turning them light blue, and I have washed credit cards, gum wrappers and Kleenex as well.
Moral of the story....
If you want to get your kids to wash their own laundry, turn all their cothes pink.
Buy a drying rack to hang dry your clothes. This will save you oodles of quarters by not having to use a dryer, save electricity, and the racks fold up small enough that you can stash it behind a door or under your bed when not in use.
If your clothes aren't drying quickly enough, check the lint trap or screen.
Although I had learned to do the laundry at home before I left for school, this little factoid escaped me--and apparently the dozens and dozens of other students who used the laundry rooms on campus.
We would gripe incessantly about how the school was taking advantage of us by charging for each cycle of the machines, but no one ever cleaned the lint screens. Once I figured out the problem with my machine, a quick few minutes cleared a trashbag's worth of lint from all the dryers in the room.
Machines worked just fine after that.
I use cheap white vinegar instead of fabric softener. On a washer with a fabric softener dispenser, I fill the dispenser with half water and half vinegar, or I use a Downy ball. I've never had a problem with my clothes smelling like vinegar - I think washing in cold water helps to prevent that. The clothes feel just as soft as with fabric softener.
I also wash my clothes in cold water and air dry them when I can. If you air dry your clothes they tend to last longer, saving you the money of replacing them :) I also just started using these lavender scented laundry sachets from Trader Joes that my cousin suggested. They are a nice alternative to dryer sheets and I bet you could make similar ones yourself to save additional money. As a college student I try to save money wherever I can!
I found the "soak" option on our washer to be wonderful. It really helps to get out tough stains by letting the detergent do its work a little longer.
Vinegar makes a great all-purpose laundry freshener. If you spray it on the armpits of gym clothes, you won't wind up with that stinky, baked-in sweat smell! And just adding some to the rinse cycle works really well for all clothes.
The worst stains to remove are laundry stains. I had a bottle of detergent sitting on the top shelf of my closet, and it leaked all over my hanging clothes. Some of them were ruined beyond repair, but a few were salvageable--but what a PAIN to get soap out!
If you use fabric softener dryer sheets, cut them in half, or thirds or maybe even quarters. You don't need to use a full sheet with every load. You'll still get all the benefits of the dryer sheet, but you'll save money by using much less. Most dryer sheets rip just fine, so you don't need to cut them with scissors (or cut the box on a band saw as I used to do in the college theater).
I was preparing for my grandfathers funeral and accidentaly washed a blue shirt with my white and brown skirt. I had to wear a blue and brown skirt because I did not plan for anything else.
i just moved in with two other roomates this year. i FINALLY have a washing machine where i live and no longer need to go to the laundry mat. thank GOD! i've had a million bloopers... (including one that just cost us a new washing machine. one of my roomies left her lighter in her pocket and it broke the machine) anyhow, here is my ultimate blooper. i wrote about it this past winter...
***
okay - so it has been in the single digits and below here this past week or so and i have needed to wash my jacket. (it was mingin - bad - to the point i was hiding a stain on the front from coffee with a scarf!) my dilemma is that it has been too cold to drop it off and get washed and go without. i have to go to the laundry mat right next to me because at my new apartment - we dont have a hook up, and i havent had time to do it. but today, i decided that i would drop it off right after work, before i even got home... my car would be warm and the ride home wouldnt be too bad... so i threw it in the washing machine and followed the instructions... front loader - cold water - some detergent - i was ready to go...
so i figured id put it in the dryer with enough time to let it dry before i go to rehearsal and on my way id pick it up and be toasty... my dreams were quickly dashed just a few moments ago.
i just walked into the laundry mat - looking hap-hazard btw in my sweatpants and sweatshirt - i go to the machine that i put my jacket in... and, well, my jacket isnt in the machine... it is in a trash bag on the floor and covered with soap suds and SOAKING WET!
i was NOT pleased to say the least...
