The one about laundry...

A dryer is not the biggest electric hog in your house, for sure. That’s also assuming you don’t do 4-5 loads per day, that you keep it regularly maintained (cleaning out that screen, making sure the hose to the outflow is cleaned regularly), and you aren’t stuffing a million pounds of clothes into each load. The fridge, cooling/heating units, and computer use the same if not more. Computers left on all day and all night (yes, count me here because a certain someone refuses to shut the computers off at night) run as much in electrical power as your other major appliances.

On average, a load of laundry costs about $.35 per load to run in electricity, averaging about $140 per year. (Use this handy calculator to see what your appliances are costing you) Considering I’m always out in the back during the day tending the garden, watching the boys play, running out a bag of trash, hanging a load of laundry or two a day is a 10 min process to hang, a 2 min process to remove, and I have free drying services. I don’t see it as a huge cost saving effort, but it’s a start. It also helps preserve your clothing as the biggest detriment to clothes lasting (besides boys knees wearing out in their pants) is our dryer. The lint you remove is not just dirt particles, but bits of fiber from the clothes as they are breaking down from the heat and agitation.

I also use a downy ball full of vinegar as a natural fabric softener in the wash. I just fill it, toss it in with a load, and it magically releases the vinegar at the right time – don’t ask me how that works. It might be elves, it might be magic from another world, I don’t question. Vinegar helps remove the soap residue from your clothes, making them softer by default. Many of us use way too much soap for our laundry because the manufacturer tells us how much to use..and they’re trying to sell the stuff, see? So vinegar can help remove some of that soap residue hanging around. Most fabric softeners leave gunk on our clothes - which is why it’s not recommended for towels and diapers because the gunk builds up and makes those items less absorbent – not a good thing for diapers. Vinegar doesn’t leave a bad smell on your clothes - fyi (and hey – it’s still better than patchouli any day!)

TIPS for drying clothes in the dryer:

* Shake it up! Don’t just take your clothes straight from the washing machine and toss them into the dryer. Bundled clothes retain moisture, making the dryer work longer to dry all of the clothes, thus using more electricity and causing more damage to the fabrics. Take a moment to shake all of your clothing/towels free before tossing them in. It’ll make for a quicker drying cycle in the end.

*Love that fresh Downy smell – but not the chemicals or price? Toss in a small fabric envelope of dried lavender into your dryer when you’re drying clothes. It leaves a lovely smell that’s good for your soul and good for your pocketbook (not having to buy dryer sheets or chemicals that leave residue on your clothes and dryer). You can also try a few drops of essential oils on a rag and toss it in as well. Use any scent that you love (but please, not patchouli..I don’t like patchouli scents and wouldn’t want to stand next to you – because you know it’s all about me).

A Few Tips for Line Drying:

* Don’t Like Granny Pants flappin’ for all the neighbors to see? put them in a pillowcase. Might take a bit longer to dry, but it hides your unmentionables from the neighbor’s laughter. I personally don’t care. But if I did, I might use my foldable dryer and put it on top of the dryer and put my undergarments there to dry.

* The Clothespin matters. Seriously. Those cheap $1 store plastic clothespins just don’t last. This is one thing that I do invest in…good quality clothespins. I actually prefer these plastic clothes pins (I think I get mine at Target – it’s been awhile since I had to buy any) over wooden ones. The old wooden pegs of old still work really well, but because we live in a super windy area, I just like a little more security in keeping my skivvies on the line, and not blowing down the neighborhood for everyone to see. I’m the only person on our block who hangs their clothes, so EVERYONE would know whose granny pants are traveling down the alley like tumbleweed. The tight clasp of those plastic pins hold through even our worst weather (but I’ve never been known to leave our clothes up on the line during a tornado infest thunderstorm – ever. I’m ALWAYS good about pulling clothes down immediately! *cough*).

* Sun bleaching is good for whites – not good for colors. Overtime, just like with over washing and drying, clothes can fade, but do it more quickly in the sun. I try to ensure that my clothes stay brighter and deeper by making sure they are turned inside out to protect them from sun damage.

And have you thought about making your own laundry soap?

Powder Laundry Soap – this is my favorite…I’m loving mine! It does not contain any harsh detergents - even fels naptha used in many of the homemade recipes does and can be bad for sensitive skin. I’ll just let you go straight to Amy’s blog for the info – well worth the trip!

10 Homemade Laundry Soaps

Soap Nuts This particular site sells the soap nuts, so take the commentary with a grain of salt. However, I’m reading all over the internet about folks switching to these for doing laundry and cleaning, and I haven’t heard anything bad about them at all. I still haven’t taken the plunge, yet, but do hope to soon to play to see how I like them. (hmm..just found them on amazon and might need to dedicate one month of  Swagbucks rewards to get them free!)

What are your favorite laundry tips? Green or not, we can all use a hand with our daily chores!

These are just thoughts…take them for what they’re worth. At today’s economic values, it’s about a half a ha’penny.

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