How We Do Laundry While Camping Right In Our Trailer

Camping means dirty clothes and camping for a week I need to do laundry so I am sharing my how I do laundry while camping right in our trailer. You all know I love camping gadgets but my favorite this year is a way to do some small loads of laundry while RV camping,

How We Do Laundry While Camping:

Saving Money Doing Laundry

With a large family, I do a lot of laundry, I mean a LOT OF LAUNDRY. Saving money doing laundry is important and a skill I have worked at over the years. I am happy to share my money saving laundry tips.

From the cost of laundry detergent to the rising costs of utilities used to wash our laundry, it can be costly to keep our clothes clean. I will break down my steps to save money while I wash our clothes.

Saving Money Doing Laundry

Save on detergent:

1. Make your own laundry soap. Low cost, easy and easier on sensitive skin.

2. Use less. You can use about half and your clothes will come clean. Unless a load is really soiled, try using as little as you can to get your clothes clean. Think about it. According to the laundry container of course you have to use a certain amount so you have to buy more.

How To Stretch Your Laundry Detergent To Save Money

I am going to share how to stretch your laundry detergent to save money. 

First in a new series of home keeping frugal tips, is a simple way to save money on laundry soap.

I am on a mission to spend as little as possible on all my cleaning supplies and am going to share weekly in this series, new recipes to save money on cleaning products and updates on all my old, but still awesome, homemade frugal recipes for cleaning products.

I love to save money by making my own laundry detergent, but maybe you don't want to go that far, you get a great buy on some laundry detergent or you love the smell of your favorite laundry soap brand. Here is how you can still use store bought but make it last longer.

First, buy a bar of Fels Naptha or Zote Soap in the laundry section or do like me and buy it for pennies at the dollar store. Sometimes they have Zote three for a dollar. Can't beat that.

After you use some of your detergent or by pouring some into another container you will have space to add your diluted soap. Take a two cup measuring cup or anything with about two cups of hot water and just drop the bar in the water and let sit for about 15 minutes until the water is nice and white and milky.

Now just pour that two cups of diluted soap into your detergent, shake well and you have stretched your detergent by at least two cups. If I have a large bottle like above I will pour half into another container and dilute by four cups.

This really stretches your detergent, making laundry soap last longer while still washing your clothes wonderfully and saving you lots of MONEY!

Stay tuned for next week's new cleaning recipe but check out our frugal tips page  too for many other money saving tips.

How To Remove Smell From Laundry

Here is an all natural tip on how to remove smell from laundry. Getting rid of musty laundry is easy.

Has anyone else ever been faced with this problem? You wash and dry your laundry and then you pull a t-shirt out of the drawer, slip it on and go, "Phew who let the dog in? And did she roll in poop?" Well, everyone in this house has. It was becoming a common problem of clothes coming out of the laundry stinky. Didn't matter if I used my homemade soap or bought soap. The result was the same. Now you can blame it on the six stinky people in our house, or the dog beds I wash weekly or my lineman's filthy work clothes, but something was causing the stink.  

 The easiest solution is to add a little vinegar to the rinse cycle. That's it. I pour about two tablespoons into the fabric softener holder and it never fails; clean smelling washer and laundry. You may smell a little vinegar in the washing machine but you do not smell vinegar in your clothing at all. Cheap and simple solution to my conundrum.

I have also read that the vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener. Also, if you happen to forget a load of wet laundry in the washing machine and you have smelly laundry, just add some vinegar and run through just a rinse cycle and that is how you quickly deal with smelly laundry.

How to Clean Your Washing Machine

Does your washing machine smell? Does it just not look as clean as it used to? Time to clean the washing machine. Detergents and fabric softeners combine with oils in the skin on clothes to make the washing machine smell.  Let's clean the washing machine and deodorize it.

Take two cups of white vinegar and add to your machines bleach reservoir (make sure never mix bleach and vinegar) and pour a little in the fabric softener area.

Run hot water on the fullest level and let sit for two hours. Run through wash cycle.

At this time take an old toothbrush and use it dipped in vinegar to clean up and around the top of the drum and along any exposed areas.