but the machine was still running with NOTHING in it. just water and soap! at this point, i am thinking that some cruel and selfish person has done this to me. i am going to go and speak to the attendant and demand to know what is going on. when i get out back, i see someone in the office. i walk in and she looks at me as i start right in, "excuse me, i was washing my jacket.." she cuts me off. "the green one?" it startled me.. "yeah." she shakes her head at me and proceeds to tell me that I put WAY TOO MUCH soap in the machine. i guess after i had left, she walked out into the front of the store and there and not only was my machine filled to the brim with soap - but the two machines next to me had also been filled up from my soap suds.. as well as spilling out all over the floor. she had to use a rubbish barrel to scoop all of the suds out of the washing machine. (she showed me - there was a trash barrel FULL of suds)
i sheepishly stood there and apologized. she told me to re-wash my jacket in another washing machine, because that one was running empty to get the suds out of it... she couldnt scoop enough out. she emphasized quite a lot to NOT put ANYMORE soap in the second wash. then, she asked how much soap i used? i only put in a full caps worth of tide. :) she said that is way too much for one jacket... but like i said, it was mingin', and i like to be clean - and SMELL clean. anyway...
i had to re-pay to wash my jacket.
i dont know what is wrong with me... i am usually smarter than that. i felt like an idiot... i was standing there wondering HOW MANY people in there had watched what she had done. how many knew who i was when i walked in and picked up the trash bag on the ground with my jacket in it. i hung my head in laundry mat shame.
yeah... and the guy sitting next to my first machine smiled at me when i looked at the bag with my jacket... at first, i thought, hmm. but now, i know, HE knew what had happened. it wasnt a smile, it was a smirk.
So my husband and I have been doing laundry without separating for over 4 years with no problems. Except last week...He washed my new red shirt and everything else...now we have all pink cloths...oh well. Most of the clothes we dont wear that much anywhere...now i have alot of pajamas to wear haha
I turned my whole family's laundry pink while washing clothes in Italy. I couldn't figure out how the washer worked, and put in a pair of red panties with the lights (it had been washed many times, but I still don't know why I thought that mattered.) On top of that, it turned out that what I thought was cold was actually hot. Thus, all our other stuff turned pink or dingy. The family was not pleased.
Here's my story of a struggling student:
Before I left for college, my mom had this huge onrush of fear that maybe, just maybe, she had not taught me everything I needed to know to be a functioning adult. I was a book smart, but not street smart, teenage boy--she had legitimate reason for concern.
So to assuage her fears, the last few weeks of summer were sort of a boot camp for the adult world. I learned to put away dishes, clean a bathroom, prepare a budget, pay bills, and--the final test--do my own laundry. Mom taught me to separate lights and darks (which was surprisingly difficult for me...I mean, where exactly is the line between light and dark? It's very hard to tell :).
After I had finished my first load, while getting a lesson on folding and ironing, I began to notice that my clothes still smelled like a high school locker room. "My clothes don't smell like they do when you wash them, mom."
She had me retrace my steps. "I separated my clothes, put them in the washer, set the load to medium, set the timer, set the water to cold, and then I started the washer."
"Did you add the detergent?"
"The what?"
I had a lot to learn in college.
One rental townhouse I lived in had an attic with a wonderful full staircase built into the house that made it easy to go up & down from the attic. I didn't have a washer or dryer at the time, so I would wash my clothes at the laundromat & bring them back sopping wet to hang on a clothesline that I strung between the rafters in the attic. The clothesline wasn't an eyesore by being in the yard of the rental property & the clothes were drying really fast by being in the attic!
In recent years, due to budget constraints, I always use Dryel or Drycleaner's Secret instead of the dry cleaner for my dry-clean clothes. It works great & smells nice and fresh.
Also, for any clothes labeled "hand wash", I just put them in cold water on gentle cycle and then follow the drying instructions. Never had a problem. I don't have the time or patience to actually hand wash anything!
For ladies' bras, never, never, NEVER put these in the dryer! The dryer will deform and wear out your bras quicker than anything else.
If you've ever gotten some of those really beautiful textiles from Guatemala, make a point of not washing them with anything that you care about. The dye bleeds onto EVERYTHING!
I bought myself a cute little aqua backpack made from Guatemalan fabric and wore it in a rainstorm. I actually dyed not only my shirt aqua but my shoulders too!
Ladies, NEVER put your bras and panties into the dryer. The heat destroys the elastic, and they'll get all stretchy in no time. You can make them last much, much longer by always hanging them to dry (a couple of doorknobs make great drying racks for me).
When I was in college, I would start the washer and go back to my room. About an hour later- I don't really know how long the washer actually took- I would go back to the laundry room to discover someone had TOSSED MY CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR and started their own load.
Needless to say, the laundry room floor was always super nasty since most people would wait until their laundry was really, supremely vile to wash them. So I'd have to wash them again! Wash your clothes on Sunday morning while everybody's hungover and don't leave the room.
