Tag Archives: detergent

Dishwashing the Green Way

If you have a dishwasher, you probably love the easy of adding the dishes, putting in the detergent, and letting the dishwasher do all the work for you. But, even using the dishwasher may be harmful to the environment. First of all, it would help if you had an Energy Star dishwasher. This will save on both energy (some use up to 25% less than traditional dishwashers) and water. Don’t put your dishwasher next to your refrigerator if you can help it. The heat generated by your dishwasher will just cause your refrigerator to work harder to keep cooler. Another … Continue reading →

Fels Naptha Soap

So many frugal recipes and practices mention the use of Fels Naptha soap, It is used for everything from a laundry stain remover to poison ivy. But what is Fels Naptha Soap and where can you find it? Is it toxic? We’ll answer all of your most frequently asked questions about this soap and explain how it can save money. Fels Naptha Soap, although not common today was probably well known by your great grandparents or great-great grandparents. That is because around 100 years ago, it was the most popular and commonly used laundry soap. When Fels Naptha came along, … Continue reading →

Emergency Laundry Detergent

There it is, at least three days until the next paycheck, and you find yourself with ten loads of laundry and no laundry detergent. What can you do besides going around naked? Here is how to get by, frugally, until you can stock up again. First, prioritize the clothes that need to get washed or else. Sure, you’d love to wear your favorite pair of jeans, but perhaps getting your husband’s underwear washed is more important, unless he can do without it. In an emergency, it usually perfectly fine to do one load of wash that combines different colors. Just … Continue reading →

Are You Wasting Laundry Detergent?

I am always surprised by how much laundry detergent the average person uses for a wash load. Watching a friend throw some laundry in her machine the other day, I observed her method of just filling the cap up to the top with liquid detergent and tossing it in. She didn’t even look to see if the detergent went past the fill line. Not only was she using more detergent than she needed, but she was also ruining the life of her clothing, by leaving all of that extra detergent to absorb into her items. Using less of something is … Continue reading →

Space Age System: Wash Your Clothes without Detergent?

I have been laundry obsessed lately. Our washer broke down last week, making me realize how much laundry I actually do in a week. I normally do about two loads of laundry a day without even thinking about it because it is just part of my daily routine. But when it builds up, look out! We lost the cat sometime yesterday. My guess is he is somewhere hiding under a load of whites. It isn’t easy to lose track of a 15-pound cat, so that gives you some idea of how bad things have gotten with the laundry. Happily, we … Continue reading →

Frugal Laundry: Make Your Own “Detergent”

Okay, this is a really ironic blog for me to post today. You see, on Sunday, the day before inspections on out home that we are selling, all heck broke loose. Let’s just say numerous things broke down, including our washing machine. I was about to head out to the laundry mat, when a dear friend I know off line, Miss Kitty, offered to let me to bring my dirty laundry over to her house. This is a case of bringing the mountain (Mount Washmore) to Mohammed (my very wise and frugal friend). Fortunately, she only lives the next town … Continue reading →

The Dishwasher As Energy Saver and Friend

Here are some tips to save time, energy and money while operating the dishwasher in your home. (Share these with your friends, but not the other machines in your home as they may become jealous and stop operating.) 1. Run the dishwasher only when you have a full load. It’s much cheaper that way. 2. Save energy by using the air-dry method rather than heat dry. It may not be as fast, but is more energy-efficient. The door can be opened to speed up the drying process at the end of the cycle and if your dryer does not have … Continue reading →