Ever stopped to consider just how much soap and detergent you use? It's probably a lot!
If you think about it, the more you use, the more the makers earn on their products and the better it is for them. So it's in their best interest to advise you to use more than you really need.
Try decreasing how much you use, and see if you get the same result! I've found I actually get a better result on laundry using half the recommended amount of detergent! Too much detergent doesn't rinse completely off, leaving a residue that attracts more dirt and retains odors. To test this out, run a load of laundry without adding any detergent. Open it up during the wash, and look to see if the water is cloudy and sudsy like it would be if you had added detergent. If it is, then you're using too much and it's staying on your laundry!
Test out other products too, you may be using a lot more dish detergent, soap, shampoo and toothpaste than you really need to adequately get the job done. Remember those extra products take ingredients and energy to produce and transport, and when you rinse it down the drain it doesn't stop existing. Whether you're using hyped up green products, salon stuff or bargain shelf stuff it adds to waste water and has an impact on the environment when it's released. So much waste is produced that even biodegradable products take longer to break down than they should.
I'd eventually like to make our own laundry detergent, but haven't been able to locate washing soda in a store yet. Regular "green" laundry products are way out of our price range, but for now I'm content knowing I'm reducing our footprint by using less of the regular stuff. Better for the planet and our wallets!
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Good point on the laundry!
ReplyDeleteAnd it is ridiculous how much most green products cost. Also, something I've found with green products (and why I've sort of lost all trust for the green label on things) is that some green products actually do more damage at some point in the way then their supposedly-less-environmentally friendly counterparts. I heard somewhere that the hybrid cars actually produce more damaging pollutants in manufacturing and transport of goods then a number of gas gussler produce in their life times.
So. That's an interesting thing to think of. We can't trust anything really be the way its pitched to us...
OH! Another thing-- maybe you can help with. Mom does the laundry most of the time, but the clothes keep coming out smelling like someone has peed all over them. We can't figure out what it is.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the cat peed in the washer? Is the litterbox still on top of there?
ReplyDeleteI'd run the washer with no clothes in it or detergent, with some vinegar. Running vinegar through it helps clean out the inside of the washer and should remove any lingering funk, plus some of the hard water buildup.
If that doesn't help, maybe your clothes have a detergent build up. Try running them through the wash on hot without adding any detergent. If it's foamy at all (open the lid during the wash to see) keep running the rinse cycle until it's not. Detergent residue can hang onto body soil or any other funk and make it not want to rinse out.
Check the detergent you're using, if it says "lasting fragrance" "brighteners" or any variation, that means it's designed not to rinse out well. Might be a good idea to buy something else and try a couple loads.