Watch out for newly tie-dyed clothes! I dyed a shirt and let it set in vinagar, but without thinking later that month when I washed it, I tossed it into the wash. You can guess my dismay when I pulled out the clothes... I rewashed everything on hot, without the tie-dye shirt and all the stains came out.
Just for fun, I loved this as a kid, Borax slime- heres the recipe
From the 20 Mule team Borax site:
1 quart jar with lid.
1/3 cup regular Elmer's Glue (not school glue)
1/3 cup of water
Shake together in the jar.
Then:
Make a saturated solution of Borax in 1/3 cup of water. Just keep adding borax until no more will mix in.
Then:
Pour off borax water into quart jar with pre-mixed glue stuff. Add food color. Shake until blended...
ah what fun
I learned a lesson in college, buy the cheap laundry detergent and in smaller quantities, if you have room or house mates that like to borrow things without asking. I had a super size Costco bottle of nice detergent. I bought it thinking it would last me a while. A housemate borrowed it to go do laundry and left it in the laundry room. Bye bye detergent. They did replace it, but with a bottle half the size and of a cheaper brand.
rule of the story nothing is sacred in college, keep things around that if you lose you won't be pissed about, and keep things you have that are nice away from public eye, locked up or secret.
Don't drink the 7th Gen cool-aid. While stones should not be thrown, everything 7th Gen is not wholly kosher:
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2007/06/when_green_clai.html
Just consume with intelligence. There are pluses and minuses to everything, even the sponsors.
I wish I had a great tip, but all I can offer is this blooper from my early days out on my own...
I was laying in bed reading a book when I decided to wash the laundry. I bundled all the dirty clothes into a big duffel bag and, at the last moment, decided to add the sheets. Then off to the laundromat I went.
I shoved the sheets in the washer and only after they'd completed their cycle did I realize that, yeah, I had managed to wash the book as well. Paperbacks, when washed, disintegrate into piles of lint and pulp bits, many of them with still visible single letters on them. I shook the sheets out, rewashed them three times, and dried them twice. I even tried vacuuming the dried sheets, but they were never the same and I ended up having to toss them.
Frugal laundry tips:
Only wash full loads--most washing machines will do just fine if you fill them all the way to capacity. That way you'll wash fewer loads, using less water and energy.
Wash everything (or almost everything) in cold water, not warm or hot. Unless you have some really dirty or smelly clothes, cold water will do the trick 95% of the time.
When DH and I bought our house, it didn't come with a washer and dryer. Because we insisted upon purchasing an Energy Star washing machine, we couldn't afford at the time to buy a dryer too. We figured we'd buy it in a few months, when we had saved up a little money. Well, it's been almost a year, and we're so happy line-drying our clothes that we have no intention of buying a dryer anytime in the future. We are saving LOTS of money.
Not a frugal tip, but a simplicity tip:
If you wash all your clothes in cold, and line dry them instead of tossing them in the dryer, there's no reason whatsoever to sort your clothes by color, or even by material. Just toss everything in there at once. Saves time and worry.
Why buy detergent when you can make your own? Use half a cup of washing or baking soda, half a cup of 20 mule team borax, and a cup of grated soap -- a laundry bar or a deodorant/antibacterial body soap work great. Mix. You only need a tablespoon per load! This recipe makes about 32 loads and it's about 90 cents to make.
I have 3 random stories. Our cat food bin is right next to the dry laundry detergent. I filled up the water in the washing machine and went to put the soap in and put a scoop of cat food in instead. It was after I had shut the lid that I realized what I had done. I was very glad that I had not put in clothes yet!
I cannot remember what I had washed, but the water in the washing machine turned hot pink.
And my third incident. I used a rust removing product in the washer. It bleached a lot of color out of the clothes and turned the whites a light blue color. Never again will I try that!
When I first moved off-campus into a house, it took awhile for real costs to get across to me, and as a result I was ridiculously broke, supplementing my budget wherever I saw a shortcut. I did a load of laundry that hadn't been sorted very well and when I folded them I found a couple of pantiliners that had been through the wash process. They were clean, and I was out of tampons, so I re-used them.
Since many colleges charge for laundry, my roomies and I combine loads of things like towels and sweatshirts or jeans.
And I have found that having maybe an extra load to do because you wash it on delicate is worth it because your clothes really do last longer.
