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Recipes for laundry stain removers are floating all around the Internet and there are quite a few on Pinterest. I have donned my lab goggles and rubber gloves and mixed up several of the formulas promising miraculous results, only to be disappointed by the cost to make them, the lack of results, the bleach spot [...]
Recipes for laundry stain removers are floating all around the Internet and there are quite a few on Pinterest. I have donned my lab goggles and rubber gloves and mixed up several of the formulas promising miraculous results, only to be disappointed by the cost to make them, the lack of results, the bleach spot they left behind or all of the above. That’s why I’m so excited about this recipe. Would I call it miraculous? Probably not. To me miraculous would be not getting the stain in the first place. What I will say is that this is the stain remover I will be using in my laundry room, from this day forward, to have and to clean, ’til death do us part. :)
My DIY laundry stain remover. I used a one quart spray bottle, previously purchased at Walmart. I mixed it right in the bottle.
Why do I like it?
- It works! My arch nemesis when it comes to stains is not grass, chocolate, blood or ground in dirt. Until discovering this stain remover, it was yellow mustard. No matter how quickly I was able to get to the stain, nothing seemed to take it out. The most expensive detergents and stain products, to the very cheapest, have been tried with equally disappointing results. There always remained a yellow shadow to taunt me. Today, I can tell you that I’m no longer afraid of mustard stains. It took sitting overnight, but this homemade stain remover did something nothing I have ever purchased has been able to do. It removed a mustard stain.
Am I the only one whose family grabs whatever towel is handy to wipe up a mess? Honestly, I'm just so excited when I find it in time to get it cleaned. This is yellow mustard on an off-white towel. Oy!
As I sprayed the stain remover on the mustard spot, it immediately turned red. I'm not gonna lie. It freaked me out a little. But, after 15 minutes, I went ahead and rubbed the towel back and forth over the saturated stain and, then, rinsed it under warm water in the kitchen sink.
A LOT of the stain was gone, but I was sad to see there was still that tell-tale yellow shadow that I have experienced so many times before. I decided to give it the same shot I have given all the others. I sprayed the shadow (same red results) and left it to sit overnight. The next morning I, again, rinsed the stain under warm water at the kitchen sink.
This clean towel is my end result! I couldn't be more pleased. Keep in mind, this hasn't even been run through the washing machine, yet. I'm excited at the potential to salvage some clothing that we thought was lost and the money we will save in doing it! This recipe is the bomb!
- It’s easy to make. There are no toxic fumes and nothing to eat the skin off my fingers. It only has three ingredients, plus water, and they may already be in your house; especially if, like me, you make your own laundry detergent. It took less than five minutes to mix a batch and start using it!
Ammonia, Dawn dishwashing liquid, washing soda and water are all you need to make this.
- It’s inexpensive. Name brand stain removers can be upwards of $4 or $5 for a bottle that is less than 1 quart in size, depending on the brand you purchase. Some are even double that depending on where you shop. My homemade stain remover made a one quart batch and it only cost me $0.88! Score!
Because I already make my own laundry detergent, I already have Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (This is not the same as baking soda. You will normally find it in the detergent aisle in your hometown grocery store or Walmart. Trust me when I tell you that baking soda is not as powerful and can’t clean laundry a fraction as well as Arm and Hammer Washing Soda. My first attempt at DIY laundry detergent taught me that.) So, my total out of pocket for ingredients was just under $4, on this shopping trip, and I have enough ingredients,now, to make several batches. When calculating the price per quart, I included the cost of the washing soda, even though I didn’t need to purchase any, this time. For one batch, I used .63 worth of Dawn, .16 worth of washing soda and .09 worth of ammonia. The cost could probably be cut even more by using a generic equivalent of Dawn. Since I wasn’t familiar with how effective one of those might be, I stuck with the name brand, for now, but may try a generic on a future batch. For the time-being, I’m thrilled with .88 for a quart!
This recipe is adapted from one I found over at One Good Thing. I’m so grateful to Jillee for sharing her experience and now, having successfully tweaked it to work for my family’s laundry (and mustard stains!), I’m ready to share my version with you.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Dawn dishwashing liquid
- 2/3 cup ammonia
- 1/3 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda)
- water to fill to one full quart (a little over 2 cups)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a one quart spray bottle or glass jar.
- Screw on the lid and shake it up to mix thoroughly. After it sits awhile, the mixture will start to separate. (See the picture below, from just before getting ready to re-spray my "shadow".) Just give the bottle a quick shake before using and you'll be back in business.
- Spray the stain, rub and rinse the stain out. Then wash it as usual. Or, for really tough stains (like my mustard), spray the stain and let set overnight. Rinse the stain out. Wash as usual.
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Enjoy savings and fresh clean, stain-free clothes!
I haven’t tried this on a colored fabric, yet, as the towel was off-white. Once I test it, I’ll post an update to let you know how it works on colors.
I’m anxious to hear how this works for you and how much your family is saving! If you want to save even more, start making your own laundry detergent, using my DIY Laundry Detergent recipe, which costs a fraction over 20¢ per 75-load bottle! You’ll be amazed at how much money you leave in your family budget with all you save!
Sam’s Club is one of my favorite stores for stocking up on household essentials. Buying in bulk is an excellent way to save money and I’m never disappointed by the quality of the products I purchase there. Two of my favorite budget savers are the 25 lb bags of all purpose flour and 10 lb [...]
