Laundry Room Series: Wrap-Up

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I've finished cleaning another room without toxic chemicals, how about you?! In case you missed a post, and for your convenience, here are all my laundry room cleaning posts (plus some more!) in once place:

• Natural Detergent Options
• Natural Stain Remover
• Cut the Dryer Sheets and Your Dry Time!
• Cleaning a Top-Loading Washing Machine
• Cleaning a Front-Loading Washing Machine (from Clean & Scentsible)
• Detailing Your Dryer (aka: Prevent dryer fire!)

Laundry Room Series: Detailing Your Dryer

I know your "spring cleaning" chores are over since we're heading into sunny summer days packed with fun and vacations, but if you're going to be drying a bunch of towels from your long pool days in your dryer, then listen up!
 
Dryer fires accounted for 16,800 home fires in the U.S. in 2010, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Also, they say "the leading cause of clothes dryer and washer fires is failure to clean them." Detailing your dryer can also increase your dryer's efficiency. Duh?! If we clean out all the built up lint and gunk, our dryers will work better! I took the challenge myself last night with the used dryer we've had for about 10 months.

Laundry Room Series: Cleaning a Top-Loading Washing Machine

Your washing machine probably works hard for you, and rarely, or let's admit, never, gets a scrub of its own. It woks tirelessly, scrubbing, rinsing, scrubbing, rinsing, for you, and gets nothing in return. Oh, that sounds so sad! Seriously, though, your washer probably has some build up in places you can and can't see and could use a good cleaning a couple times a year. I just got a used top-loading washer that was all fixed up by my appliance guy, so I figured it was a good time to try this out. Here are instructions for cleaning a front-loading washer.

Laundry Room Series: Cut the dryer sheets and your dry time!!

Over a year ago I purchased and began using three different types of wool dryer balls.  What are wool dryer balls?  They're large balls of wool used with every load you throw in the dryer.  They replace dryer sheets and help reduce dry time!!  The latter is my favorite part, and they do work.  I can dry two sets of queen size sheets in one cycle if I disperse the balls throughout the sheets when I put them in the dryer.  It's recommended that you use about a dozen wool dryer balls at a time.  Also, if you're allergic to wool, you can still use these because the wool isn't being directly applied to your skin.  First are the Woolzies Dryer Balls.

These are the largest and best priced of the three types I got.  They're handmade from New Zealand wool, helping providing a sustainable living.  They seem to lose their density over time, which also makes them less effective over time.

Laundry Room Series: Natural Stain Remover

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As I shared in my previous post on detergent, what I cleaned my clothes with was a huge concern for me after beginning to switch to natural alternatives. Detergent was one of the first to change. Last year, I discovered a wonderful natural stain remover, too, that I've put to use often with my active little man. So far, it has removed:

• Grass stains
• Blood stains
• Puke stains

What IS this amazing stain remover? One of the most simple answers on the planet...

Laundry Room Series: Natural Detergent Options

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Soon after discovering the high toxicity levels in the products around my home, laundry detergent was high on my list to replace fast. The clothes that are against my skin all day, all the time have soaked up the toxins in the soap they're washed in and are transferred to my body. And what's absorbed through my skin goes into my blood stream, thereby affecting my entire body. When broken down as such, it sounds a little scary, right? It did to me anyway, so I looked for a solution. Many natural bloggers offer DIY solutions involving things like boiling huge amounts of liquids, grating soap bars, and other labor and time intensive activities. That was an immediate turn off! I have found simple, natural laundry detergent solutions!!