Hydrogen peroxide takes of blood stains. It's awesome.
And, as many people have said, cold water is a good thing, especially if your clothes aren't very dirty.
I swear by the Greased Lightning spray product. If it's a fresh stain, it will get rid of ANYTHING, and it also is effective at removing a lot of set in stains. A bottle is under $10, but it lasts a long time if you just use it for spot treatments.
being something of an environmental hippie, I always use to do one giant wash- colors and whites all together in cold water- believing the cold water would prevent anything from really running. This is pretty much true, but over the course of a couple of months, my whites started to turn this ugly grey. I couldn't figure out why- until my mum told me that they were absorbing the colors in the wash. d'oh!
so now I hold off and do a load of whites maybe one a month..
To save on weight of laundry & detergent I always measured out my liquid detergent in the cap then stuffed a sock/washcloth in it and put it on top of my clothes. I then just dumped the whole load, cap and all, into the washer.
I also, after losing 2 really nice and new shirts, stayed with my laundry. Amazing how many people stopped in to say 'Hi!' when they heard the machines running - and I never knew any of them.
Using Arm & Hammer washing soda instead of conventional laundry detergent has saved us quite a bit of money. I bought a box at Wal-Mart for $25 about a year and a half ago, and we're still only halfway through it. I only use one or two tablespoons per load, and our clothes are just as clean as ever!
I have put more flash drives through the wash than any person should ever have. From 64MB to 2GB, every flash drive I have owned save one (the newest one, a 4GB) has been through a wash cycle at least once... sometimes both a wash and dry cycle. And even then...I've had one that went through 3 wash cycles.
the good news is that they all continued to work after a couple days drying time for those rescued after just a wash cycle and almost instantly after being found during folding after a dry cycle.
lesson of the day...don't fret if your flash storage goes for a swim...you just might be able to access your data afterward
like all opinions on the internet...YMMV
additionally...if you are like me and put your pocket knives through the wash in addition to flash drives...a little mineral oil worked into the joints of your favorite folding blade helps restore the smooth operation you were used to before the wash and i think it help prevent the blade from rusting
I've learned to never wash delicates with my husband's walking shorts that have velcro pockets. They stick to the velcro and are ruined when you pull them off!
Air dry what you can! While a wash cycle may only be half an hour, most college dryers are set for an entire hour of drying. You're not going to hang around long enough. You can dry for a little while, but your clothes will be fine if you air dry them! You'll save money and a whole lot of time.
I agree with the prvious comments, use COLD water. You will save a ton by just flipping the dial over a couple settings.
Being the only girl in a house full of guys, I have had more tops shrink to doll size than I can count. In an effort to save energy and my sanity I have gotten in the habit of drying all our clothes on the lowest setting at the energy preferred level. That ensures Barbie wont be wearing my clothes and we use only the bare minimum to dry our clothes.
We have also started cutting dryer sheets in half and using less detergent. Has really cut down on the costs of washing our clothes and they still smell just as fresh!
Okay- I don't think I am going to beat the "cat food in the washer" story, but I am a struggling student (who is studying Sociology and is almost out of Seventh Generation detergent...HELP!)
I knit and crochet- and I was trying to save time and resources by throwing in a soon-to-be felted item in the washer with my clothes. It was to be a pink felted coffee cup sleeve (to cut down on the disposable ones) and well- I made a big mistake.
The hot pink hand-knit sleeve came out like a dream- nice and thick, felted and shrunk to size.....but all of other stuff ended up with a pink tinge or remnants of my project FUSED on anything fuzzy. I still have yet to pick off all of the little pink fuzzy balls from my sweater.
The only time I've ever turned my laundry pink was when it wasn't my laundry, and I wasn't supposed to be washing it.
It was my second year of university, back when I was doing my undergrad, and I was dating Dave. I liked Dave. I liked staying over at Dave's flat, instead of my own, which was way out in suburbia and a long way from my classes.
I didn't like Dave's infrequent laundry schedule.
Y'see, Dave was (is) a very tall man, and therefore had a very long bed. And because he had an unusually long bed, he only had one set of pale blue sheets. Which I couldn't ever remember him washing.
So, one weekend, when Dave was at his parent's house, I took the opportunity to take his sheets to my apartment and wash them. Because I was thrifty then, like now, I threw in my like-coloured dirty laundry... including a pair of jeans that had a MAC Forever Glam lipstick in a pocket.
