Hanging Laundry

 

 

I have always enjoyed line drying our laundry, but I haven't had much of an opportunity except for drying a little here and there over the doors or occasionally using the shower curtain rod in the bathroom.

Our dog is in the back yard with the clothesline, and until he is moved, there won't be any laundry hung out there with him.  I have imagined some interesting visuals of him running through the yard with specific pieces of clothing. 

I saw a comment on a blog post about frugality where a girl said that her mother hung an extra long shower rod over her washer and dryer.  I was thrilled to read that because I had never thought about doing that.  Laundry hanging problem solved, and I can do it rain or shine!  Plus, if I use hangers, it will save time for those things that I would already hang up anyway.

Why I think it's a good idea to hang laundry as much as possible:

• Less wear and tear on clothes
• Less wear and tear on the dryer
• Saves money on the electricity bill

I ordered my shower rod from Amazon.com.  Click here for the link.

Laundry Soap (Home-made)

Home-made laundry soap

I have been making home-made laundry soap for awhile now. I doubt I'll ever go back to the other kind.

There are a lot of recipes on the internet but this is the one I use.

You will need:

Five Gallon Bucket

Hot water
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
1 bar Soap (grated) (I use either Castille Soap or Fels Naptha)

• In a pot, place grated soap. Cover the soap with water. Heat until melted.
  
• Fill a five gallon bucket half full with HOT water
• add melted soap mixture
• stir
• add washing soda and borax and stir until dissolved

You may use it right away. It will gel overnight. I use a soup ladle and 1 cup per load.

This site has a GREAT tutorial and analysis and even a video! Check it out. He is really detailed.

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/09/making-your-own-laundry-detergent-a-detailed-visual-guide/

Here is another link for 10 different recipes. You may find another you like better than mine or one that is more detailed. Play around with it and have fun!

http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/