Search Results for: blog how to hand wash clothing

How Do You Feel About Hand-Me-Downs?

“Mommy, what is fungus?” Not exactly the type of question you want to hear from your second grader at the end of the first day of the new school year. Actually, it’s not the type of question I ever want to hear from my kid unless she is reading a Science book. Yet, it was exactly the question my daughter lobbed my way as we drove home last week. “It’s a kind of spore… like mold that grows on… well… it feeds on materials like…” I stopped myself. “It’s really gross, icky stuff that you don’t want to touch.” “Why … Continue reading →

Extending Summer Clothing into Fall

Once the cooler weather hit, I knew we were in a little bit of trouble. My daughter needed clothes and we needed a bigger budget. Fortunately, I found a couple of tricks that have helped us extend her summer wardrobe into the fall. This is essence saves us from having to buy an entire season’s worth of clothing. Shorts All of those summer shorts are being put to good use under dresses as modesty insurance. With so many active things going on at school, I wanted to make sure she was covered. There are dresses and skirts with built in … Continue reading →

Can Clothing Make You Sick?

I admit that I am somewhat of a germaphobe. it all started when I had kids. It is amazing how often you think about germs when you have kids. I feel like I am in a war. Of course, I don’t win every battle, but I do my best to keep on the winning side of the war. I carry antibacterial gel in the car and encourage hand washing. I disinfect the doorknobs and toys during flu season. I don’t let the kids eat things that fall on the ground. But one thing I really haven’t thought about is germs … Continue reading →

Why You Should Wash Your Kids’ New Clothes

My 5-year-old daughter is notorious for telling my mom not to get her new clothes as gifts. “Clothes don’t count, grandma,” she bluntly reminds my mom when asked what she wants for a special occasion. Well, apparently, our other relatives didn’t get the memo because my daughter received a boatload of new outfits for Christmas (along with a ton of other requested playthings). And when I say “boatload,” I’m not exaggerating. Seriously, my kid scored enough clothes to easily fill a regulation size double scull. Her pile of new apparel was so large it wouldn’t fit into her hamper or … Continue reading →

Make Clothes Last Longer by Machine Washing Less

I just read an article about a woman who lived on a fifth floor walk-up in New York City and does he laundry by hand to save her back. The added incentive in doing her laundry by hand (in a very efficient system)is that it costs her very little to do laundry this way. This took me back to the year that I lived in New York in a 3rd floor walk up. I also found it easier to use my bath tub as a washing machine. Not only was it less expensive than visiting the laundromat which I did … Continue reading →

Home Blog Month in Review: August

Did you have a good month? We seem to have packed an entire summer’s worth of activities in this past month. Now, it seems, it is back to school and time to get ready for autumn. Still, it is nice to look back toward warm sands and wearing shorts even as we will soon be crunching leaves and taking out the sweaters. August 1st Getting Out Grass Stains With summer in full swing, chances are that your family has been playing outdoors quite a bit. And with all of that outdoor play comes the grass stains, especially if you are … Continue reading →

Minimizing Your Wash Will Maximize Your Savings 3

Do you find yourself constantly doing laundry? Each load may be costing you between $2 and $3. I have been talking about ways to minimize doing laundry and therefore maximize savings. If you missed the first two posts in this series, catch up here: Minimizing Your Wash Will Maximize Your Savings and Minimizing Your Wash Will Maximize Your Savings 2. Let’s continue with our daily scenario… Now try this. Wake up in a t-shirt and shorts. Putter around the house, then change to a more presentable outfit to take the kids to the park. Return from the park and change … Continue reading →

This is the Way We Wash our Clothes

So early in the morning? Well, sometimes, but not always. Actually, it seems like the washing machine and dryer rarely stop around here. With sheets, blankets, towels, whites, jeans, light or bright colors, dark colors… it can pile up quickly in any family. To keep clothing clean and ready to wear, try these tips: Muddying the Water The best method I’ve found for ridding clothes of mud is letting it dry, pulling off as much dried mud as possible, and then soaking the item. I never thought letting it dry would work and used to spend a lot of time … Continue reading →

How to Hand Wash Clothing

Wondering what is the best method to hand wash items? Are there times when you should dry clean them instead? Here is a quick guide on how to hand wash clothing. Check your clothing labels. Have you been machine washing items that really should be hand washed? Do you avoid buying anything that needs to be hand washed because you don’t want to go through the trouble or you aren’t sure how to do it? I used to dread items that have hand washing instructions, but now I have the method pretty much down pat. This is good, since my … Continue reading →

Using a Wringer Washer

In the previous article, we discussed how an old-fashioned wringer washer can save quite a bit of money, up to $80 a month! If you missed that article, click here: Wringer Washers Save Money. Now, we will talk about exactly how wringer washers work to get the clothes clean. A wringer washer looks like a round tub. It also has a wringer attachment on the top that looks like two rolling pins nestled together in a open frame, sometimes with a crank handle attached. To wash the clothes, you must manually fill the washer with water. You can do this … Continue reading →