This incident taught me two things: 1) if you can't talk to the person you're dating about the state of their sheets, you should stop dating them and 2) my mom was right when she told me to check the pockets of stuff I threw in the wash. If I had, I could've saved myself a frantic search all over town for another set of extra-long sheets (it turned out blue wasn't to be had, so instead I bought cranberry), a really awkward conversation (in front of his roommate, natch) and a possibly for-the-best break-up.
Incidentally, that's the last time I've ever accidentally dyed my laundry. Dave's sheets were good for something.
(I'm starting school again next week -- second degree, lots of panicking, have stocked up on ramen -- and would love to win this contest! Thanks for hosting it.)
Going back to school! I hate it & love it at the same time. My laundry story is a story about a friend of mine who lives in highrise apartment building. She did a load of her boyfriends clothes for him & when she pulls them out of the dryer she finds a SpongeBob Squarepants thong! She was fuming.. but I guess the person who misplaced it was moreso. She thought the sucker was cheating.
I went on a trip with some friends to the beach one summer...and it poured down rain one afternoon. When we all got changed into fresh clothes we put the wet ones in to wash....and then the dryer...imagine our surprise when everything...even tennis shoes had strikes of pink on them....I apologized alot when I realized it had been a small tube of pink lipgloss that had been in one of my pockets.
The other is that when my husband and I first married, I lost all of his short sleave work shirts. They turned up in a bag in another closet a month or so later...but it was funny at the time.
Tip for laundry, don't wash more at one time then you can fold. Gettting that huge laundry pile done is important...but not if you can't fold it and put it up and have a huge put away pile. With just my husband and I, I wash a load at night, place it in the dryer in the morning before work, and fold and put away at night. I also cut dyer sheets in half...works just as well and more for your money. You can also use laundry fabric softner (liquid) diluted with water in a squirt bottle as a cheap "Fabreeze"...and if you use Seventh Generation's it's even better :)
When I was little, I was doing laundry in the dark at my mothers house. Unfortunately I was not familiar with where everything was and grabbed the bottle of bleach instead of the bottle of laundry detergent. I ruined an entire load of jeans (except for a pair of denim overalls that has some awesome bleach spots). Luckily my step-mom thought it was hilarious and I didn't get into to much trouble.
I'm a huge fan of SG products. I've never used their laundry products though so I'm pretty pumped about that.
The best thing I've found to get out stains is actually microfiber cloths. Instead of paper towels and sponges, in our home we've switched to reusable microfiber sponges and towels.
A special bonus to these cloths is that they knock out stains! Whatever the substance--spaghetti sauce, dirt, wine, etc.--if I wipe it quickly with a microfiber cloth, the stain vanishes without a trace, rather than simply being smeared around and rubbed in with normal towels.
Oh but never put your microfiber towels in the dryer.
Use half the recommended amount of detergent! I actually am a struggling college student (hello ramen!) and this is one of the main ways I save some money
The best way to save on laundry is to cut down on the frequency and amount of the laundry load, in the first place.
Reuse pieces of clothing once, twice, or more, depending on the manner of use and lifestyle. First of all, let's use some common sense here, people. I wouldn't pick 'underwear' as my first choice here. In fact, I would continue to change that on a daily basis.
I'm talking about jeans and sweaters (for the cold season), which are also one of the bulkier pieces of clothing. Depending on lifestyle, jeans and sweaters rarely get that dirty, especially when the day is spent indoors (classrooms).
Likewise, shirts that I just wore for an hour on a weekend (because I had to do a quick store run) are candidates for reuse
You save on laundry and your clothes will last longer as they won't get tortured in the washer as often as before.
When washing a brand new comforter, use only 1/4 of the soap cap full or the washer could fill up with too much suds and not be able to spin out . Dont ask me how I know this.
I use white vinegar instead of fabric softener, and always wash with cold water. I also hang dry whatever I can, and then throw in the dryer for 5 minutes or so with a couple of the spiked dryer balls to soften up the fabric
I've long since found it helpful to sort clothes as I take them off. Originally I bought hampers and tried to do the "darks/lights" thing, but realized quickly that a) I wash my laundry on all cold anyway like a lot of the WB readers and b) I was mixing my dark old band t-shirts with new, dark, button-down blouses.
