Laundry. A chore. A science. An art.

[temporal1]

There is so much “left unsaid” about laundry.

As i’m doing laundry, i think of “my 2 mothers,” my dear bio mother, and my dear mother-in-law.
Two very different women, one born in 1916, one in 1917. One with 6 children, one with 4.
Many similar experiences, similar circumstances, yet, different beings. So interesting.

The Great Depression influenced this generation in all ways for all their lives.

i can’t think of anything-laundry that could not find a place in this thread.
even its history and future.

SUDS
Dealing with annoying suds is the initial motivator for this thread.
Suds have been a particular annoyance for me since living with well water/water softener.

.. to be continued ..

[temporal1]

My granddaughter, nearly 13, has the folding+putting away chores.
i must send this meme to her!
When i’m with them, i joyfully help her with her chores. i love it.
i love being with them. any work with them is better than any vacation.

[temporal1]

SUDS
Dealing with annoying suds is the initial motivator for this thread.
Suds have been a particular annoyance for me since living with well water/water softener.

Sometimes i think about visiting with the washing machine engineers at Whirlpool about SUDS.

[Somebody]

Laundry. One of my favorite jobs! I love the smell of line dried sheets & bedding. The softness of towels that flapped in the wind until they are as soft as if they came out of the dryer. Listening to the birds sing as I hang wash on the lines.

[temporal1]

Laundry. One of my favorite jobs! I love the smell of line dried sheets & bedding. The softness of towels that flapped in the wind until they are as soft as if they came out of the dryer. Listening to the birds sing as I hang wash on the lines.

There is an art to it.

It’s been a lot of things to me over the years of my life.
i remember my mother using a wringer washer. dryers were not always part of it, even when we had a dryer, it was used sparingly, to save money. i recall clothes lines of diapers drying in the house in cold months. she would put the guys’ jeans and work pants on wire stretchers to dry.

after high school, i traveled to Vermont, surprised to see clothes hanging outside to dry in winter, with snow on the ground!

before perma press fabrics, we girls would prep and iron BUSHEL BASKETS of laundry every week.

the early perma press fabrics were not reliable, often needed ironing or touch-up ironing!
it could be frustrating to buy clothing that looked great, perma press shirts, for instance, but they might be sewn with all-cotton thread - that would shrink, even tho the rest of the shirt didn’t!
that mismatch is uncommon now. my mother would grumble.

no hanging laundry outside when mulberries were ripe, tho.

i don’t use an iron often now.
i’ve grown adept at letting the dryer do some of the work, after a few minutes in, i grab garments and hang them to finish drying. it works well. i have a dryer, but use it sparingly, and strategically.

[temporal1]

SUDS / VINEGAR
i wish i could find the article i read last winter on washing dark clothes in vinegar.
it revolutionized my dark laundry. i’m kinda new to using vinegar for laundry-cleaning.
i know it’s a staple for some.

first, warnings.
1. vinegar is not for all uses, all surfaces;
2. don’t mix vinegar with bleach. there can be a toxic reaction.

The article suggested soaking dark clothes overnight in a vinegar-water solution.
Then washing the clothes, the vinegar and soaking would have loosened soil.
i was not convinced or confident, but .. why not try??

i filled my standard washer with cold water, added 3 cups distilled white vinegar (guessing quantities) added dark clothes, nothing “linty” like towels or flannel. (also, my dark clothes are not heavily soiled, like children’s or mechanics’.)

this soaked overnight, 12 hours, i “agitated” the washer a few times, when i walked by. then, i finished with the machine wash+rinse cycles, not adding detergent. i added one more rinse.

voila’! i was happy with the results. NO SUDS involved.
no soapy residue that sometimes shows up on dark clothes. soft. i’m convinced.

the pro-vinegar article said soap residue causes darks to be less vivid, fabrics to not be as soft.
i believe i agree. (soap residue in bath towels is a challenge.)

i have not tried this on whites or pastels, towels. maybe i should.
i have sometimes put a cup of vinegar in rinse water. no harm done, but no striking difference, either.

[temporal1]

Healthline / ”How to Clean Laundry with Vinegar: 8 Earth-Friendly Uses and Benefits”
https://www.healthline.com/health/vinegar-in-laundry

One of the best alternatives to commercial laundry detergents is probably in your pantry right now: vinegar.

You can wash your laundry with distilled, white vinegar as well as apple cider vinegar. Vinegar has a number of benefits, both as a food and as a cleaning aid.

Vinegar works by loosening zinc salts or aluminum chloride, which means that dirt won’t stick to your clothing. In addition to this, vinegar has antibacterial properties.

Washing your clothing with vinegar will leave your clothes odorless — and no, they won’t smell like vinegar. What’s more is that vinegar is relatively cheap and environmentally friendly.

Keep reading to discover 8 earth-friendly uses and benefits of vinegar for your laundry. - - -

hmm. encouraging.
i have a load of darks started in the machine for an overnight vinegar soak now.

i’m gaining confidence about leaving SUDS behind.

vinegar turns out to be odorless. i use BOUNCE dryer sheets to add a bit of pleasant fragrance.

i also use “Shout Color-Catchers” when expecting colors to fade. They’ve worked well.
i don’t use them often, so price is not a big factor.
https://www.shoutitout.com/en-us/produc ... ping-sheet

[Somebody]

I started using way less laundry soap than recommended. The wash still gets clean and I save a lot of money.

Baking soda also helps to take odors out. I also use washing soda added to extra dirty loads. Sometimes I used vinegar instead of fabric softener. I rarely ever use fabric softener. I also rarely use a dryer.

I remember once I was old enough to help mom with the washing. We used a wringer washer. She also had a automatic washer which she used for the Sunday clothes & washing diapers.

[temporal1]

Somebody:
I started using way less laundry soap than recommended.
The wash still gets clean and I save a lot of money. ..

Similar here.
Years ago, i read the goal of conventional washing with laundry detergents should be to have a “thin” layer of suds, no need for more detergent than that. i put it into practice.

When i moved to well water/water softener, this became almost impossible. Maybe impossible.

i went through all sorts of antics to try to remove SUDS.
every load became a challenge. mostly, i used a large bowl, scooped SUDS, emptied in the bathtub.
this could take several trips. even with a small amount of detergent. i have the water softener “cycling” only twice daily. i don’t need much, i don’t think less cycling is needed.

i even bought a small SHOP-VAC to attempt to help. no. too much bother.
scooping and emptying were easier.

then i discovered the article on vinegar. (i can’t find the first one.)
i was reluctant, then really pleased with the first try - black clothing.

now i’ve tried dark colors, not solely black. looking good!

now that i’ve read the Healthlines article above, my next attempt will be light colored towels.
i’m hopeful.
‘way less work, plus, better outcome. we’ll see. no soap residue in towels sounds great.

It’s hard to let go of laundry detergent.
But, step by step, i’m letting go.

[temporal1]

Special hangers

i depend on special hangers.
Before they were discontinued, i bought several WOOLITE drying hangers.
They are padded with a non-absorbent material, aids drying, also, nonslip.
i hope not to part with them. my daughter confiscated a couple ..

Then, TIDE offered their style.
i have a few. i use both. i like both.
For garments that are wet or damp, they prevent hanger-marks, odd stretching.
When garments are dry, i transfer most to regular hangers, or fold+store.

The TIDE hangers are great for men’s shirts. broader shoulders. and knits.

i don’t use wire hangers (that i grew up with). different weights plastic are nicer.



i have a couple of different indoor drying contraptions, i use both:





And, the shower curtain rod in the bathroom works well for hanging things.
In humid weather, i use a small fan to keep air circulating. No heat needed.