Laundry 101

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Laundry is one of those things that just “gets done” at the house and I think no one else but mom knows how it ever gets done or should I say, no one probably ever even thinks about it.  Well, it was always on my mind and here’s what I did to make a difference in my household.

Approximately five years ago I decided to go cold turkey and line dry all my laundry.   I wanted to be more eco-friendly and give my dryer a rest (and possibly save a few dollars too as electric dryers are often among the top energy-users).  At that time, it was summer and I had a clothes line outside to dry my clothes and used it religiously.  Until the complaints came along….”Mom…the towels are too stiff”….”Honey, these socks are too hard!”  And the pregnancy of my second child came along the “outdoor smell” on anything would drive me bonkers.  So here I was with a new endeavor, minus drying clothes outside.  I then also realized I didn’t have space or the time to wait for some clothes to dry inside.  And so I still wanted to conquer this need to line dry clothes even though there were a few bumps along the way.

In a nutshell, I totally ditched the outdoor hanging and went to totally indoor hanging.  Mind you, I have a very small house without a basement and so this took a little time to get figured out where to dry as also my laundry area is actually in my kitchen!!  And still I wanted to conquer this need to line dry my clothes!

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So with one indoor line hanger, I continue to figure this out.  Drying bedding was impossible because of space; white socks took 48 hours to dry.  My patience was running thin on this.

And so I embark on this adventure…..and what I discovered:  Using a super-concentrated and effective cold water detergent was a great start.  I only use hot water for whites and bedding and also use the dryer for them which equals about one to two loads a week.  Besides that, I indoor line hang EVERYTHING ELSE on a laundry rack.  I hang one load a day and it takes 24 hours to dry a load in the winter and less than that in the summer. Another trick I also found is that if you throw the clothes directly from the washer to dryer and dry for 5-10 minutes…most items are wrinkle free.

All in all, indoor line drying is working out.  Love the idea of saving $ on using cold water and dryer time and being eco-friendly.  In the winter the laundry creates a humidifier in the house which is more cost saving!  Our clothes actually seem to last longer and don’t get worn or have the shrink factor from the dryer.

Ever wonder about becoming more eco-friendly with your laundry?  Give it a try!  I did and admit it was a success.