What I learned last week

I could hardly wait to get to church yesterday to thank Lori, 
the woman who taught the class about laundry last Thursday at RS. 
What a simple idea she gave us, but it's working for me!

First I need to explain a little. When my granddaughter Elora was born 9 years ago, 
Erin mentioned how she didn't want to use dryer sheets in her baby's laundry. 
She said she had reacted herself to the chemicals in the softener 
so she didn't want to risk it bothering her baby, too. Made sense.

But for some reason all the years I had used softener, 
I had never thought of it as a bunch of chemicals. 
I just hadn't thought of it in any way, 
except that it softens clothes and makes them smell good. 
But all I had to hear is 'chemical', and dryer sheets were history at our house. 
Then we noticed that Dennis' mysterious itching on his legs and arms disappeared. 
So no going back to the culprit of fabric softener.

We just lived with static cling and rougher feeling clothing 
for the next 9 years, like this man below.
Then last week at Relief Society meeting, we had a woman teach a mini class about laundry. 
I probably heard this tip before but I guess I blew it off, 
because I never tried it till this past week.

This is all you do....
just put some white distilled vinegar in the little softener dispenser in your washing machine  
(so it will be automatically released during the rinse cycle). 
Lori's handout said 1/4 cup, but she said she actually uses 1 c each time. 
but I just fill up the little dispenser.
I gave my laundry the ultimate test. It was a load of underclothing, 
but I added a baby blanket and some slinky pajamas....you know how static cling loves that!
I dried them like normal and the entire load was soft and nothing stuck to anything! 
I didn't have to bang the inside of the dryer
with my fist to release the static so I wouldn't get shocked.
There was no static.
I was sold!
She said the vinegar also makes her towels more absorbent. 

But wait, there's more. 
Lori also said you can put the white vinegar in your Jet Dry dispenser in your dishwasher and it will make your dishes oh so clean.I did, and she was right! It also seems to take odors out of my tupperware cups that have had fruit smoothies in them. They came out smelling like new again.

13 comments:

Nate and Julie said...

Wow! Thanks for sharing. I am excited to try your new tricks!

Tyler Heasley said...

This is pretty cool stuff. Kind of reminds me of when I learned that aloe vera gel is also the best hair gel and a decent shaving gel. Karen has also used it for acne.

Lisa said...

SOLD to the lil' old Japanese lady by CHS. Haha...but I DO LOVE this post & plan to incorporate the tip tomorrow! Thz again for sharing your wisdom & love.

Raven said...

Vinegar is a staple cleaner in my home. Chemicals disrupt hormones and a host of other health functions. I use it to kill weeds in the yard, in the wash, the dishwasher, to clean the bathroom, the kitchen, cutting boards,...
I also use it in place of hair conditioner; the smell goes right away, and hair is soft and smooth. I've saved so much money replacing chemical-laden products with vinegar.

Jake Reschke said...

I have been doing this for a long time and I love it! Both in the dishwasher and the washer. I also use it in my garbage disposal to keep it smelling fresh!

Karen Mortensen said...

Thanks. I will have to try that. Vinegar is awesome.

Unknown said...

Vinegar is also the best streak free window cleaner especially when you use newspaper to clean the windows. You fold it like a papertowel and then switch sides when it gets too wet. And vinegar is actually an antiseptic and can be used instead of bleach to disinfect your laundry!! And the best vinegar tip I've heard is if you drink it, it will stop you getting kidney stones, it has worked for many people I know who had attacks a lot. Thanks for more great tips and uses for vinegar!!

Susan Rozier said...

Even more uses for vinegar! I thought my mom had taught me all of them. She was a true believer in the magic of vinegar! Susan

Scrapally said...

I am just learning the many uses of vinegar, now I can add two more! thanks for sharing! Don't know why it has taken me so many years to learn these things...

Susan Anderson said...

Great tips, Jill.

Vinegar is amazing stuff!

=)

Ammy said...

I LOVE tips like this! I will have to try both. Do your clothes smell vinegary at all?

Grandma Honey said...

No Ammy, not at all, at least I can't detect any vinegar smell.

Connie said...

I have heard of that and I have used it before! We just need to buy the white vinegar in bulk! I didn't know about using it in the Jet Dry dispenser in the dishwasher!
Thanks for sharing!

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