Tag Archives: laundry

Getting Out Melted Crayon

This morning when I emptied the very old dryer in our new home, the clothes tumbled out in a rainbow of colors. Yup, apparently someONE had a pocket full of crayons that I missed in my sleep-deprived-just-moved-in-state. Our most-loved clothes were in that load, from my daughter’s favorite shirt, to my husband’s comfy pj pants, to my wear-everywhere jacket, to the first pair of brand new jeans I have had in six years. Everything was splashed in neon pink, light blue, light green and yellow, the colors of my two-year-old Molly’s Cinderella coloring book set. The heat of the dryer … Continue reading →

Save on Laundry

Laundry expenses can be a big part of your household budget, from the supplies themselves to heating and electricity costs. Here are some of the best ways to save as much as you can on your laundry expenses. Buying The Appliances There a few ways of saving money on a new washer and dryer. You can opt to buy a used model from a resale store. This is what we did when our 40-year-old washer finally spun its last. For a mere $150 including delivery, we got a nice, clean large capacity washing machine that was only two years old. … Continue reading →

Laundry Basics: A Few Tips for Clothing Care

Laundry doesn’t have to be difficult, and while it can be time consuming especially if you let it pile up, these tips will help you get it done –and done right- in less time. Sort Your Clothes Line up separate laundry baskets or containers and just learn to start sorting clothing as you take it off. Not only do you need to separate colors and whites, darks and lights, you also need to separate delicates from tougher fabrics. It makes sense to separate lightly and heavily soiled items as well. Another thing to keep in mind is separating items that … Continue reading →

Organize Your Mornings: Get Clever with Clothing

Continuing the series, In Pursuit of More Organized Mornings… Well, we have to get dressed each and every morning, but does it really have to be an exercise in frustration? No, it doesn’t, and there are some ways to make it a much more organized process. Preparing clothes the night before, or getting the entire week’s worth of clothing ready over the weekend, will give you a great head start. Organized Outfits Instead of placing clothes in dresser drawers according to the type of clothing, you may want to try a different idea, especially for children. Match pants and shirts, … Continue reading →

Cleaning Routine? What Routine?

As I look around, I have to stop and think about my cleaning routine. What routine? I really don’t have much of one. Usually, my housework schedule means that I clean whatever needs cleaning the most when I have the most available time. I know that’s a haphazard way to do things, but other methods have failed me. I have a big, busy family and things change from day to day. One day, we might all take our showers in a row as fast as the water heater will allow, while other days, we shower at different intervals. If I … Continue reading →

No Excuses! Hang Your Laundry

I grew up in a small apartment in New York City. My mother washed our clothes by hand or with a small washing machine and hung them out to dry on the clothesline that ran from our kitchen window across to our neighbor’s kitchen window. I never really saw a dryer until I was a teenager. Now as an adult with a family of my own, I hate to say that I use our clothes dryer far more often than I should. It is right there and very convenient to use. In just a few motions, clothes go from the … Continue reading →

Space Age System: Wash Your Clothes without Detergent?

I have been laundry obsessed lately. Our washer broke down last week, making me realize how much laundry I actually do in a week. I normally do about two loads of laundry a day without even thinking about it because it is just part of my daily routine. But when it builds up, look out! We lost the cat sometime yesterday. My guess is he is somewhere hiding under a load of whites. It isn’t easy to lose track of a 15-pound cat, so that gives you some idea of how bad things have gotten with the laundry. Happily, we … Continue reading →

Frugal Laundry: Make Your Own “Detergent”

Okay, this is a really ironic blog for me to post today. You see, on Sunday, the day before inspections on out home that we are selling, all heck broke loose. Let’s just say numerous things broke down, including our washing machine. I was about to head out to the laundry mat, when a dear friend I know off line, Miss Kitty, offered to let me to bring my dirty laundry over to her house. This is a case of bringing the mountain (Mount Washmore) to Mohammed (my very wise and frugal friend). Fortunately, she only lives the next town … Continue reading →

How To Frugally Fix a Laundry Mishap – Over Dried Fur Items

Let’s face it – clothing is expensive. Period. As adults, we often do not have to purchase clothing as regularly as we did when we were younger and we were growing more often. However, clothing for children is expensive too. Sometimes we purchase items that require extra care, such as a trip to the dry cleaners, and sometimes we do not even mean to. I avoid dry clean items like the plague. All I see are dollar signs! Recently I received a gift. A beautiful faux fur jacket that looks like a vest with a black sweater. It was dry … Continue reading →

How To Frugally Fix a Laundry Mishap – Stains

Let’s face it – clothing is expensive. Period. When stains occur, the price goes up when it cannot be removed. Typically as adults we don’t stain our clothing quite as quickly or as often as a child does. Those grass stains, mud, blood, spaghetti and pizza sauce and other food stains add up, and can cost a fortune when you have to replace the item. Stains on white are not that difficult to remove if you use a little bleach. Often the bleach will remove it, and if you apply equal parts bleach and water and allow it to sit … Continue reading →