Run through the rinse cycle now with another cup of vinegar.

On occasion, run regular loads not bleach loads with white vinegar in your fabric softener area. It will help deodorize and clean your washing machine.

**Warning: Never mix vinegar and bleach together.

Homemade Laundry Grease Stain Remover

Laundry has so many kinds of stains. Today, I am sharing my homemade laundry grease stain remover. This tip mainly comes from my hubby. They wear special shirts at work and were told to use this on the grease stains. So I tried it and it works great. That way I can work the stain as I squeeze but any old toothbrush or scrub brush will work.

All you need is Dawn dish soap but it must be Dawn. Take a small amount and rub well into the grease stain, the sooner the better. When someone gets a stain on their clothes in the house I always say hurry take that off and let me deal with that stain. Hey, clothes are expensive. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Then take your normal stain remover and spray well over the spot and scrub with an old toothbrush or soft scrub brush.  I keep my homemade grease stain remover in an old stain remover bottle with a scrubby top.

That way I can work the stain as I squeeze but any old toothbrush or scrub brush will work.Toss in the wash as usual. You can use my recipe for regular homemade laundry stain remover.

Frugal Challenge Room By Room - Saving Money in the Laundry Room

Thought I would start off this series with a room I spend a great deal of time in. With four kids, dogs and a husband that works out doors, I have to do laundry every day of the week except Sunday and at least two to three loads a day. That is sheets, clothes, dog beds. You get my drift.

So here is how I try to save money in the laundry room. I literally am going to do a detailed list of all efforts to save in this room.

1. The light:
  -Changed the ceiling fixture to a flouresent bulb years ago. It is still going strong and costs very little to run.

2. The washer:
    - Run the washer only full. This is easy for us.
   -  I have also turned down the number of minutes recently. How few can I use to get a load of laundry clean? Instead of running it 12 minutes I am now running it 10. Clothes seem fine.This may seem like nothing but two minutes times four loads is eight minutes a day times six days a so 48 less minutes the washer is churning a week. That has to save some electricity.
   - Can you get a load clean on cold water instead of warm? Our water does not get that cold in winter so I have turned up the cold tap on the warm cycle as well. If your homemade detergent does not dissolve then you can put it in a cup of hot water for a few minutes before you pour it in the washer. This has happened to me and this is what I do.
   -I do not use fabric softener so no money spent there.

3. The Dryer:
    -Keep your buzzer on. If yours is like mine it will buzz when the dryer is done and then keep going for a few more minutes. I try to get the clothes out on the first buzz.
  - Put the next load in while the dryer is warm still. This will save money on the dryer heating up again.
  -Clean the lint trap every single load.
  -I rarely use dryer sheets but if I do need one I tear them in half. Works fine and you get twice as many dryer sheets.
  -Of course you could hang your clothes. I do have a small line out back but I do use my dryer. I just don't want to spend the time with all the loads I do hanging it out. We have a gas dryer and our gas bill is very low so this is an area I feel is worth the use of the dryer.

I make my own laundry soap and stain remover. Recipes for homemade laundry detergent and stain remover
are here and here. I will buy laundry soap if I find a really great deal. Have not bought stain remover in over a year since I started making my own. You can see the post where I buy my supplies cheaply here.

Frugal Challenge - Room By Room and my Faves from the .99 Cents Store

I have been doing some inventory in our house examining where we can save in each room as part of my frugal challenge. Making my own cleaners is one way and what to buy at the dollar stores to save money making homemade cleaners. We have had brief meetings at the kitchen table reminding the kids of ways to save around the house. So I thought I would take my money saving challenge around the house and share with you so I will be doing my Frugal Challenge Room by Room.

It will challenge me to see where I can save in greater detail in each and every room.

Also wanted to share what I think are good buys at the .99 Store. Basic cleaning supplies are a good buy there and since I am committing to making as many of my own cleaners cheaply, I stocked up.

Today, I took a few bucks and bought some things I use for basic cleaners. I bought ammonia, cleanser, scouring pads, bleach (you can't find it for .99 anywhere else around here) and some dish soap.