Sam’s Club is one of my favorite stores for stocking up on household essentials. Buying in bulk is an excellent way to save money and I’m never disappointed by the quality of the products I purchase there. Two of my favorite budget savers are the 25 lb bags of all purpose flour and 10 lb bags of flash-frozen chicken breasts. Sam’s Club is well aware of the costs and stresses involved in getting our students well equipped for college or for being on their own for the first time. Our nineteen-year-old moved into her first place, roommates and all, this past weekend; and the products in our “Back to Class pack from Sam’s Club, have already been put to good use! Sam’s Club has actually put together several fantastic care packages for the college-aged kids in your life, that will save you money and help the students have a good start on prepping for a good year with some essential “living on their own” products.
- The Back to Class Laundry Care and Cleaning Bundle includes: 1 Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Variety 4-Pack, 1 Lysol Disinfectant Spray – 3 pk., 1 – 170 oz. Tide HE Laundry Detergent, 1 – 250 sheet box Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets, 1 Swiffer Duster with 24 refills, and 1 Kleenex Cool Touch Tissues – 3 pk.
- The School Supplies Care Package includes: 1 SwissGear Laptop Daypack – Blue, 1 12-Pack of Letter Sized Sams Writing Pads, 1 14-Pack of Pilot G2 Black Retractable Gel Roller Ball pens, 1 72-Pack of Papermate Mirado Woodcase Pencils, and 1 24-Pack of Sharpie Accent Highlighters.
- The Room Organization Kit includes: components to make home organization a breeze. The eight-shelf hanging organizer is great for sweaters, hats, scarves etc., and two sets of storage drawers can slide right under the bed for easy access. The set also includes a pop-up mesh hamper for your laundry and an over-the-door shoe rack to keep shoes neatly stored and out of sight.
- The Women’s Back to Class Care Package includes: 1 TRESemmé Moisture Rich Shampoo & Conditioner Value Pack -44 oz. each, 1 52-count package Gillette Custom Plus Disposable Razors, 1 3-pack pkg of Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash – 2 are 23.6 oz. and 1 is 12 oz, a 4-pack of Degree Women Fresh Oxygen Invisible Solid Deodorants, 1 Tampax Tampons – Regular – 100 ct. + 5 ct. Tampax Pearl Trial Pack, a 4-pack of Crest Complete Whitening + Scope toothpaste, a 2-pack of TRESemmé Extra Hold Hair Spray, and a 3-pack of Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion. (This is the package our family received and it’s been a great package for “stocking her own place” ! Many of the items in the kit will last the entire year.)
- The Men’s Back to Class Care Package includes: 1 4-pack of Degree Men’s Invisible Solid Deodorant, 1 52-pack of Gillette Custom Plus Disposable Razors, 1 2-pack 18 oz Dove Men + Care Body and Face Wash with a 12 oz bonus bottle, a 4-pack Crest Pro-Health Clinical Gum Protection Toothpaste, a 2-pack of Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse, and 1 40 oz pump bottle of Head & Shoulders Dry Scalp Care 2-in-1.
- The Back to Class Snack Pack includes: 24 ½-liter bottles of Nestle Bottled Spring Water, 1 30-oz. jar of Office Snax® Nugget “Gems” Pretzels, 1 16-count box Kellogg Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars, a 22-pack of Lipton’s Cup-A-Soup, a 12-pack of Bumble Bee Tuna Lunch Kit, an 8-pack of single serving Keebler Fudge Stripes Cookies, 1 10-oz On-the-Go Canister of Emerald® Snack Nuts, and a 6-pack of Pop Secret® Popcorn.
You’ll love all the options for helping your college-age student start their year on the right foot, fully-stocked and prepared for life on their own. You’ll also love the savings you will enjoy shopping at Sam’s Club.
Sam’s Club is also sponsoring a generous GIVEAWAY for an iPhone App Enhanced Alarm Clock. To enter:
- Leave a comment on this post telling me which of the Back to Class packages you think would be the best for a student, you know, moving away to college or their own place.
- Then use the Rafflecopter form to register your entry and unlock the optional extra entries. That’s it! Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Sam’s Club and received product samples to thank me for taking the time to participate.
If you haven’t entered this giveaway, yet, hurry now and get your name in the drawing! I love the wool dryer balls from Maple Hill Farms, so much, that I have just ordered my second set, for a gift. My loads are drying literally, in half the time! I can’t believe the difference! And wow! [...]
If you haven’t entered this giveaway, yet, hurry now and get your name in the drawing! I love the wool dryer balls from Maple Hill Farms, so much, that I have just ordered my second set, for a gift. My loads are drying literally, in half the time! I can’t believe the difference! And wow! What a savings! The money these will save on gas and electricity bills, not to mention not having to buy fabric softener or dryer sheets ever again, makes them one of my top frugal picks for 2012, already. They’re better for the environment, they’re handmade in the USA, they put money back into your budget, and they WORK! I love how my laundry smells and feels, since using them! It doesn’t get any easier or better than that.
Rebecca at Maple Hills Farms is so pleased with all your comments and sends a big, “Thank You” to all of you who have already purchased. She also wanted me to let you know, that it’s no problem to go ahead and purchase, now. If you win the giveaway, she will refund your cost. That way you can start reaping the savings, right away, instead of waiting for the giveaway to end. The exclusive 10% DISCOUNT CODE for Busy-at-Home readers is Busy2012 and it is only active through February 14. So, don’t miss your opportunity to save! Put it in the discount code box at Checkout and your discount will automatically be subtracted from your order! How cool is that? Even more money back in your family’s budget!
If you haven’t had a chance, yet, I hope you’ll pop over to the Maple Hills Farms Facebook page and share a little “We love saving money!” love with Rebecca. Thank her for the giveaway and the generous discount!