So now, I sort by fabric type--permanent press, or anything else that requires a slower agitation speed and cooler dryer in one hamper, t-shirts, pjs, undies and other things that can be washed on fast and dried on hot in the other. Keeps my clothes from getting ruined and I also know that things that are "wash on cold, dry flat" are only in the loads that come out of the black hamper. Sorting my clothes when I take them off also means that I don't have a big sort to do before I can do laundry--I get home from classes or work and just dump in a load!
I thought I knew how, until I read all these comments. All I can add is, Mom was right, don't walk around in sock feet. It wears them out fast.
My new washer said "Super Capacity" so, when I got a new queen size comforter, I thought surely it would fit. I simply turned the load button to the "super" setting. I started putting the comforter in, but it didn't really seem to fit. Undaunted, I just kept stuffing and forcing and started the load. It was making some funny noises but I thought maybe that's just normal with such a large load. When it finished I opened up the washer and had a look: the comforter was shredded and the plastic around the inside of the washer was scorched and had some comforter bits permanently fused onto it. I had to get a new comforter. Luckily, the washer still works. But lesson learned: if it doesn't seem to fit do NOT try to make it fit!
Another reason to air-dry your clothes: the dryer is destroying your clothes! All those little pieces of lint are little pieces of FABRIC...AKA your clothing. If the line-dried crunchiness is not for you, toss them in the dryer for a few minutes, then hang them up to dry. Your clothes will last much longer, especially your darks.
My daughter came home from college to wash clothes for the first time a couple of months ago. She put everything in the washer at the same time. She happened to have some new KU shirts (red and blue). Well the red faded and now everything she has is a shade of pink.
Wash in cold water...
Being an out of state student and without mom and dad's house close enough to run home to every weekend to do laundry, I often didn't have the necessary change available to do laundry. Instead, I would sneak my dirty laundry over to the lady I baby sat for and do my laundry at her house while she was away (she eventually suggested that I do just that, after I had already snuck over 10 or so loads of laundry)
And if you are far away from home and coming home for a holiday, I would just pack my bags full of all the dirty laundry and grin as the airport security people would have to dig through my dirty clothes to make sure I wasn't hiding a security threat in there.
Finally, while studying abroad in Scotland, the flat came with a washer, but lacked a dryer. I preferred to spend my money at pubs rather than on dryer racks, so strung yarn across my already small bedroom and hung my clothes on that to dry, however they really never dried and just made the room damp and uncomfortable, so I wore damp clothes for the better part of 3 months, lol.
Sometimes your cell phone needs to be cleaned, but preferably not in the washer.
Although if you're looking for a phone that can survive a washer/dryer cycle, look no further than Nokia brand phones!
Two separate phones went through the entire washer and dryer cycle and both survived. Now we both check the laundry multiple times to make sure there is nothing left in pockets, no need to push our luck!
Sanyo phones are good at this too (specifically the PM-8200). I had one I lost. A month later (after a heavy rain month), I found it in my friend's yard. After it dried it still worked fine. The replacement I got while it was still AWOL has been dropped in bath-tubs, toilets, laundry, and all sorts of other things and always works beautifully once it dries.
I am more of a "white-cotton-panties" girl than one who wears thongs or g-strings but I have two pairs of the previously mentioned unmentionables for occasions when I want to wear a pair of low-rise jeans (white cotton panties sticking out of jeans, I am told by my college-age girlfriends, is VERY uncool).
Last month I was tossing my load of whites in the washer and accidentally threw my hipster underwear (in this case I believe it was a thong) in such a way that one of the leg holes encircled the washer agitator. During the process of the wash the loose leg of the underwear managed to weave its way around the rest of my laundry while the other leg was getting stretched out beyond imagination on the center spinner. When the time came to move the load to the dryer everything was stuck. The underwear had twisted repeatedly around everything until it was one big taffy pull of clothes. I had to cut through a large towel to rescue to the rest of my load. The kicker came after I got the thong out: it had stretched from its original size 6 to something that looked like it came from Rosie O'Donnell's naughty drawer. Props to Hanes though; the elastic didn't bust!
Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle for fresh-smelling clothes - it also helps to stop static cling. Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the wash cycle, and it will help whiten whites.
I find that washing my clothes in cold water works just as well as warm or hot. And it saves a ton on your electric bill! The only exception for me is for bath towels, I do wash those in hot water. That's how Mom taught me and I still do it.