The ammonia and dish soap go to make my homemade laundry stain remover. It will easily last the year.

The Zote which I grate for my home made laundry soap, is .59 a piece at the .99 Store. Better price than any where else. I now use Zote to make a great all purpose cleaner and also an all purpose bleach cleaner. So cheap to make my own and costs just pennies.

I also buy rubbing alcohol that I mix with water to use as my all purpose spray cleaner. It is the best glass cleaner ever and I use it on counters as well. The recipe is here. You will see other items I use like vinegar and baking soda. Check out all of our Frugal Tips on our Frugal living page.

Taming the Laundry Monster

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On a laundry theme here.

With six of us in this house I really have to stay on top of the laundry. I have developed a routine that works for me and keeps clean socks in the drawers at all times.

I find that it has to be my number one chore in the morning. After dealing with the animals I always start a load of laundry. That load is usually already in the washing machine ready to go in the morning.

As I finish that load and start a second one, I fold the loads that are done for the day and put away. I must do at least 2-3 loads a day to keep laundry from over flowing the hampers. 

I rotate the kids rooms and check their hampers about twice a week and make sure I am always washing full loads. No sense in running the washer unless it is full.

To keep laundry piles from growing too rapidly I make sure the kids know to hang up their towels and use them a few times between washing. This may gross you out but none of us have ever developed any weird skin diseases so I think we are okay. 

I do my bedding weekly and rotate the younger kids the same day. The two oldest are responsible for their own bedding. They are old enough. For the most part they can do their own laundry and often do but I will wash some of their clothes to make up a full load.

I try to get the laundry done early and put away as I just hate looking at it piled up.

Not a chore I love but if I stay on this routine I can keep it under control.

Here is a tip for you. I keep an old plastic trash can next to the washer in the laundry room. It is for all those wet rags that build up between bleach loads from cleaning and wiping up. I toss the wet rags in there and when I do a bleach load I just toss the entire can into the washer with our other whites. No more wet rags laying on the floor and strewn about waiting for wash day.

Don't forget the try my homemade laundry stain remover. Here is an e-mail from Holly about how well it works. Here is the recipe for the stain remover.

Hey Girl: Just a short note.  I made your stain remover and used it. The other day I splattered spaghetti sauce on my white t-shirt (why do I always wear white when making sauce???).  I put some on the stain and meant to wash it shortly afterward but forgot all about it.  This morning while sorting laundry I found the shIrt with the dried stain remover on it.  I squirted a little more on the stain and rubbed it a bit, threw it in the washer and you know what? IT CAME OUT!!!! ALL OF IT!!! Awesome! Thanks so much, my t-shirt and I are forever in your debt.

Homemade Laundry Stain Remover

I was so thrilled to find this recipe on ehow. I use a lot and I mean a lot of stain remover and the coupon deals have just not been there so I went in search of a recipe for one I could easily make. Now I try to keep things as natural in the house as I can but when it comes to laundry stains, I have to use the big guns with a lineman husband and a four year old.

This stain remover works GREAT!! I just cannot imagine buying premade again. It takes out blood from my daughter's scrubs and all manner of stains from the lineman. I even got chocolate milk out of a shirt today that Q managed to spill right after I told her to please not spill anything on her good shirt. Isn't that always the way?

So here it is:
Homemade Laundry Stain Remover
1 part Ammonia
1 part dish soap ( It called for Dawn but I had Joy, worked fine)
1 part water.

I just mixed in an old stain remover bottle.
Edit to add that I spray on and toss in on mild stains but I bring out the big scrub brush for tough stains. And a WARNING do not mix with bleach. Ammonia and bleach make a reaction that is very bad so I do not use this in a bleach load.

Laundry Tips And Stain Remover Guide

Here is a host laundry tips and a laundry stain remover guide. My mom was the laundry queen. She could get anything out of clothes. She kept our clothes clean and pressed so nicely. She had no dryer and had to iron weekly. She even ironed my dad's old work shirts. Below you will find a laundry stain guide to get out any kind of stain.

I try to take care of our clothes in hopes they will last longer. I check for stains before they go in the washer.

