Comments on: We don’t need no steenking laundry detergent…

By: funny

funny — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:25:59 +0000

@ anglei: Now that’s an interesting idea!

Along the same lines, I also discovered, by pure serendipity, that damp hand wipes will dust pet hair off your clothes in an instant!

I keep a package of hand wipes in the car, especially during cold and flu season. Probably wouldn’t try this with baby wipes, because they sometimes have a little lotion in them to keep from drying out Baby’s skin too much.

By: anglei

anglei — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:21:47 +0000

I have discovered that if I take a baby wipe and rip it into a few pieces, then add a drop or two of peppermint oil to each piece and throw them into the dryer, My clothes always smell fresh and clean, even if I have forgotten and left my clothes in the washer for a couple of days.

By: funny

funny — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:33:20 +0000

@ Jody: That’s an amazing story. Where do you live that the dryer charges by the weight of the load? Last time I was in a laundromat (many moons ago!) it was a flat rate for everything, both in the U.S. and in England.

By: Jody

Jody — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 06:50:39 +0000

I often save a lot of money by skipping the washer altogether. Where I live we are not allowed to keep personal washers/dryers, instead we use an outdated, unmaintained community laundromat. They charge $2.00 per load for washers, but I average $1.00 per load for drying a just washed load. Occasionally I will have a load of outer clothes only slightly rumpled from a couple days of wearing. I rarely wear outer clothes only once (I try for at least 3 wearings) before washing as this saves wear and tear. These slightly rumpled clothes go in to the dryer for about 15 minutes with a wet (not sopping, but not completely wrung out) hand towel. This costs me fifty cents, vs. three dollars for the same size load, not to mention the cost of soap! And my clothes smell fresh and are rumple free! I suppose I am fortunate that the climate here is pretty comfortable and I only perspire heavily in the summer, or during vigorous physical activity. Occasionally I will hand wash small items in the sink to avoid the cost of a full washer load as well. Haven’t as of yet figured out how to do the towels or bedding without those money hungry washers, but I got this idea involving an industrial size hand crank lettuce spinner to wring out heavier items…and I like that shower idea, but we’ll see if I can manage not to trip on myself trying that one! As for folks washing theirs by hand of whether of neccessity or frugality/ideology: please be careful of wrist injury from wringing out clothes! Folks who work with computers, or in factories know that carpel tunnel and tendonitis are no joke. There is a very good reason why our formothers would happily pay washerwomen if they had the means, and it is also why there are more patents for washing machines than almost any other type of machine in history! Not only can it be wrist grinding, wet, and messy, it can also be a downright back breaking job, depending on your tools and accessibility to water. That’s why I do my handwashing in my waist high, blessedly modern kitchen sink.

By: funny

funny — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:13:40 +0000

@ Lenabean: I don’t know how well this would work to clean dirt and odors out of clothing. However, it does help a lot to get detergent out of clothing. Add a cup in the rinse cycle. Or for those with sensitive skin who want to use a detergent anyway, use LOTS less detergent & then run each load through a second time, adding a cup or two of vinegar at the start of the wash cycle on the second go-through.

Pouring about a cup of vinegar into the dishwasher when you turn it on will eliminate water spots on your glasses and keep build-up off a stainless-steel interior.

By: Lenabean

Lenabean — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 07:38:21 +0000

Was surprised to hear from a couple of sources that a half cup of white vinegar works very well to get clothes clean instead of laundry soap, for people that have sensitive skin——-this was recommended by a dermatologist.

By: funny

funny — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:24:12 +0000

@ allie: LOL! Sorry to have been the source of marital discord. Tell him that Funny still uses detergent, albeit in much smaller amounts than before.

I don’t advocate going completely without detergent. But I do think we can get away with using less than the manufacturers recommend…which, if you take a close look at the almost invisible markings on the cap of a liquid detergent, ain’t much!

By: allie

allie — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 04:37:59 +0000

I hate this article I am pretty sure this is the article my Husband read and now we are arguing weather or not to use the detergent

By: patricia

patricia — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:38:52 +0000

well i use sa8 bio quest detergent an amway product and i will never stop it is cheap and it gets all stains out including blood, grass, grease, makeup, lipstick ect. its the best on the market, and also if you notice your whites are turning gray its from the clay that is in store bought laundry detergent that is used as a water softener the main ingredient that is a clay that is in most store bout detergents is called zeolite and there is other clay in other brands as well but if you use sa8 your clothes will look fantastic i love it i get mine threw an amway distributor and you can return it and get your $ back if u dont like it so give it a look.

By: SMALL Changes = BIG Savings | Fill Your Money Box

SMALL Changes = BIG Savings | Fill Your Money Box — Mon, 31 May 2010 21:25:19 +0000

[...] couple of weeks ago I read some articles (here and here) about how we use WAY TOO MUCH laundry detergent in our wash cycles. Well, I heeded the advice and [...]