The Dishwasher

Unless something out of the ordinary happens, I only use my dishwasher once per day. When money starts to get tight, I just do the dishes to save on our water usage and electricity. There have also been times when I've used it only every other day. I do love my dishwasher and appreciate the time and work it saves me. :)

Recently I ran out of dishwasher powder, I normally use a cheap brand like Aldi's or SaveAlots. Walmart's own brand works fine too. I decided to question the cost on this item so of course I got on the internet. I found this recipe: equal parts baking soda and borax. Some recipes call for salt to be added to this, but I haven't tried it yet. I simply put one tablespoon of each in the compartment.

I also use dry citric acid in the open compartment and it helps a lot with our hard water. My husband (who is very astute in chemistry) had done some research on lemi shine which we used to buy and found out this was the key ingredient. He ordered a ton of this and started to sell it at his work. He made our money back that he invested plus had enough left over for us to use. How nice!

That Friendly Solar-Powered Dryer

Besides saving electricity, laundry dried on a clothesline smells wonderful.

I keep extra clothespins in a basket that hangs behind the washer and electric dryer. You may also wish to have a clothespin bag. You can make one of these easily. An apron with large pockets for clothespins and of course some laundry baskets. I often make my own laundry detergent, but usually use a store-bought fabric softener. I've not had much luck with the vinegar/baking soda homemade one. My clothesline has 4 lines so I always have room for plenty of items. Some things simply don't dry well outside so sometimes I'll use both the clothesline and dryer at the same time.

I hang shirts upside down with a pin in the middle to prevent as many wrinkles as possible.

I hang underwear by the crotch to hopefully take advantage of the bleaching properties of the sun. I won't go into that one any further!

My husband and children and I especially enjoy sheets dried on the line. Ahhh!

Daily Laundry

Once you are caught up on yor laundry, you will need to keep it that way. This is how I do it. It is certainly not ever written in stone so don't get hung up on you must do this much even when something else needs your attention like a sick child, family emergency, etc.

One day per week is scheduled as heavy laundry day. You will want to stay caught up on this day and do whatever did not get done on your other days. You may wish to have one day as your "odd load" day. On this day, you will wash whatever you wouldn't wash in a normal load like anything delicate or needs a special wash. Eventually, you will find things you put off before will simply fall into this category and you will begin to keep up with them. The other days you will do 2 loads per day or more according to your family size. Remember, you will be removing unwanted and outgrown clothing as you go so hopefully the amount of clothing in your home will lessen. I normally take Sunday off and one other day per week (usually a day I will be gone from home) according to how much laundry I have at the time.

Whatever you do, make sure the laundry you do that day gets put away on that day. I struggle with this because I'm normally exhausted at the end of the day so I must start early. Every item needs to have a place. Hangup clothing needs hungs, towels need to be in their place, sheets and pillowcases need a place and all hung or folded neatly for ease of use. If you do not have a place for something, you will need to rethink an area and use it for needed storage.

Hope this helps.

About the Laundry-Catching Up

Doesn't it pile up terribly? Catching up isn't easy, but can be done. First, grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee and a notebook. You also need to get over the guilt. You may have had many distractions (illness, other work, fatigue) that has allowed your laundry to pile up into Mt. Washmore. Whatever it was, you will be doing something about it today. :)

Decide on your menus during this time of catching up. Make dinner simple, satisfying, nutritious and delicious for your family. Start it early when you have energy in the crock pot if at all possible, but you will need to focus on this laundry monster most of your day. Your family will appreciate it.

Keep your basic routines in place. Dishes done. Beds made. Floors swept. Stuff picked up. Have kids help if you need or can. Don't worry about organizing your office or decluttering right now. You will be reducing the amount of clothing in your home as you go.

Make sure you have things you need on hand to do a lot of laundry. You don't want to run out of something while you are on a roll!

You will need to decide how bad it actually is and what options you might take. If your family is constantly searching through the dirty clothes for something to wear. If your husband is getting grouchy. If your kids are constantly saying they have nothing to wear and you can't find anything either. You might want to use one of these options. You might want to take the backed up part of your laundry to the laundromat. I know, this is not fun or inexpensive, but your are behind and need to catch up. You can do several loads at once and have them dried and put away in one morning. You might want to hire help with this chore. If money is an issue, you might want to trade babysitting with a busy mom if she will help you get the laundry done or at least caught up. A date night can be a very motivating thing! Perhaps a friend could let you use her big Neptune-type washer and dryer in exchange for some other work you could do for her. Be creative and figure out a way.

I divide my laundry up into 3 basic categories: colors/darks, lighter colors, and odd loads-meaning whatever it is (nighties, rugs, curtains) it needs a special type of care to get cleaned. I do have a hand wash cycle on my washer, so I do use that. I used to let odd loads pile up until I had a full load, but it was just taking too long to actually get done. I like to do a light load, then a dark load and then an odd load. This might be a load of jeans, then towels, then my nighties. You know best what you have need to get clean first and foremost.

If you can hang some odd loads up to dry, this will help keep from getting backed up waiting for the dryer to finish. I do have a clothesline I use, but some things can be hung in the bathroom or laundry room. My husband loves the fresh smell of sheets hung out on the line and so do I. :)

Keep a sack with you wherever you are doing laundry. This is to put anything you may wish to donate or give to a friend. You may want to schedule a "fashion show" with kids to see what still fits or can be passed down. You may wish to have another for mending. You will need to set aside a time for mending and get on this as quickly as possible. You don't want it to pile up, plus it is a sit-down job. :) It might be when you are winding down before bed.

You may want to get some dry cleaning done which can be pricey. I haven't tried the new-dry-cleaning-at-home products, but you may want to. If money is an issue, you might want to just take one or two items every pay period until you are caught up. I love fabrics that need dry cleaned, but often just don't purchase them simply because of cost and upkeep. You may want to consider donating these items if they are not worn often.

Anyway, hopefully you will be caught up within reason soon and able to keep a better handle on your laundry at least until the next big thing comes up!

The Perfect Pitcher of Iced Tea

First, use 4 tea bags. I take the tags off mine. Pour some cool water over them in a 2 quart pitcher. Boil some more water in kettle or pan. Do not boil your tea bags. When water comes to a boil, remove it from heat and pour over the cool water/tea mixture. Let steep. Add additional cool water to make 2 quarts. Add 1 cup of sugar or sweeten as desired. Some people will freeze some of this tea for ice cube so that the tea remains the same strength. I haven't quite got there yet!