The worst laundry blooper I made was when I didn't check pockets, and washed a "blue raspberry" lip balm with a full load of laundry. The empty tube was all that was left when I took the clothes out of the dryer. Blue raspberry does NOT get along well with khaki pants.
Got a delicate wool sweater that says dry clean on the label? If it says "Dry Clean ONLY" believe it, but if it's just "Dry Clean" the sweater can be washed by hand. Always wash wool in cold water with minimal agitation to prevent felting, and don't wring! Instead lie the sweater flat on a towel, roll it up and squeeeeeeze the excess water out. (I usually do a little dance on top of the sweater/towel roll.) Then lay the sweater flat on a new towel and gently push back into shape and leave until completly dry. Supporting the entire weight of the sweater when it's wet will prevent stretching. Good detergents for wool include Seventh Generation Delicate, Eucalaan and Kookaburra (the last two can probably be found at your local yarn shop and last forever.)
Ladies, invest in a small mesh laundry bag for your unmentionables; you can throw them in with other (mentionable) laundry and avoid having to do a separate delicates load AND, when you're ready to throw the other clothes in the dryer, your delicates (which should NOT go into the dryer as they will be warped) are already sorted out. Also, hook your bra clasps together before throwing them into the washer to avoid snagging your clothes on the clasps.
Last winter, I washed a white duvet and light blue sheet set with a fleece that was also white and light blue. Except....I forgot to take out the uni-ball ink pen from the pocket of the fleece jacket. My sheets and duvet came out with small black splotches of ink. Whenever anyone asks what happened to my sheets, I say they're "faux ermine" like the fur collars of royal ceremonial robe. (You'd think after four years in college and during my third year of grad school, I'd have learned to always check the pockets!)
I am with the others that mentioned to stay by your laundry in the laundry room and to bring music and/or study material....my laundry seemed to get tossed out of the machines and left in my basket...then I had to re-wash because who knows who touched it? Right.
If you live in a smaller dorm like I did, it is usually ok to leave your clothes, just make sure you get back to them before they are done! Otherwise, it is fair game for someone to put them on the floor.
(Small note, none of my clothes were that expensive or nice, so theft wasn't much of a concern)
I cook a lot, which means lots of grease stains. No stain product I've used works as well as regular dish soap - rubbing it in to the stain, let it sit, then just wash it normally. Works like a charm.
Ever since I started safety-pinning my my socks together before I put them in the wash, I haven't lost one yet. Also, that makes it much easier to find a matching pair in the morning. I know some people put their socks in a ball before going in the wash to keep them together, but really how clean can they get . . . the go in one way, and come out looking exactly the same. The safety pin takes just a few second when I take my socks off, and then another few seconds when I put them on, with countless hours saved searching for or having to buy new socks.
A lot of what is written above is good information. All I'll add is that using a half scoop of Biz to every load of whites I wash leads to noticeably brighter clothing than when I don't use it.
I used to take my laundry to a place that washes it for $0.75/lb. Eventually though, this started to become a little pricey for me and I decided to start doing my own laundry. This was a couple months ago, actually.
I went to the store, carefully inspecting the detergents for something that didn't have smells, and bought some (man, that stuff is expensive!). Then I bundled up my laundry and homework, and went to the laundromat. There was one older lady there who looked up at me with an amused smirk. Apparently my lack of knowledge was readily apparent.
I stuffed my laundry into the largest washer I saw (separate? What's that mean?) and carefully inspected the washer for instructions. Eventually I saw there was a little flap at the top, and I studied the flap to figure out what to do next. I didn't have bleach or softener, so I figured I just had to put some in the large slot, and that's what I did. Then I went to put my change in the machine.
Oh. This machine is broken. Coin slot has black tape covering it. Neat.
I moved my now-sticky-with-detergent clothes to another washer, and put more soap in (by now the lady was clearly trying not to laugh, but was also not offering to help) and closed the door. Then I put in my coins, and I pushed some buttons. The washer didn't start.
I pushed more buttons. The washer still didn't start. You'd think a math major could figure this out, but clearly not. Finally the lady told me to push the door knob down to lock it. I locked the door. The washer started. Neat.
Then I sat down to do my homework and realised my calculator was in my car still. I reached in my pocket to get my keys. Not there. Not in my backpack. Not in my laundry basket. Not on top of either washer. No. Where.
