Laundry. Everyone needs it done at some point or another. Whether you do your own laundry or someone does it for you, keep in mind that there are a million ways to accomplish getting your rags washed.
I grew up using powdered detergent and a dryer sheet. That's it. If I got a stain? The shirt was done if it was any color other than white, because the only stain-fighter I knew existed was bleach. (before color bleach was readily available) If something needed to be hand-washed, air dried, dry cleaned, etc, I simply wouldn't buy it. I would avoid it like the plague! My husband jokes with me about how I do laundry now versus how I did laundry when we moved in together.
Life changes. Babies have a way of changing your perspective on everything! When I was pregnant with Sam I discovered Dreft, and personally did NOT like the way it smelled. Yet, that's the "baby" detergent. Well, I wasn't going for it.
The decision was made, that I was going to throw my extensive background in laundering out the window and start over. Result? I feel like I've tried every single type of detergent and softener and stain remover this world has ever created. Safe for babies, safe for adults, extra strength, ecco-friendly, generic brand, name brand. All of it. Simplified version of what I'm trying to say - I've tried a lot of crap. and there is a lot of crap on the market that is complete and utter rubbish that costs far more than necessary or doesn't work worth a darn.
This is where I want to share with you my favorite laundering products. There are four. Total. The following products are strong enough to fight stains, gentle enough to use on delicate clothing, cheap enough to impress some, and environmentally friendly enough to consider them, "green." Boom.
1. Method Detergent
2. Vinegar (instead of fabric softener or dryer sheets)
3. Sol-U-Mel - Lemon scent (stain remover) by Melaluca
4. Fels Naptha bar (stain remover)
Now let me break it down.
Method Detergent is concentrated, which obviously means using less. This bottle can be found for around $12.99 (using Amazon Prime). My favorite scent is Fresh Air. How could I go wrong with Fresh Air? I typically use 4 pumps per load, and that means I do not frequently refill this bottle! I believe my bottle states 50 loads.
Method detergent is environmentally friendly and has a plethora of reasons why I like it, but I'll keep it simple and keep going.
Vinegar is a natural softener, it is environment-friendly, it's cheap, it brightens clothes naturally, it's unreal. There is absolutely no vinegar smell, either. It's BRILLIANT.
Next is Sol-U-Mel. This is a product sold by Melaluca that is another life-changing product. It costs a little bit more (around $20 per bottle), but it is concentrated and I use it on more than laundry. Since we are talking about cleaning clothes today I'll simply stick to the basics, but I justify this expense because it is unbelievably amazing for everything in my house!
I first-hand witnessed my sister dab some Sol-U-Mel onto a dried wine stain on some fabric and the stain disappeared. That alone convinced me that it worked, but I needed to know if would be gentle enough to apply to a variety of clothes. It does.
Little story, Kate received a lollipop from the grocery store cashier while she was wearing one of our favorite Matilda Jane Platinum ellie tops. The top is white and light blue. Imagine the pinkest, stickiest and stainiest sucker a girl could ever eat? Well the combination left me assuming that I would be watch Kate play in her newly colored pink, white and blue top because there was NO WAY the stains were going to come out.
I applied some Sol-U-Mel directly to the stains. It didn't do anything. I panicked, but remembered my sister's wine stain and thought I'd wash it and see what to try next. I threw the top into the wash with the Sol-U-Mel applied. Added my method detergent and vinegar and poof. Came out sparkly clean. NO STAINS. In fact, she wore the top yesterday and I laughed as I put it on her because of how brighter it looks now than before the stain incident!
Next in my line-up of products is Fels Naptha. You know, the bar of soap in the detergent isle that surely only your grandmother would know anything about? The bar of soap that costs approximately $1.30? Yep.
Any mother who is reading this might understand diaper rash creme. Also, how much of a MESS it can make.
Kate got ahold of a Desitin tube last fall and managed to cover herself in Desitin while she was wearing yet another beloved Matilda Jane top.
Insert panic. I scrubbed. It soaked. I washed it. It came out with white paste smeared all over it.
Then I tried my Fels Naptha bar. It was like a magic bar of wonder. I rubbed it directly onto the stains and it looked like I was pulling latex paint off in little pieces. Her top was saved! Then I simply ran it through a regular wash load. Done.
I would have never guessed that with such a small number of products I would be able to combat stains that my family experiences that are AFFORDABLE and environmentally-friendly.
There you go!
Let's add this up.
Method (50 loads): $12.99
Vinegar (1 Gallon): $2.76
Sol-U-Mel: $20.00 for 16 oz that lasts for a year? It's been 6 months and I have literally used this much so far between multiple applications (photo below)
Fels-Naptha bar: $1.39
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Let's say I refill my Method detergent once every 8 weeks? Vinegar is approximately 2 gallons per 8 weeks. Sol-U-Mel and Fels Naptha last for ever, it feels like! So doing a little estimating, I am spending $169.47 per year on laundry and stain-fighting products. Approximately $14 per month. I am quite happy with that.
Little disclaimer: this collection was not created in the attempts to find the most frugal or affordable combination, but in the hopes of keeping costs in perspective while still trying to find the highest quality of laundering options.
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