Ask Me Monday: What are your laundry secrets?

" I use a lot of Shout, bleach, and other stain removers. I would like to be more eco-friendly, and use less products. What do you use on your laundry?"

This is one of my favorite topics. I love to find ways of keeping laundry fresh and bright withouts chemical whitening and brightening products.

In my personal opinon, bleach is the least eco-friendly product out there! Toss it. 

While I am not perfect as I do use Dawn dishsoap ( more on that in a minute), I feel that it is way better than using bleach or a chemical stain removing product.

To treat stains I use white vinegar and Dawn Original Non Concentrated dish soap. If it is a lighter stain I just use white vinegar, if it is a heavy stain I combine it with Dawn.

For really tough stains, I like to sun my clothes. Place the wet clothing in the sun and watch the stain fade! If you like you can add a touch of lemon juice to the stain to help it fade faster.

Always do a patch test on clothing to be sure that it will not ruin your clothes.

Other things I use in my laundry are:

I add these to my wash cycle depending on the clothing I am washing.

Hydrogen Peroxide ( I love using this as a bleach alternative in the wash for my whites).

Baking soda ( I find this great for washing whites as well, it works wonderfully on dingy socks!)

Tea tree oil ( I use this as a disinfectant, a few drops works wonders on diaper laundry)

White vinegar ( As a freshener and fabric softener in the wash)

I don't use the dryer, however, when I used to use the dryer I would use white vinegar in the wash as my fabric softener. I don't like the idea of using dryer sheets or liquid fabric softeners because of the chemicals contained in them. 

I also think that using a laundry detergent that is free of perfumes and dyes is important. Your laundry will still smell fresh and clean without the chemicals and skin irritants. 

If you want scented laundry try throwing a washcloth in the dryer with a couple drops of lavender oil or another essential oil.

I hope that this helps.

Don't just take my word for it, spot test your laundry, and use common sense. These are only my opinions on what works for me.

What are your laundry secrets?

Be Happy Healthy and Strong,

Lolli