 Nature's Way
with Alan Hayes
Laundry Tips
When you walk down the laundry aisle of the supermarket, you will find a wide array of cleaning products that promise to do all sorts of amazing things.
The majority of these products also cause high levels of pollution. As responsible members of the community, it is up to every one of us to ensure that our water is as biodegradable (capable of being decomposed by bacteria other natural means) as possible. There are simple and safe alternatives for keeping your clothes clean without harming the environment.
Recently, a reader, who was concerned about how her current laundry regime may impact upon our waterways, wrote to me and asked if I had a recipe for washing clothes that is environmentally friendly.
To make an environmentally safe laundry detergent, grate or cut into small pieces, one 125 gram bar of pure soap. Add the soap and one litre of water to an old saucepan and bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and continue to stir, or mash, until the soap is completely dissolved. Dissolve one cup of washing soda in a litre of hot water and add the soap solution, mixing well. Divide the solution equally into three 9 litre plastic buckets and slowly fill each bucket with cold water, stirring continually so that the soap mixture remains smooth and won't congeal.
The mixture may be stored in suitable containers, such as 2 litre plastic juice bottles. Two to three cups of liquid per wash should be sufficient.
Before switching from detergent to a pure soap-based product, put your laundry through a cycle of washing soda. This will remove the traces of commercial detergent left in your clothes and prevent them from yellowing when you change to the liquid soap detergent.
Dissolve 250 grams of washing soda in nine cups of hot water, and add two cups of this solution to every full load. Use in moderation, as indiscriminate use of washing soda may cause damage to delicate fabrics, giving an unacceptable result.
Some garments require special attention when it comes to washing and natural solutions can also be used as well. Woollen garments will retain their natural softness by washing in a solution of one tablespoon of borax to every five litres of warm soapy water. Rinse well after washing.
To preserve the natural softness of woollen blankets, add one tablespoon of glycerine (for each blanket) to warm soapy water. Wash on a gentle cycle, rinse well (adding a drop or two of lavender oil to the final rinse), spin, then air dry. For protection against moths during storage, add a few drops of eucalyptus or lavender oil to a face washer and include it in the final rinse.
If you use a fabric softener, soak garments overnight in a solution of one part vinegar to three parts water, then rinse well in clear water before washing. Alternatively, use less soap in your washing machine and make up the difference with bicarbonate soda - one part bicarbonate soda to three parts washing mixture will leave your clothes feeling soft.
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