Hope you all are having a blessing-filled Friday and looking forward to a fabulously fun weekend! I’m working fast and furious on a couple recipes I want to share plus my Twirly Skirt sewing tutorial. Stay tuned and have a fantastic afternoon!
After two and a half months making our own laundry detergent and loving the results, I’m moving full-steam ahead to find frugal substitutes for the other products we use in the laundry room. While I wouldn’t say we spend an exorbitant amount on dryer sheets, if I were to suddenly be left without the need [...]
After two and a half months making our own laundry detergent and loving the results, I’m moving full-steam ahead to find frugal substitutes for the other products we use in the laundry room. While I wouldn’t say we spend an exorbitant amount on dryer sheets, if I were to suddenly be left without the need to have them, I wouldn’t miss finding the used ones lying on the laundry room floor or sticking to the inside of a pant leg or the back of someone’s shirt. I wouldn’t miss having to remind people to toss them in with each load, so we don’t shock and awe the congregation with the amazing static electricity display erupting from our family’s row at church on Sundays. I would definitely get excited about putting the cost of them back into our budget, because even small amounts add up over time. Believe me, I’ve scoured Pinterest and come up with dozens of options for all kinds of homemade cleaners, I intend to try, but nothing that appealed to me as a better option than the dryer sheets I’m currently buying – for performance or cost.
Feeling the need for a little “pick me up” and a break before I plunged back into my research, I grabbed a chocolate peanut butter chip cookie and a Coke (I know. I know. — But, they were delish!) and checked my Facebook feed. I noticed one of my sister’s posts mentioned that she had just entered a giveaway for Dryer Balls. I had never heard of such a thing, but my interest was piqued. I gathered from her short post that they were made from wool, used in the clothes dryer instead of fabric sheets and handmade by someone who was selling them through her own Etsy shop. I found the site and started reading about Maple Hill Farm and Rebecca Rowan. Rebecca’s dad raises sheep and she makes dryer balls from the wool he produces there.
Rebecca’s Wool Dryer Balls are made from 100% wool and are colored naturally, not with dyes. They decrease static cling and soften the clothes in your dryer as they tumble with your laundry, by gentle friction of the felted wool fibers against your clothing fibers. Dryer balls separate the clothes, as they circulate through your dryer, and keep laundry items separated as they tumble around. This increases airflow and allows warm dry air to reach even the clothes at the center of your dryer tub. This drastically cuts the amount of time it takes to dry a load of clothes. I can attest to the truth of that! We have been nursing my poor dryer along for the last several months, while we save to purchase a new one. It takes at least two complete cycles to dry a normal load of laundry, now, as it limps through the end of its life. However, I purchased 4 extra large Wool Dryer Balls which arrived here on January 17. Since that time, we have been able to dry our clothes in a single cycle, again! I am so excited for what that means about the gas and electricity we will save when we actually get a new and properly functioning dryer, again! The dryer balls made a dramatic difference in each load’s drying time and I won’t need to buy dryer sheets, again.
Maple Hill Farms Wool Dryer Balls are completely reusable — no waste, no trash. I just leave them in the dryer as I pull out each load, so they are there and ready for the next cycle. People have apparently used them up to 8 years before they needed replaced! Amazing! They come scented or unscented, whichever you prefer. I elected to have mine scented with lavender essential oils before they were shipped and opening the package when they arrived was like being in the center of a field of lavender. I love it! I’ve used them in every dryer load since they have arrived and the scent is not even hinting at fading, though I understand that it will eventually fade over time and can be reapplied, if desired. Our clothes absorb the fragrance, and hold it, better than any commercial fabric softener or dryer sheet I have ever used. No chemicals, no mess, no repurchasing and my laundry room and clothes smell amazing – I’m a happy camper!
All four extra large wool dryer balls ready to go to work on a new load! The extra large size I purchased are just slightly smaller than a softball.
I like that this product is handmade and all natural. I like that it’s a family business and I love that the product is 100% everything that it claims. I intend to continue using them and reap the energy savings, over time, plus eliminate the cost and waste of the dryer sheets that were the norm in my laundry, up to now. Wouldn’t these be a unique and welcome bridal shower gift or a gift for someone who “has everything”? I wholeheartedly recommend them. As a matter of fact, I was so excited about them that I contacted Rebecca, who has agreed to sponsor a giveaway AND a 10% discount for Busy-at-Home readers! Enter Coupon code: Busy2012 in your shopping cart at checkout to receive the discount, when you place an order. I’m so grateful for her generosity and excited for all of you to know about this money-saving and eco-friendly product!
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below, telling me which fragrance (or unscented, if that’s your preference), you want to try. [Click Here to visit the page with a List of Available Fragrances, in a new window.] Once you leave your comment, go to the form below, hit that Do It! button, then Enter! and you’ll unlock several more options for additional entries. It’s super simple and what a great prize for one of you!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I purchased Maple Hill Farms Wool Dryer balls for my own use and tested them in my own home, in order to write this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. The views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
Well, I did it! I have pinned various recipes for homemade laundry detergent for months, now, thinking that soon I would gather the exotic ingredients and muster the courage to make some. I should have paid a lot more attention to those recipes I was pinning. There is nothing exotic about the ingredients, nor is [...]
Well, I did it! I have pinned various recipes for homemade laundry detergent for months, now, thinking that soon I would gather the exotic ingredients and muster the courage to make some. I should have paid a lot more attention to those recipes I was pinning. There is nothing exotic about the ingredients, nor is it difficult. I’m actually mourning a little bit, for all the money I have wasted over the years, just not realizing I could do this quickly and simply. Two weeks ago, I sat down to earnestly study all the pins I have for DIY laundry detergent. With a few minor variations, they are all essentially the same. Who knew? I was just pinning pictures with the good intention of “exploring the possibility”, later. 
