Tag Archives: laundry

Wool Wash

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I use relatively simple, non-toxic cleaners for everything, whether it be dishes, clothes, our bodies or general cleaning.  Here is a recipe I found on the internet for washing woollens.  I have adapted it slightly but you can also read the original here.

Rather than using soap flakes, I grated Sunlight soap.

I used my food processor with the grater attachment.

Here are the utensils I used.

The ingredients

and

Wool Wash Mixture

2 cups grated soap
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup methylated spirits
10ml eucalyptus oil
1 cup water, extra

Grate the soap into a large bowl and add boiling water.  Blend thoroughly.

Add methylated spirits and eucalyptus oil and blend a bit more.

Add 1 cup of cool water and mix again.

Allow to cool a little before pouring the mixture into a suitable wide-necked container.  I used an old Napisan container.  It does need a wide neck as the mixture is quite firm when it sets so you need an old spoon to scoop it out.

To use the mixture I put about a tablespoon of mixture in a bucket with some hot water and mix until it is dissolved then add add more water until it is tepid and use this for washing woolen knitwear and other handwashing.

**EXTRA FRUGAL TIP**

Make sure you have some items ready to wash before you make up the mixture.

Rinse all of the utensils used in a bucket of warm water and the residue will be sufficient to make a solution of wool wash for your waiting clothes.

Keep It Simple – Laundry

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After reading ‘Simplify’ I keep looking at how I can make various aspects of my life as simple as possible.  The laundry is one example.

I have previously written about tips and tricks for the laundry as well as organisation.

We do not need umpteen different cleaning agents or hair products and the same goes for washing clothes.  This shows all of my laundry products in 2 small racks inside the cupboard door.

2012-01-26 01In the top rack is pre-soak which I use occasionally, box of Sunlight soap and the washing liquid.  Half a capful of liquid is all I need for a load of washing in my front-loading machine.  I use Sunlight soap in a soap saver for most of the hand-washing that I do or rarely a couple of drops of the laundry liquid.

The bottom rack has a cut-down container and tablespoon which I use to measure the pre-soak and dissolve it before adding to a bucket of hot water.  I have a bar of Sard Wonder soap which I store in the container.  Beside this is a partly used container of Napisan which is from when I was soaking cloth nappies for my young grand-daughter.  She no longer wears nappies but I have kept the Napisan as it can be useful for soaking to remove stubborn stains.  Once it is used up I will not replace it.

Laundry Tips (Part 2)

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Following the comments on yesterday’s post I thought I would do a bit more research and here is what I have found.

Despite much googling (is that a word?) I was unable to locate any reference to a gadget to hang sweaters/delicate tops to dry.  I did, however, find this article on re-using pantyhose which mentions the method I described ie:  threading the legs of the patyhose through the sleeves of the sweater and pegging the pantyhose to the line in 3 places – beyond each sleeve and within the neckline.

  • Sweater Protector: Avoid getting clothespin marks on your newly washed sweater by putting an old pair of pantyhose through the neck and running the legs out through the arms. Then hang the sweater to dry on your clothesline by clipping the clothespins onto the pantyhose instead of the wool, or whatever material the sweater’s made from.

The quote above came from here.

This has served to remind me to take care of the hangers that I have but if they ever become unusable I can always go back to using pantyhose.  I don’t have many pairs of pantyhose but I will save any once they are worn out.

I had a little more success with the soap saver/shaker

It does seem to be a peculiarly Australian invention and I found the following references.

Here is one made from a tobacco tin.

And another in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

There is an illustration of a slightly more modern version about halfway down this page.

And you can buy a soap shaker here on TradeMe – a New Zealand site so the ‘technology’ of the soap shaker has made it across the Tasman.

From what I can see I am lucky to have inherited the soap shaker.

What do you have or use that is no longer made?

Laundry Tips and Tricks

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I have previously shown you my organised laundry cupboard so today I wanted to share a few tips from the laundry.

Our laundry sink doubles as a handbasin as the toilet is off the laundry.  I keep a bar of soap in a soap dish I made from the base of a 2 litre milk bottle.

Speaking of soap, I also use a soap saver for pieces of soap.  This is then shaken in a bucket of warm water and produces lots of suds which I use when handwashing.  Although we do not need to save water in our current location the habit is such that I always do the handwashing in a plastic bucket.

The soap saver hangs just above the laundry tub on a suction hook.

This is what it looks like when opened out.

My soap saver came from my mother-in-law.  It is plastic, although the ones I remember from my childhood were wire mesh.  I have never seen one for sale in a shop despite looking on numerous occasions.  Have you seen one or do you have a soap saver?  A handyperson could make one, I am sure.  Remember the saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention”.  Perhaps there needs to be more of that in our society today.

The other thing I use often is hangers for woollen jumpers and cardigans.  I have had 3 of these for a number of years and like most plastic-coated wire products they will last almost indefinitely if they are not left out in the weather.

And here they are in use……….

These are also an upgrade of an old idea.  In years gone by people hung their woollen garments on old stockings by threading the legs through the sleeves and pegging stocking to the line beyond the sleeves and at the neckline which is the principle upon which these hangers are based.