Another Windy Day for Line Drying Clothes

The wind just always seems to be blowing here in Hughville. And since I like to use the assets that are laid before me, we line dry clothes.

Normally Chase has the duties of washing at least one load of clothes a day. But this week, he didn't complete the tasks. So I washed three loads this morning and they all dried super quick. Today I am thankful for the wind on the prairie!

Tide with Dawn StainScrubbers

I bought Tide Laundry Detergent for the first time in a couple of years. I normally use my homemade detergent. Tide is not one of my favorite brands of laundry cleaner. It is strongly scented but it does have good cleaning power. I was amazed at the selections of Tide Laundry Products now on the market. There was cold water, color fast, Dawn Dish soap, Downy and probably more. Well, I opted for the Dawn StainScrubber concentrated formula.

I felt I needed Tide because I had a few items of clothing that had stains that I was not able to remove nor matter what home remedy I tried. These clothes have never been dried in the dryer so the stain was not set.

So I pretreated with Tide on a pair of khakis pants, a white T-shirt and a purple tank. Then I washed the load with my homemade laundry detergent. The Tide did a good job on removing the stains however it removed the color on the purple tank and khakis. Not bad but I could see it. I'm thinking next time, I should dilute the Tide or wet the item before treating.

A five dollar purchase well spent since it saved three pieces of favorite clothing!

Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

1/3 Bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated
½ cup Washing Soap
½ cup Borax
2 quarts water
2 quarts and 1 gallon water
2 gallon bucket

In a large saucepan, mix grated Fels Naptha Soap with 2 quarts water. Cover and heat over mid-low heat until the soap flakes are dissolved. Watch closely: it will boil over however covering it speeds the melting process. Add Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until dissolved and then remove from heat. Add 1 gallon and 2 quarts water to the bucket. Add the soap mixture and mix well. Mix occasionally over the next 24 hours while the soap cools.

Yield 2 gallons
Use ½ cup of mixture per load.

ARM & HAMMER Washing Soda is a detergent booster which adds cleaning powder to this recipe. Washing Soda helps to neutralize and eliminate odors. It is unscented and contains no water pollutants or dyes. Washing Soda is an all-natural product and an effective cleaner that is safe for the environment and your family. Washing Soda is found in the laundry aisle in some discount store and grocery stores. You can also order it online.
Note: Baking Soda should not be used in place of washing soda, completely different products.

20 Mule Team® Borax is made of 100% Borax, a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. 20 Mule Team® Borax is also safe for washing machines, plumbing or septic tanks. This product is also a laundry boost and it conditions water. So if you have soft water, you may find that you only need 1/3 cup 20 Mule Team® Borax in your recipe. 20 Mule Team® Borax is also found in the laundry aisle usually high or low on the shelf and an easy find at discount store like Wal-mart or your local grocery store. It is available through internet stores also

Fels Naptha Soap is made by Dial Soap Company and also found in laundry aisle. In my area, this is more difficult to find. I purchase it from a farm supply store that carries general household goods also. I have also seen it at a small Mom and Pop type grocery stores. Just look around in the laundry aisle as you are doing your regular shopping, you should be able to find it. Ivory Soap bar would also be an acceptable solution.

Essential oils can be added for additional scent although they do impact the cost. I prefer to save them for the vinegar rinse.

Drying Clothes on the Outside Clothes Line

It was a perfect day for line drying: the weather was warm and sunny with a slight breeze!

Kirk and I put up these clothes line poles last year. I had not had an outside line for nearly seven years! And now I use the line almost everyday and I have unplugged my dryer for the summer.

Our house is not convenient for outside line. I actually need to carry the baskets quite a distant. For that reason, I will often wash all my laundry for the day and head out only once with all my wet clothes. I will often enlist a young one to help me carry baskets. Today we washed four loads and quickly filled the lines.

You can sometimes find clothes line poles for free. They are many people who don't use their poles so spread the word that you are looking. Local tradio shows or small paper want ads are a great place to start. I had three return calls when I advertised and these were given to us. We just had to dig them out!

Organize the laundry room and make washing fun

Like many families, our laundry pile seems to be a never-ending job. I try to wash one or two loads daily in order to keep on top of things. However I don’t always achieve that goal and often fall behind. In efforts to relieve myself of all the laundry duties, I have begun to enlist my children in helping with this process. (I know probably something I should have done a long time ago.) Laundry is just one of many basic skills I have neglected to teach them. Jaden, my homeschooler, has picked up on the task nicely and now helps out with collecting and sorting the clothes. The other two children are older but at school the majority of the day and missed out on the daily training. Well it is time for everyone to learn how to wash the clothes!

So I designed a clear set of instructions for the laundry room. I implemented this three basket laundry cart for sorting the clothes. Since I generally sort using four piles, I also added a hamper that we no longer use. This gives us four piles: whites, light colors, dark colors and towels. I used 3 x 5 recipe cards and wrote clear instructions on what is consider a white, light color, ect. On the cards, I also listed details on what temperature, pre-treaters and soaps to use and them some “what ifs” and how to handle a stain or particularly smelly batch of clothes. Any dryer times and temperatures were not an issue here since we rarely use the dryer. However I would suggest a dryer family to also list dryer information. Shrinkage is a major factor and something to avoid if at all possible.

Next I added a card to the washing machine for “specials”. Any clothes that need special attention should be placed directly on the machine. This ensures stains and spills won’t get missed. These clothes can be pre-treated as necessary and hopeful avoid permanent damage. Sport uniforms, leotard, and swimming suits should also be placed here for immediate washing. Then they won’t be lost in the dirty laundry when it’s time for practice or game time!



I also made notes on the washing machine panel with a washable kids maker indicating the general wash cycle, water level and temperature. As you can see, my biggest concern was the knob not being turned in the appropriate direction. Enlisting the kids to help certainly won’t be profitable if the knob ended up broken!

I gave them all a brief tour discussing the laundry and should the lists of general instructions. After a few basic questions, they all felt like this was a system that could work. With the 3 x 5 cards as a reference, anyone here should be able to handle the laundry duties therefore keep us all clean and neat!