Once I actually stopped to look at the details, I was shocked.
My own DIY brand! It's awesome!
The one thing that they all had in common was that they make gigantic batches – 10 to 12 gallons, at a time. I don’t want to be storing all that and so I decided to quarter the recipe I finally settled on. It turns out that it is adapted from the recipe that the Duggar family uses to make their detergent. I decided if it is good enough for the Duggar’s clothes, which they wear on national TV each week, it was probably a safe bet that it would work for us.
Why would I bother to make laundry detergent when I could just conveniently grab a bottle off the shelf at the store? Several reasons, the first of which is cold, hard cash. I have always purchased the large economy bottles of a name brand “he” (high efficiency) laundry detergent. It’s not the cheapest, nor is it the most common $14-a-bottle brand. I pay, on average, $8.00 for a 75-load bottle of my old detergent. I would have been happy to cut that price in half. Instead, I discovered that by making the recipe I am going to share with you, a 75-load bottle of DIY detergent saved me $7.79¾!!! That is a little more than a 97% savings! Hello! Making my own is no longer JUST an option. It’s ridiculous not to. It cost only 20¼¢ for the ingredients to make a 75-load bottle of detergent! Translate that savings over a year’s worth of laundry and that put’s a tidy sum back into our family’s budget.
These ingredients are easy to find and very inexpensive!
Still need a list of reasons to try this? Okay. Here it goes:
- 20¼¢!! Hello! (It only takes putting away $19.24 per week to have $1000 in your savings account, by the end of the year. Making laundry detergent at home, won’t earn the whole amount, but it will be a substantial chunk towards reaching that goal.)
- Low suds – The water pumps on “he” washing machines are damaged and wear out faster if you’re using soap that creates too many suds. That’s why manufacturers have “created” the special “he” laundry detergents. Did you know that regular laundry detergent actually has something added to it to make it suds up? Soap isn’t able to do that so profusely on it’s own. People think that more suds = more clean, so those doing the marketing know it boosts the bottom line to add that ingredient. See how public perceptions drive the market and increase costs? Weird, isn’t it! (Yes, I am using this detergent in my “he” washing machine with absolutely no difficulty. Obviously, I can’t make claims for your machine, but mine is alive and well. I’m pretty sure Michelle Duggar’s is, too. )
- Less waste – I’ve read several posts where people have purchased bottles and buckets and extra equipment to begin their detergent making process. If you’re going to do it in monstrously large batches and will be reusing those things over and over, I get it; but you can seriously save the expense and the waste, by just recycling your old detergent bottles for the job. They have built in measuring cups and they don’t cost you an extra penny. Not one more plastic bottle will end up in a landfill or have to be hauled to a recycling center due to my family’s laundry. Cool! I just saved and rinsed out the last two bottles from my old store-bought laundry detergent when they were empty. They work perfectly! When I am feeling more ambitious, I may even soak off the old labels and create some very crafty attractive ones of my own.
- You know what’s in it. – You can add essential oils to your batch to scent it in any way you want, but it’s an added expense, and before you do, I hope you’ll try at least one, just straight. I actually love the light scent of the Fels Naptha and it transfers to our clothes. Remember when you were a kid, that plain, fresh, clean smell that laundry had? Now, I know what it was and I LIKE it! You also aren’t adding any chemical sudsing agents, emulsifiers, gobbledy gook and alphabet soup chemically-type names or dyes. That makes me happy.
- It’s easy. – I didn’t time this process, but I doubt that I invested more than 20 minutes. Other than grating the Fels Naptha and stirring while it melted into the water, it was pretty minor labor, on my part. You can totally do this!
- There are only 3 ingredients and I can buy them at Walmart. – Stores are not sticking these products on end counters or even at eye-level for you to find, but they’re there. You’ll have to scope out the detergent aisle to find where they have them. At my Walmart, it’s on the bottom shelf, underneath the fabric softener section. All you need is a bar of Fels-Naptha, a box of Borax and a box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda). Total cost for these ingredients was about $7.50 and with the exception of Fels Naptha (Mine was 97¢) which I will need to re-buy after every 4th batch, I won’t be buying ingredients, again for at least a year, probably more.
- It works! – I have been using this detergent on all our laundry for two weeks, now. In my house that’s literally a couple dozen loads. I have used it on bedding, towels, undergarments, regular clothes and even my husbands greasy, grubby work clothes. It works exactly the same as my old detergent. I even conducted a stain test, in the beginning, in hopes that I could tell you that DIY detergent is some miraculous stain-fighter that excels beyond my regular detergent. Knowing that my detergent could not get out mustard stains, I took an old t-shirt, stained both sides with equal amounts of mustard and then both sides with equal amounts of barbecue sauce. Then I pre-treated both by rubbing a teaspoon of my old detergent into the stains on one side and a teaspoon of the DIY detergent on the other side. I washed each side in hot water, using it’s coordinating detergent. Alas, DIY does no better on mustard than the store-bought detergent and they both got out the barbecue stain. So, while there was no difference in the way they cleaned and both would require a pre-treater for really stubborn stains, hello! 20¼¢! -lol- DIY still wins. ( Does anybody have a recipe for homemade pre-treater? )
Well, if you’re convinced, now; here’s the recipe that I used to make mine. It’s the scaled-back version and made two 75-load bottles.
Ingredients
- 1/4 bar of Fels Naptha soap
- 2 Tablespoons Borax powder
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda)
Instructions
- Cut Fels Naptha bar into fourths and store the extra 3 in a ziptop bag, so you have them handy for your next 3 batches.
