Video: Natural Laundry Care Tips & Recipes
Natural laundry care was one of the first transitions I made into a more wholesome, simplistic, and sustainable lifestyle. Changing out our cleaning products and routines is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get started into the world of non-toxic living, and I love all that caring for laundry entails. I was just talking with my mom, Jill, the other day about how I actually enjoy taking the time to do laundry. It’s the part where I have to put it away that I dread! For whatever reason, it’s the last thing I always find myself cleaning up. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that our dressers and closets are all upstairs, and it’s usually inconvenient for me to put it away either because my baby is downstairs playing or upstairs napping. The wonderful world of motherhood!
Changing your laundry routine is simple to do. You can easily get started at any time and figure out what works best for your family. Read on to find out more about how I care for our clothing, bedding, and linens. There is also a video at the end so you can watch everything in action!
natural powder laundry detergent recipe:
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1 cup baking soda
30-50 drops essential oil (lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, orange, lemon, etc)
DIRECTIONS:
Mix borax, washing soda, and baking soda in a large bowl.
Withe a cheese grater, grate the entire bar of castile soap into the bowl.
Drop in essential oils. Mix thoroughly.
Store in an airtight container indefinitely.
To use: place 1/4 cup of laundry detergent into powder container of your washing machine. Wash as normal.
More Natural Laundry alternatives:
Wool Dryer Balls. If you are looking for a replacement for dryer sheets, wool dryer balls are an excellent choice. On the below zero days in winter or on a rainy afternoon, I usually will turn on our dryer to dry our clothes. Because I do not have a sock/underwear holder yet for our clothesline, I also dry those smaller items in the dryer. They just take up a lot of space and are small enough that they don’t use up a lot of energy. Wool dryer balls help to remove static cling from garments, wick up moisture from clothes so that they dry faster, and can even help scent your laundry if you add a few drops of essential oil to the wool before drying.
Homemade Stain Stick/Bar. I shared this on the blog a while back and have absolutely loved using it. It really works! The stain stick uses borax, washing soda, castile soap, and plant oil to remove stains in a more concentrated form. Simply wet the fabric, rub on the stain stick, and allow it to sit for at least 1 hour or up to 2 weeks. Then wash as normal!
Soap Nuts. Also known as soap berries, this plant from the Sapindus mukorossi tree are harvested in the Himalayan mountains. They contain saponin, a plant-based natural cleaner that works well for washing clothing and can entirely replace your detergent. Cool, right? Just add 3-4 soap nuts to a small muslin bag, place in your washing machine barrel with your dirty laundry, and wash as normal. You can add a little detergent for scent or if your clothes are really dirty. Soap nuts can be used 3 or 4 loads and then composted.
Clothes Drying Rack. Another wonderful option for less than ideal weather days! I love ours and even take it outside on sunny days to dry any clothes or linens that cannot fit on the line.
how to hang dry laundry:
A clothes drying machine, on average, uses about 5,000 watts of power per run. Yearly, the average person spends about $220 on their electric bill just by drying their clothes. Hang drying laundry is an old-fashioned custom that is making a comeback due to its simplicity - it literally costs you nothing except for your time! People have been air drying their clothing for thousands of years. In fact, I researched last year that in the 18th century, people would plant certain shrubs and bushes specifically for laying their wet clothes across so that they did not come in contact with the ground and for added scent to their linens. How wonderful is that? That’s why I love to plant lavender underneath my clothesline for added scent!
Hang drying laundry has natural disinfecting and whitening properties. UV rays help to sanitize water and damp laundry by interfering with the reproduction cycle of bacteria. This is a natural alternative to bleach. The downside to this is that it can bleach your clothes overtime and fade the colors.
Choose a good spot for your clothesline, if it's going to be outside. A sunny spot is good if you are wanting to bleach whites. A shady spot is better for preserving color. Under a tree is probably not your best option (bird poop). Beside your house, where a shadow is cast, is better! Our clothesline is in a sunny spot in our yard.
If you can't hang outside and have to inside, you're humidifying your home naturally! That is bloody brilliant, if you ask me, especially in those dry winter months. Most people who hang dry indoors don't have the need for a humidifier.
Hang loose. To avoid pinches in the fabric from your clothespins, make sure to pin in more discreet locations. Don't pin at the edges of your shirts. This will cause them to stretch at the bottom in the places that you pinned. Air drying helps to get out the wrinkles! I learned the hard way by stretching the bottoms of my shirts as far as they could, and they stayed that way. Now I leave some room when pinning.
Hang shirts, skirts, and underwear by their hemline.
Hang nicer pants by their cuffs, folded, for crease lines and jeans by their waistband. Turn out the pockets to dry more quickly!
Hang dresses by the shoulder seam.
Hang socks by the toes.
Hang linens and towels draped 1/3 over the line.
Look at the type of fiber you are hanging. Wool sweaters and other wool items should never be hung on a line. This can cause the item to stretch. These pieces should always be lain flat to dry and flipped. This way you can reshape the garment to the original shape from when you bought it. Terry cloth can also dry funny on a line, but this is not always true. Make sure you check your labels to see the recommended way of drying! A safe way of keeping your towels soft is to toss them in the dryer for a few minutes after hanging.
Shake & Smooth. One of the best tips I've learned is to shake and smooth your clothes while hanging! Shaking helps to remove lint and wrinkles. Once your clothes are hung, make sure to smooth out the wrinkles and pull at the fabric a little. This will definitely help ensure that you don't have to pull out your iron, and if it's a little breezy, that helps, too! And don't forget a shake or two once dried just in case of critters!
If it rains, let your clothes dry longer. A little rain never killed anybody. Of course, if it's down pouring, you should probably dry inside. You can get most of your drying done by hanging your clothes on hangers in your house. Hang drying is a great way to really start paying attention to the weather! You'll now begin to make the sunny days your laundry day.
What changes have you made to your laundry routine to create more sustainability and simplicity in your home? Below are some more links to my laundry tips and recipes!
xoxo Kayla
