Play It Again :: Kinda Krunchy: Laundry

This is my laundry dream team!

We are currently using the Kirkland brand environmentally friendly laundry detergent from Costco. This detergent is made from biodegradable cleaning agents, made from all plant based cleaning agents (no icky stuff!), contains no phosphates or dyes, and has a light lavender scent that is completely natural. It cost 13.99 for an advertised 110 loads of laundry; this breaks down to $.127 per load. Because we have a high efficiency washer and we don’t get our clothes super dirty I usually use 1/3 – 1/2 less detergent than called for which ends up costing us $.09 or less per load. Next time we need laundry detergent we will be purchasing Ecos instead; it is also just as fantastically natural as the Kirkland. It costs 13.39 for an advertised 210 loads which is $.06 per load. Imagine if I cut the amount of detergent that I use even further – wow!

The only problem that I have with laundry detergent from Costco is the big packages that it comes in. To solve that problem I saved a few of the last All Small and Mighty bottles that I used and pour the Costco detergent into those smaller and easier to manage bottles. That just makes things simpler.

I refuse to use commercial fabric softener – it’s expensive! And it’s not very natural or healthy for our bodies. I have been using dryer balls that we purchased with gift cards from our wedding. They work very well in the dryer but we still had some issues with static cling. Not any more! I put about a tablespoon of vinegar in the softener compartment of my washer before washing loads that typically produce static and have had no problems with – even when I washed our sheets! When I first mentioned this idea to Cole his response echoed my thoughts “If my clothes smell like vinegar when they are done we are not using vinegar” – and they don’t! I promise! You can purchase 1.32 gallons of vinegar for $2.99 at Costco. And like with the laundry detergent, I divide that vinegar into smaller containers: old vinegar bottles and my spray bottles for cleaning.

The last member of my dream team is Hydrogen Peroxide. A combination of half hydrogen peroxide-half water can replace that nasty bottle of bleach from the store. Note: this is a good bleach for whites not for colors (colors may become MUCH lighter after a washing with hydrogen peroxide). I use a few tablespoons of this bleach in my white loads and it works wonderfully! My hubby runs in white t-shirts, I walk around in the garden in my white athletic socks (silly, but I always seem to do it!), and white undergarments show the stress of sweat quite easily. Those dirty icky little stains come right out when washed with this great combination! Walgreens will often have three sixteen ounce bottles on sale for $.99. Costco sells 64 ounces for $2.09. I empty half of a peroxide bottle into a spray bottle for house cleaning and then fill it the rest of the way with water for use in the wash.

The beautiful thing about green-ing our laundry routine is that it takes no more work now than it did before. And boy, do we reap the benefits! We are paying significantly less for healthier and cleaner clothes!

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Since writing this post, we have just finished our Kirkland brand laundry detergent and are now using Ecos brand. It is amazing as well! And super cheap naturally clean and yummy smelling laundry is awesome!