- Grate the 1/4 Fels Naptha Bar into medium shreds.
- Put grated Fels Naptha and 1 cup of water into a pot and melt over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until all the soap has dissolved. It will be a little sudsy, but no chunks of soap should remain.
- Pour 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) of water into a large container or bucket and add the cooked soap mixture, Borax and washing soda.
- Stir.
- Add 2 1/2 quarts more (10 cups) water.
- Stir again. You'll notice a few suds on the top of your stirred soap.
- If you have a lid for the container you're mixing this in, just put the lid on it and let it set overnight. I mixed mine in a bucket and ended up transferring it to another container with a lid, before setting it aside for overnight.
- The next morning, your soap will have thickened and gelled considerably. Stir it up and then you're ready to transfer it into two laundry bottles for your use.
- Divide the soap evenly between the two 1.17 gallon laundry bottles you've saved. They'll be about half full. (If you're using empty milk jugs or some other size container, the ratio is one part soap to one part water. Just fill the container you're using half full with your DIY soap and then finish filling with water.)
- Finish filling each bottle with water.
- Shake the bottles vigorously to mix and you're ready to wash laundry.
- It takes 1/4 cup per load.
- Give the bottle a shake before each load, to make sure nothing has separated and it's mixed well.
Notes:
Just because I love you all so much, I actually went to the trouble of measuring out the Borax and Washing Soda in each box. (A little nerdy, I know, but I wanted to do the math.)
All the calculations I've done are for "he" machines that will require 1/4 cup of this DIY detergent. If you have a regular top-loading machine, you will use 5/8 cup per load and so will only get about 30 loads per bottle which increases your cost per load from about 3/1000 of a cent per load to about 7/1000 of a cent per load. I'm guessing that's still substantially less than your current store-bought brand. :)
There were 12 cups of Borax in one box which converts to 192 Tablespoons. That means I will get 96 batches of laundry detergent made, before I use up that one box!
There were 7 cups of Washing Soda in one box, which is 28 quarter cups. 28 batches of laundry detergent, before I need to buy more washing soda!
Fels Naptha bars need to be quartered so, I have to buy a new bar after every fourth batch.
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I found $40 in my dryer, this week! I pulled the load from my dryer and two well-laundered twenty dollar bills fell on my feet. I sure wish it had been mine, but my absent-minded daughter gets to claim this mini-fortune. (Maybe I should charge a finder’s-fee!) We’ve talked about saving money in the laundry [...]
I found $40 in my dryer, this week! I pulled the load from my dryer and two well-laundered twenty dollar bills fell on my feet. I sure wish it had been mine, but my absent-minded daughter gets to claim this mini-fortune. (Maybe I should charge a finder’s-fee!) We’ve talked about saving money in the laundry room before, but I have a few more ideas to share with you and that brings me to my first suggestion for saving money in your laundry room…
- Be sure to clean out pockets before you start a load of laundry. You may be keeping cash from being destroyed in the machine and you will prevent things like chewing gum, chapstick, lip gloss, crayons, earrings, ink pens, permanent markers (Yes, I have found all of those in my laundry. ) from staining and damaging your clothes and/or washer and dryer. This is a simple, but important, first step for saving yourself the cost of replacing ruined clothes or a damaged appliance.
- Does it really need to be washed? Before tossing an item into the hamper, think twice. Are you washing something that isn’t really dirty? Jeans can usually be worn twice before washing, especially for adults. This is the time of year when we all start dressing in layers. A cardigan or button-down worn over the top of another shirt for only a couple hours may be ready to put on a hanger in the closet, instead of the laundry. Unless you dribbled your lemonade or spaghetti sauce on it, or perspired through two layers in the middle of an intense work-out, you can probably save time and money, by getting one more wear out of it before it needs to be washed.
- Use the correct amount of detergent in your washing machine. New high efficiency machines use so much less detergent than before and it can actually damage and wear out your machine’s water pump, to use too much. These machines do NOT like an excess of suds. Plus, why pour extra money down the drain? Save it for something fun, instead.
- Be sure the door on your dryer closes tightly. We just had this problem with our own dryer. The door had become sprung and though it would close tight enough to allow the dryer to come on, it didn’t seal tightly. Heat was escaping and causing clothes not to dry without being run through the cycle twice. Yikes! That’s a huge budget problem. Make the necessary adjustments so the door seals properly and keep all that heat inside your dyer.
- Don’t overload your machines. The washer won’t clean as effectively and your dryer may not be able to thoroughly dry a load that is larger than its normal capacity. Damp clothes can mildew and smell “musty” leading to the need for a re-wash. Plus, overloading your machines stresses the mechanical parts and may shorten the life of your appliances.
- Be sure to clean your dryer’s lint trap after every load. For your dryer to operate properly, moist air needs to be able to freely escape and a plugged lint trap, retards that process. Plugged lint traps can create a fire hazard, as well, so take this simple precaution seriously.
- Use coupons. Every Sunday, your local paper is loaded with money-saving deals and you can almost always find coupons for laundry products.
- Shop for bargains and deals on your detergent and fabric softener. Name brands don’t necessarily do a better job and you can save a lot of money looking for the best buy. But don’t be fooled! The best buy is NOT always the cheapest product. If it requires double the amount of product to do the job, the best buy may well be a product that costs more in total, but will provide more loads of cleaning or softening power. Divide the cost by the number of loads you will be able to do with that product. If you know it takes more than is called for of a particular brand to do the job you expect, it isn’t the best value, even if it is the least expensive. The greatest number of loads for the smallest price per load, without having to use extra is your best buy. Arm and Hammer’s new Essentials Lavender and Linen Dryer Sheets are a good example. They’re priced less than other name brand fabric sheets, do a fabulous job of softening and controlling static cling, and to top it off, I have a great printable coupon available for $1 off 2 boxes. That’s savings that makes a difference! (Remember, it only takes $19.24 a week to save $1000 in one year. Now, you’re one dollar closer to this week’s total.)
