Are you experiencing allergies that do not seem to go away? At the end of the week, do you wonder where your money went? Well, the culprit might be your laundry. The way you do your laundry might be harming your health and your wallet. Take a moment to think about how you do your laundry and read these simple ways to improve your process.
The tools
The first thing to look into is your detergent. Read the label and if you see the words ‘nonylphenol ethoxylate’ then you are using a detergent with a harmful ingredient. This ingredient is known to pollute the waterways and disrupt hormones.
Artificial fragrances are also toxic to your health. It is especially harmful if you have babies and small children around. For infants and children, choose detergents that are developed especially for their sensitive skin. As for the rest of the family, choose an eco-friendly detergent. There are many brands out there that are effective that do not use toxic ingredients.
Have you ever considered using soap nuts? A soap nut contains saponin which is a natural cleaner that comes from wild dried berries. It does not foam up like regular soap. What it does is it breaks the surface tension of the water so that the water can seep through the fibers of your clothes to lift the stains from the fabric. The dirt is then suspended in the water which you can easily rinse away. Soap nuts are best for sensitive skin and people with allergies and skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.
Another “magical” laundry product is the non-detergent laundry ball. A ball usually lasts for 365 washes. You don’t need to use laundry detergent anymore. This laundry ball is also great for sensitive skin. It’s environmentally-friendly too as it saves water and energy. It also saves you money as it takes care of your clothes. The laundry balls maintain the color and softness of fabrics, making them last a long time.
Go natural
If your clothing gets stained, don’t reach for an industrial strength stain remover right away. Instead, go to your kitchen and find some salt, baking soda and vinegar. These are proven ingredients to make grass, coffee or wine stains go away. If the stain is fresh, just sprinkle the salt or baking soda to absorb the stain then apply vinegar. If the stain is dry, make a paste of the baking soda and vinegar and rub into the fabric. Try this method to save on stain removers.
The method
Have you ever read the washing instructions of your garments? You might be machine washing those that should be hand washed. This simple change can save your delicate clothes. You might feel that it’s a lot of hard work so just think of it as working out. You wash your clothes, save money and burn some calories all at the same time!
On the other hand, some fabrics that are labeled ‘dry clean only’ really don’t need to be dry cleaned. Some manufacturers are just lazy so they put the same labels on all their clothes. What you can do is use cold water to wash these garments. Just use the cold, delicate cycle of your washing machine and save money on dry cleaning.
If you really can’t avoid the dry cleaners, choose one that uses CO2 dry cleaning. These are eco-friendly cleaners that avoid using toxic products to clean your clothes.
Drying up
After washing, use wool dryer balls to dry your clothes more gently. Wool dryer balls are handmade, reusable dryer balls that kill static and soften your clothes. You can now skip the dryer sheets for these more economical balls.
These simple tips will lessen your trip to the dry cleaners allowing you to save money. Make these changes to improve your health and your family’s.
