Monday, July 25, 2011

Laundry Day ... Just Another Day in Paradise


Laundry Day at the Country FarmHouse always reminds me of a Phil Vassar Song - Just Another Day in Paradise...Well, it's okay, it's so nice (It's) just another day in paradise. here there's no place that I'd rather be. Well, it's two hearts And one dream I wouldn't trade it for anything. And I ask the Lord every night, ooh For just another day in paradise ... Laundry at the Country FarmHouse is everyday, ongoing, neverending (or so it seems). 

As I ran out of laundry softener in the middle of the day, knowing that I wouldn't be running errands for at least a couple of more days, I decided to "google" thrifty ways to "soften the laundry". First place I headed, Farmer's Almanac - where else would a Country FarmHouse Mama look??!! LOL!! They recommended vinegar and/or baking soda ... so time to "google" again. You know what they say "measure twice, cut once". I try to apply that philosophy in most things around here - research and then research again and even again, if needed.

What were my results? 

I added 1/4 c (approximately) vinegar to a load of towels. Every site researched insisted that you wouldn't be able to smell the vinegar. Maybe it's just me, but I could smell it. What to do? Being the thrifty candlemaking Country FarmHouse Mama, that I am, I ran into the work area and grabbed a bottle of essential oil. I added a few drops of eo to the rinse cycle and voila! No more Vinegar Smell 

While that load was drying, I decided to see what the sites said about baking soda ... it is supposed to help soften and brighten laundry loads - sounds good to me. And I also found research stating that vinegar is not good for cotton clothing - good thing I only added it to towels so far. As I folded the load of towels, I decided that it was soft but not as soft as I might like ... so for the next load of towels, I added the 1/4 c vinegar plus a sprinklin' of baking soda - apparently I launder just as I cook - a little of this, a little of that - LOL!! Again, I added the essential oil to the final rinse cycle.

As I was folding this load of towels, I was happy with the results - soft but not overly soft (if you like to hang your clothes on the line, this will work for you - it is softer than the crisp line-dried, but probably not as soft if you are using a fabric softener like Downy). Of course, my load of towels smelled beautiful as I had added an eucalyptus essential oil to them - fresh and clean with a touch of softness.

Now that I have spent an entire week (or so it seems) experimenting with laundry softener, today, while at the store, I picked up the ingredients to make my own laundry soap ... can't wait to post those results next week. They might even be softener and better smelling - just another day in paradise 

Country FarmHouse Blessings,
       ~*♥*~  Lori  ~*♥*~

Please note also that we have hard water in our area. Having soft water may alter your results.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

All Content Copyright of American Country FarmHouse 2010. Image provided by Google. Powered by Blogger.