Click here to print your coupon and save $1 off 2 boxes of Arm and Hammer's new Essentials Lavender and Linen Fabric Softener Sheets.
And, if you haven’t already entered, here’s a chance to put a little more S-T-R-E-T-C-H in your budget! Arm and Hammer has generously sponsoring another $25 VISA Gift Card giveaway!!! You can enter it here.
This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is paying me to try different products. Save $1.00 on any 2 ARM & HAMMER Essentials Fabric Softener Sheets. And then head over to The Switch & Save Challenge to keep up with all of the bloggers and enter to win $25,000.
I’ve been using Arm and Hammer’s Essentials Lavender and Linen Dryer Sheets in my laundry this week. To be honest, they had me at lavender. It’s definitely one of my favorite fragrances and since I’m one of those people who are dramatically affected, for good or evil, by scent, having one of my less than [...]
I’ve been using Arm and Hammer’s Essentials Lavender and Linen Dryer Sheets in my laundry this week. To be honest, they had me at lavender. It’s definitely one of my favorite fragrances and since I’m one of those people who are dramatically affected, for good or evil, by scent, having one of my less than favorite chores permeated with such a glorious fragrance, makes the job much more pleasant. The addition of the linen scent maximizes that pleasant experience, because for me it evokes memories of laundry dried outside on the line, in a fresh autumn breeze. There’s a crisp freshness to linen that when combined with the floral tones of lavender is perfect for laundry. Opening the box of fabric sheets, I was enveloped in these pleasant scents.
Arm and Hammer Essentials Lavender and Linen Dryer sheets have done a great job in softening the fabrics going through my dryer and preventing that annoying static electricity that wreaks havoc on an otherwise perfect outfit. The softening agents used are biodegradable and naturally derived from nature.
Lavender essential oil is commonly used as a mood lifter, to soothe tension and depression and to aid in the relief of headaches and muscle aches associated with stress. It is added to many baby soaps and lotions as a soother and relaxer. I can only imagine how beneficial it will be to have our bed linens infused with that wonderful fragrance. Essentials Lavender and Linen Dryer sheets will make that an easy task. I’m definitely enjoying having these dryer sheets in my laundry cleaning arsenal and I hope you’ll use the link below to print out a $1 coupon and try them for yourself.
This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is paying me to try different products. Save $1.00 on any 2 ARM & HAMMER Essentials Fabric Softener Sheets. And then head over to The Switch & Save Challenge to keep up with all of the bloggers and enter to win $25,000.
Arm and Hammer Power Gel with OxiClean is a powerhouse of stain-fighting gel that has conquered some of the worst laundry stains I’ve ever faced, this summer. As I pre-treated them, ARM & HAMMER Power Gel Plus OxiClean HE Laundry Detergent clung to the fibers of my son’s detasseling clothes, instead of running off like [...]
Arm and Hammer Power Gel with OxiClean is a powerhouse of stain-fighting gel that has conquered some of the worst laundry stains I’ve ever faced, this summer. As I pre-treated them, ARM & HAMMER Power Gel Plus OxiClean HE Laundry Detergent clung to the fibers of my son’s detasseling clothes, instead of running off like a liquid will do. It hung on to the stain, breaking it down, even before I had tossed the clothes into the washer. It has been a great choice for our regular laundry, too. It delivered clean, fresh towels and clothing in every load. I love that it works in high efficiency machines and rinses clean without leaving any residue in my machine or on our clothes. The stain-fighting power of OxiClean with the freshness booster of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda is a winning combination!
Giveaway Rules:
You must be 18 or over and a US resident to enter. Winner will be selected in a random drawing using random.org. Deadline to enter is midnight (CST), Sunday, August 28, 2011.
Mandatory Entry:
What is you favorite time-saver or tip for doing laundry? Leave your answer in a comment below.
Optional Additional Entries:
- Like Arm and Hammer on Facebook and leave a comment to let me know you’ve done it.
- Follow Busy-at-Home on Twitter. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Like Busy-at-Home on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Follow Busy-at-Home on Google Friends Connect by clicking the Join Button in the right-hand side bar. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Subscribe to the Busy-at-Home Newsletter with this link or in the right-hand sidebar. You will receive an email confirmation with a link that must be clicked to confirm your subscription. Once you click the email link to confirm your subscription, leave me a comment to let me know you’ve done it.
- Tweet this giveaway (maximum of 1x per day, please). Win a $25 VISA Gift Card from ARM & HAMMER Power Gel Plus OxiClean HE Laundry Detergent @busyathome @bhg http://ow.ly/5XYm1 Leave a comment below with a link to your tweet.
- Post this giveaway on your Facebook page. Win a $25 VISA Gift Card from ARM & HAMMER Power Gel Plus OxiClean HE Laundry Detergent @busyathome @bhg http://ow.ly/5XYm1 Leave a comment below with a link to your post.
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This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is compensating me to try different products. Save $1.00 on any 2 ARM & HAMMER Laundry Detergents. And be sure and head over to The Switch & Save Challenge for the chance to win $25,000.