I started to panic, and I asked the lady if she'd seen my keys. She said, "Did you put them in the washer?" I hoped not. Then I peered in through the washer door, and I saw them banging against the glass. Uh-oh.
I tried to open the washer. Did you know they don't open until they're done? I didn't. But the lady told me.
I was scared my keys wouldn't work again, because of the remote thingie to the car. When the laundry was done washing (23 minutes!), I pulled out my keys. Amazingly, the remote worked. So now I know that keys wash well.
I was getting ready to move, and before packing the last load of clothes to wear for my job the next day (yeah, this move & then go to work in less than 24 hrs. is becoming a habit), I threw everything in the washing machine.
Everything.
Everything, including my designer-dry-clean-only-chocolate-brown-slacks that had an original price of $351, but were magically marked down to $15--can we say deal of the century?!?
I lifted the lid of the washer when done and almost threw up--the pants were made of some material that smelled like dog/baby diarrhea/vomit when wet.
And all of my other clothes smelled that way as well. Lovely for a first day on the job impression!
It was my sophomore year in college, and I had a potluck roommate who seemed somewhat afraid of me. It was still early in the semester, and I was trying to convince her that I was weird but not scary and easy to befriend... anyway, one day she was out and I was doing laundry- my underwear, specifically. The dryer left my clothes pretty damp at the end of its cycle, and I was out of quarters, so I brought the load back to my room and hung them all up to dry.
So when my roommate walks in to introduce me to her boyfriend, the first thing he sees is pair after pair of tie-dyed panties.
... did not score a lot of points there.
Hi,
Our house is over 50 ears old and was built by my father. We do not have, and have never had, a dryer. :) We have always hung clothes on the line and now we hang clothes on a drying rack inside (birds). :)
I also use a little vinegar in the wash & wash in cold water.
Thanks! Bobbi
No, I have never stained my father's underwear pink but I just recently managed to color a 1/3 of our towels green. Apparently, there was a dark green (think grass) color towel in the laundry basket (first time I ever seen it) and whenever I was loading the machine I did not pay very good attention and did not think about the towel age, so to speak. Therefore, you should have seen my face and later my parents' faces when they saw the condition of other towels...
On the side note, those blue lined white towels look better as a blue lined pale green towels and that dangerously wicked green towel, retained it exact color it had before the wash.
When i was in high school (a couple months ago) I was doing a show with the theatre company. It was a west coast premier of an interesting little redux of The Emperor's New Clothes set in Kansas in the 1930's. So, it is one of our last shows; the one we have a camera crew to document so we can never forget it. We are just about to reach the finale, when I, as the salesman pulling one over on the quiet little town and in my rush to get out before they realize my misdeeds, knock over a glass jar of buttons we have on the set. In my infinite wisdom I decide to clean up a little of my mess on my way out...with my bare hands. Broken glass and flesh don't mix well. My pinky finger now has a deep gash in it, and proceeds to bleed profusely, for the ten minutes remaining in the show (all of which i am onstage), all over my grandfather's old suit which i volunteered to use as my costume.
Finally, the show ends and backstage everyone is worried about my bleeding hand while I'm worried about this family heirloom I have just used as gauze. I am told that cold water will take it out. I run the affected areas under a cold faucet in the bathroom and, sure enough, it worked like a charm. So all of you are right, it's all about the cold water. You will be surprised what it can do.
Too bad it couldn't do anything for the makeup someone had gotten on the shoulder.
I worked in a dental clininc before starting college later in life. There were times when uncapped pens were quickly put away in scrub pockets or jammed into scrub jackets. Or worse yet those 'nice' looking cheap pens that would bleed all in the pockets. The best way to get rid of those pen blots are toilet bowl cleaner, the liquid type. Trust and believe it works. Dab a few drops on the ink blot, under the material put paper towl to absorb the ink. DO NOT RUB IN. That would make it worse. Instead keep applying the cleaner in small doses and change the paper towel often. It will not disappear before you put it in the laundry. Soak it in cold water. Launder.
For blood stains, if having a toilet bowl cleaner is not in your budget. I suggest using Hydrogen Peroxide . I mix half water and half Hydrogen Peroxide. Put solution on stain and remember DO NOT RUB IN. Place a few absorbent paper towels under the stain, continue by putting the solution unto the stain. It will bubble up a little that's normal. Then drop it in cold water to soak. Launder as usual.
Good Luck
