Money & Earth-Saving Laundry Hacks
Zero-waste, cruelty-free and more moula in your pocket? Give me one reason not to try these zero-waste laundry hacks!
Laundry detergent and fabric softener can be expensive... and you have to keep re-buying them! This blog post is super exciting for me because it's one of the EASIEST changes my family has made. Check out why below!
Wool Dryer Balls!
My mom was skeptical of the wool dryer balls at first because she wants her clothes to smell like they were laundered and she was worried these wouldn't do the trick! It took some convincing but now we won't go back to buying fabric softener! I ordered six large wool dryer balls along with a glass bottle of Lavender essential oil! You can choose whichever scent you want your laundry to smell like. After doing tons of research, I figured out the best method is to put 3 drops of essential oil on each dryer ball an hour before doing laundry (for the first time using them). Now what I do, is after I take the clothes out of the dryer, I put the essential oil drops on so they can dry into the ball before the next load. After about a week or two you won't need to add as much because the scent will be fairly prominent already! For large loads, use 3-6, for smaller loads use 2-3.
Soap Nuts!
I can't believe I didn't try these earlier! These laundry hacks just seem like no-brainers to me. Why keep buying something over and over again when you could buy it once and be set for years! Soap nuts are a berry shell that naturally contains soap. They grow on the Sapindus mukorossi (Soap Berry) tree in the Himalayas.
"Saponin is a natural cleaner that works as a surfactant, breaking the surface tension of the water to penetrate the fibers of your clothing, lifting stains from the fabric, and leaving dirt suspended in the water that is rinsed away."
Soap nuts last a long time! If they still smell slightly fruity when they're wet, or you can see that they still suds up, then they are good to go! Your average wash uses 3-4 soap nuts in a laundry bag and they should last about 10 loads! They are very inexpensive and you can find them online or at Bulk Barn!!
Wash on Cold
Did you know that washing your clothes using the cold setting on your washing machine saves money and it better for mother earth! It's something you don't really think about because you never feel the temperature of the water that is washing your clothes, but the truth of the matter is that you're paying to heat that water! Not to mention, heat can break down the dyes in your clothes and you also risk shrinking some of your more delicate items. Clothes last longer washing on cold. Did you know that warm water actually locks stains in as well? I don't know where the rumour that hot water lifts stains came from but it couldn't be further from the truth! It doesn't matter what you treat it with either!
Tough Stains? No problem. Try a solid stain remover bar!
Super easy to use, lasts forever, and does the trick! All you do is wet a corner of the solid stain removing bar and rub it wherever the stain is! Let is dry and wash as usual! Again, cold water is best to get stains out!
Complex technology - Air drying?
Why have we forgotten this ever so simple art of using nature to dry our clothes! The sun brightens your whites and dries your clothes in no time at all! I genuinely enjoy hanging my clothes up on the drying rack outside in the sun. It's so satisfying folding them all up afterwards too.
Not so sure about the soap nuts or dryer balls yet?
If you're still not sold, that's okay! It's harder than you think to change a habit that you've been doing your whole life! Especially if you have family members that might need some convincing too! My mom wasn't so sure about the dryer balls for a long time so I ordered them before we ran out of fabric softener so that she could see how well they work and didn't have to worry about it being her only option. By the time we ran-out of fabric softener, she already loves our new friends. As for the soap nuts, I'm not going to lie, they do look a bit weird but give them a shot! In the meantime, here are some earth-friendly alternatives that you can pickup from the store!
Method Home- Lavender & Cypress Laundry Detergent
Method Home- Fabric Softener
Method Home- Stain Remover
Mrs. Meyers- Lavender Laundry Detergent
Mrs. Meyers- Lavender Fabric Softener
As you can tell, we really like lavender scented anything. If it's not your thing, both Method Home & Mrs. Meyers have tons of other scents to choose from!
I hope you find these changes as easy as my family did! I can't wait to hear from you! Let me know if you've tried any of these options and tag me in your posts! Now go save some money!! xox Kaits
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