I wish we were one of those AVERAGE families that only do about 400 loads of laundry per year. I’m guessing we are closer to the 600 range, since that’s closer to a dozen loads per week. I know, it’s sick and wrong, but, to be fair, and in the interest of full disclosure, I [...]
I wish we were one of those AVERAGE families that only do about 400 loads of laundry per year. I’m guessing we are closer to the 600 range, since that’s closer to a dozen loads per week. I know, it’s sick and wrong, but, to be fair, and in the interest of full disclosure, I actually HAVE previously mentioned that I do not live with neat and tidy people. That being said, I want to be as careful as possible to take all the frugal measures I can, in the laundry room. There are several ways to help keep costs down as I attempt to keep my family presentable and sanitary.
- Always wash full loads. You will waste a lot of electricity, water (and gas if you have a gas water heater, like we do) by doing several small loads, as opposed to one or two full ones.
- Use cold water, whenever it is possible. We all want the cleaning and germ-fighting power of hot water for our towels, tough stains and whites, but for everyday washing without a lot of stain challenges, you’ll be amazed at what a good job cold water does with a good detergent, like Arm and Hammer Power Gel with OxiClean.
- Use a good detergent! Saving money is a big deal, especially in our present economy, but buying the cheapest product isn’t always the best value. If I have to wash something twice or more to get it clean, not only has a cheaper detergent not saved me money, it may have cost me even more, in electricity, gas and water costs. Finding a reliable detergent that can meet all your laundry needs in the first wash without buying additional products, like pre-treaters or stain removers, saves money in the long run and saves you time re-doing a job, that in my case, is not my favorite, anyway. Arm and Hammer Power Gel with OxiClean is a good example of a single product that can do multiple jobs in the laundry room.
- Use an energy efficient washing machine. When it comes time to replace your washer (Mine gasped it’s last and then belched a flood into my laundry room, last October.), look for a machine that has a good Energy Star rating to save on your energy costs to run it, but also look for a high efficiency machine that saves on water use, as well. Now, these efficient machines can be found in the same price range as conventional water guzzlers and it makes no sense not to make the switch. I’m loving my new LG high efficiency machine.
- Use the correct amount of detergent when you wash your clothes. Not enough and you run the risk of having to rewash a load, but too much is a problem, too, especially in high efficiency machines. HE machines have water pumps that can be adversely affected by high-suds detergents, so using the correct soap in the appropriate amount is critical to helping your machine function properly for a long time.
- If you are fortunate enough to have a clothesline, use it. This is actually an item you would never think of someone wishing for, but I do. The dollars you can save by simply hanging clothes on the line, rather than using a gas or electric dryer can be significant to your family’s budget. So, yes, in moments of weakness, I covet your clothesline. I’m working on that.
- Watch your local ads and online coupon sites for savings on the detergent that you know is the best value for your family’s cleaning dollar. Right now, you can print a coupon to save $1 on 2 of any Arm and Hammer Laundry Detergent. (You’ll actually find $14 in coupon savings there.) I LOVE saving money!
So with a little pre-planning and thinking it through, you can save some money in the laundry room and put a few dollars back into your family’s budget. Remember, putting only $19.24 into savings, each week, nets you $1,000 by the end of the year! What fabulous, fun thing could your family do or give with $1,000? See, it’s definitely worth the effort and it won’t be hard to get your family on board when they recognize the excellent pay-off, from their frugal efforts.
This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is compensating me to try different products. Save $1.00 on any 2 ARM & HAMMER Laundry Detergents. And be sure and head over to The Switch & Save Challenge for the chance to win $25,000.
Our son is 15 this summer and has ventured into the workforce for the first time. Detasseling is a common job for teenagers in the Midwest and so, like many of his peers, he signed on with an exceptional crew and has been working about two weeks, now. Detasseling only lasts about 3-4 weeks. The [...]
Our son is 15 this summer and has ventured into the workforce for the first time. Detasseling is a common job for teenagers in the Midwest and so, like many of his peers, he signed on with an exceptional crew and has been working about two weeks, now. Detasseling only lasts about 3-4 weeks. The work is hot, very physical and exhausting. The young men and women working in the fields are tasked with removing the tassels from every female corn plant and leaving the tassels on the male plants, so that the male plants pollinate the entire field and create a brand new hybrid variety of corn. Hearing it defined, makes it seem not too tough. The reality is, quite frankly, exactly the opposite.
Before the past week of high, high temperatures (heat indexes over 110 degrees), we had experienced unusually heavy amounts of rainfall. With detasseling, like with all farming, you can’t really decide what your schedule will be. The crops and the weather decide that for you. Once the corn begins to tassel, there is a narrow window of time (3-4 weeks) that the tassels can be removed before pollination occurs. So, even though the fields were completely saturated, detasselers still got into the field. Fields aren’t always flat, so at the top of a hill, a row may be dry, yet, down at the bottom of the hill, there may be standing water. One day, in particular, our son worked through an area where water was up to his chest. Another day, the mud was so thick and deep it sucked the shoes right off his feet. Even on days when it is dry and hot, the corn is still covered in dew when they first start working in the mornings. (That explains the garbage bag over his shirt in the pictures. He just peels it off when the dew has evaporated.
- This is how I send our son off each morning at 5:30 a.m. The white sticking out from under his sleeves is our makeshift tube-sock wrist guards. You can’t see the Wal-Mart bags on his feet because they’re inside his shoes. The garbage bag is, of course, obvious. .