Here are some tips on what I use to keep my kids and my lineman's clothes clean. Oh and me, a messy cook and gardener.

You can see in the basket above some of my arsenal. I always keep shout for common stains. Of course treat as soon as you can. I also keep a container of vinegar for the rinse cycle. It is a wonderful chemical free softener and deodorizer. 

I want to show you these pants of my hubby's. They went through the washer and dryer and while folding I noticed a ring of a grease stain on the back side. I had missed it going in. Something I use to get out old grease stains is De-Solv-It. It is an orange oil based laundry stain remover. You put a dab on and let it sit on the stains for 30 minutes. I then spray some Shout on it and scrub with an old tooth brush to make sure the De-Solv-It doesn't leave a ring. Even though this had gone through the washer and dryer already it removed all the grease stains.

I buy it at Target or Walmart. Lasts a long time. It has removed paint from Q's clothes too. Great stuff.

**Update on grease stain remover. I now make my own laundry grease stain remover for pennies. 

Check it out. You may already have the ingredients on hand.

I have been making my own laundry soap for years and you can find the recipe here. But I also will add about a half cup of Borax in the water these days. You see we have hard water and our water softener is not working. We will replace it but it is a few items down on the list of home repairs we are working on. So I was reading up and found it helps to soften water in your laundry. This keeps whites whiter and helps to just get clothes cleaner.

I also found this great stain guide online and it tells you how to get out all manner of laundry problems.

laundry stain guide

Hope these tips are helpful. Let me know if you know of any other great tips of getting stains out. I am always working on some sort of spot on clothing in this house.

Frugal Challenge - Making Your Own Laundry Soap

I thought I would re-do this post about making your own laundry soap. I do a ton of laundry and we are all looking for ways to save on household supplies so here is how I spend very little every year on laundry soap.

One of my kids has very sensitive skin so I had to start buying the more expensive fragrance freedetergents for our laundry. And why, if they are leaving something out do you have to pay more for it? Anyway. I decided to try and make my own detergent to save money over the expensive store bought bottles. We have now been using my home-made recipe for two years and my daughter has had no problems with it and it is so inexpensive and does a great job. I figure I have spent less than $12 a year to make our laundry soap.  Below is the recipe.

1/2 grated bar of Fels Naptha or Zote laundry bar soap (Zote is only .59 at the 99cents store)
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing soda (I found mine at Walmart)
1/2 cup of Borax

Mix together. And store in a cute jar or container. I keep mine in an old crock.

I use only about a half scoop. The little scoop is from a container of Oxy Clean but it is roughly two tablespoons. I may add a little more for a really dirty load. Remember, I am married to a lineman and he can get pretty dirty some days. If you are doing a cold load and you find the grated soap does not dissolve all the way just mix in a cup of hot water first and add to the load. 

** Because this soap is not scented you can add a drop or two off essential oils to the powder mix if you'd like and I like to add a splash of white vinegar to the rinse cycle to deodorize the washer and laundry. See how I make sure we have no more smelly laundry.

Laundry Room Surface Update

My goal to clean up those flat surfaces in my laundry room that were collecting everything we didn't have a place for has been a success so far. My plan was to come up with some organizational containers and use only what I already had. No spending and I did it including making my cute chalkboard labels that I already shared here.

One big problem was recycling that was waiting to be taken outside. It was always piling up on the counter. I took a small white trashcan that was not being used in another room and slid it under my butcher block table and slapped one of those labels on there. Genius. Why I had not done this before actually shows I am not a genius but two weeks later it is working like a charm.

Already in use, I had my laundry items corralled in a basket but my daughters would always just leave the lint from the dryer on top of it. So I thought I would put a little garbage can from the bar in here and put one of those labels on it and maybe they would get the hint. It has been working great.

I tend to come in here and sort mail and open packages so I needed a place to put mail until I file it away in my desk so I took a sort of rusty metal planter that was not being used in the backyard, and hung in on the wall. A small bucket hold pens, scissors and other items we use frequently. An old baking pan holds tape and  other clips I use to organize my coupons. So I met my goal and came up with organizational areas and found supplies to create them right here in the house. $0 spent. That is always a good thing.