The Zen of Laundry

As most Biters know, I am not over-domesticated.  I end up ordering out more than cooking in (or heating up a pizza, etc), and well, of recent, with all my animals (dog, 2 cats, 6 chicks, and a horse), I had to get some help with the cleaning. The one thing that I love to do though is laundry.  I can take my time and sort colors, put pre-wash stain stuff on places where above-mentioned pizza may have dribbled down onto my white sweater, and just slow down a bit on Sunday am.  (This is one area where Heather and I are exactly the same - we both love doing laundry.) I then set aside some time to call friends while I fold.

Well, it took some convincing for me to use the cold cycle. I just love clean clothing, and I get dirty quite often (think: riding clothes!). 

But I did a test with two slightly smelly turtlenecks that I wore riding.  They weren't uber dirty, mind you.  But after I did this test I smelled the pits.  And I couldn't tell a difference.  So I am converted.  Chalk one up for the still-very-clean cold cycle.  BTW, I used ECOVER detergent and pre-wash stain gel thingy with bristle top in case you are curious.  ;-)

Off to fold and chat with Nashie - Jen
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I have a front load washer (energy star) that requires the special HE detergent. Is there an ecobrand that's HE friendly for my washer?
i try to use cold as well but it really does not work on poo-stained cloth baby diapers. for those you truly do need to use hot!
For stuff that's really stinky, so stinky you just know cold water's not going to get out all the stink- like dog stink- use plain white vinegar in your cold water wash. It gets the stink out and the vinegar smell goes away when it dries. (It also keeps dye from bleeding. No more pink socks.- Unless you like pink socks.) You can also put vinegar in a spray bottle with 4 parts water and spray it on like Fabreeze without worrying about all the weird chemicals. The pickle smell really does go away when it dries. I promise!
I've used Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds for all my laundry needs for years. It's unbelievable at removing stains and very gentle on my clothes. How something that can effectively remove bug guts from the car, yet be so gentle on my clothes is beyond me, but it works wonders and only takes about 1/8 cup per load. Also use Ecover softener for my towells. You can buy these at any health food store and some grocery stores. Look for the book, Clean House, Clean Planet, Karen Logan and discover all of her enviro-friendly home-made cleaning ideas. You will never buy those bleach cleansers again!
I've washed in cold for years, which is probably the best thing you can do to preserve your wardrobe. If you're worried about odor, add a few drops of any kind of essential oil you like to your liquid detergent before you put it in the wash...lavender, amber, patchouli (if you're so inclined) all work really well, and leave the entire load mildly scented. It even worked on my dog's blankie!
Anyone have good suggestions on removing or preventing underarm stains? I've been washing my clothes in cold for years, but I recently heard that you should use hot to prevent yellow patches. Any good tips on this?
Ann, I believe the liquid 7th Generation detergent I have at home says "Safe for HE/front loading machines" on the front of the container.
How does Cold water compare for disinfecting things and killing bacteria? I read you should do your sheets and towels in Hot water in order to get them clean enough.
I've done the tests, but I find that socks, underwear, towels, sheets and anything my cat may have peed on must be washed in at least warm. I always use a cold rinse cycle though. I have never heard of a reason that the rinse cycle should be anything but cold!
I had a discussion with my plumber a few years back and he said I should wash my clothes in warm/hot water and get them quickly into the dryer as they would dry faster and use less energy than wet cold clothes going into the dryer. Anybody have any comments?

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