Dressing for detasseling is a sort of comical, and yet, necessary task that must be handled with great care. Corn leaves are sharp and even as tall as my son is, the plants are often well over his and his coworker’s heads. Dressing to protect themselves from cuts and corn rash is a critical part of their early morning routine (We’re up at 4:30 to get ready and drive to meet the bus.). Every inch of skin has to be covered, even when he pulls off the waterproof gear once the dew is gone. His first layer is a t-shirt and long shorts with tube socks as high up on his leg as they will go. Then we cut the tops off tube socks to make “knee protectors”, since his socks just won’t reach that far. We cut the tops off a second pair of tube socks that he wears around his wrists. Then he puts on a pair of waterproof wind pants, a cotton, button-down shirt and a garbage bag with head and arm-holes cut out. Finally he ties a wild-west “robber style” bandana around his neck to protect his neck from the sharp corn leaves. The detasseling company provides him with gloves and a cap that has strong mosquito netting to protect his face. He also wraps duct tape around his feet, over his socks, to help prevent blisters, and then ties Wal-Mart bags over his socks to help keep his feet dry. Then he is ready to put on his shoes. Phew! What a process! I’m not gonna lie. He’s a sight! But, fortunately the entire crew looks just like him, so there is no issue with anyone “standing out” in the crowd.
At lunchtime, our son peels off the wind pants and then continues to work in the long shorts and “tall” socks, underneath. You can imagine what his shoes and socks look like at the end of the day of trekking through, mud, muck and mire, not to mention an occasional “wash-off” from a livestock feedlot. As soon as he gets on the bus, he peels off the button-down shirt, muddy shoes and socks and stuffs them all in a bag. When I pick him up in the afternoon, he is a muddy, smelly, exhausted mess. He slides on some sandals and rides to the pick-up spot, so I can pick him up and drive him home to bed. lol If I would let him, he would collapse into his bed, mud and all. But, while he is cleaning up, I’m left to empty the bag of mud-caked clothing and get it ready for the next morning.
Remember that wonderful, deep wash basin sink I shared with you in my previous post? It is perfect for this task! I empty the muddy mess into the bottom and start rinsing the clumps of mud away. I snapped a few pictures of what that experience is like. Yikes!
- That is mud caked on the sides and bottoms (and insides) of his tennis shoes after the first rinsing. See that black blob in the corner? That is his white tube socks and all the protective arm and knee guards we cut from white tube socks, wadded into one muddy mass. Yuck!
- Makeshift wristbands, cut from white tube socks, and rinsed as “clean” as I can get them before throwing them in the washing machine.
- Dirty socks and gloves, rinsed and ready for the machine.
I really didn’t hold out any hope that the socks would ever be white, again, but I’ve been testing Arm and Hammer Power Gel with OxiClean for the Switch and Save Challenge, so I decided to invest a little extra effort and see how it handled detasseling dirt. I rubbed the blue gel directly into the dirty cloth on our son’s gloves. I could see it breaking down the dirt, already, and the dark discoloration was already lightening before I put them in my washer.
- See the gloves are already somewhat lighter after massaging some Arm and Hammer Power Gel with Oxi Clean into the fabric.
I used the regular amount of detergent for my washer, but I also put a small amount of Arm and Hammer Power Gel with Oxi Clean into the prewash dispenser, too. Then I set my washer to wash in hot water and for heavy soil.
- I filled the detergent dispenser to the max fill line and added a little detergent to the prewash dispenser.
- This mess definitely needs hot water and heavy soil treatment.
I was so pleased with the results when the load was complete. Arm and Hammer Power Gel with Oxi Clean certainly didn’t get those grubby things “out of the bag” white again, but they were so much cleaner than I had expected. My only disappointment, initially, was in the gloves. I was lamenting to my son that I didn’t expect to ever be able to get them anywhere close to white, again, and he started laughing at me. “Mom, the gloves are gray. They were gray when they gave them to me.” lol
As I said, I had no illusions that these socks would ever be “white as new”, again, but I was pleasantly surprised at the results. That is much, much whiter than I had ever expected to see them. Arm and Hammer Power Gel with Oxi Clean definitely did its job! What a great surprise!
I have one more. Arm and Hammer is sponsoring another $25 VISA Gift Card Giveaway! I can’t believe how incredibly generous they have been. One of you will benefit from that amazing generosity.
Giveaway Rules:
You must be 18 or over and a US resident to enter. Winner will be selected in a random drawing using random.org. Deadline to enter is midnight (CST), Sunday, August 14, 2011.
Mandatory Entry:
What is the most challenging laundry mess your family has ever created? Leave your answer in a comment below.
Optional Additional Entries:
- Like Arm and Hammer on Facebook and leave a comment to let me know you’ve done it.
- Follow Busy-at-Home on Twitter. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Like Busy-at-Home on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Follow Busy-at-Home on Google Friends Connect by clicking the Join Button in the right-hand side bar. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Subscribe to the Busy-at-Home Newsletter with this link or in the right-hand sidebar. You will receive an email confirmation with a link that must be clicked to confirm your subscription. Once you click the email link to confirm your subscription, leave me a comment to let me know you’ve done it.
- Tweet this giveaway (maximum of 1x per day, please). The world’s yuckiest laundry – cleaned with Arm & Hammer Power Gel PLUS win a $25 VISA Gift Card @busyathome @bhg http://ow.ly/5M9W2 Leave a comment below with a link to your tweet.
- Post this giveaway on your Facebook page. The world’s yuckiest laundry – cleaned with Arm & Hammer Power Gel PLUS win a $25 VISA Gift Card @busyathome @bhg http://ow.ly/5M9W2 Leave a comment below with a link to your post.
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This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is compensating me to try different products. Save $1.00 on any 2 ARM & HAMMER Laundry Detergents. And be sure and head over to The Switch & Save Challenge for the chance to win $25,000.
