laundry day gets green

as apartment dwellers who spent many years lugging loads of laundry up, down, and around to a distant laundry room, saving quarters with the zeal of coin collectors, and cursing the clueless tenants who would forget to hit the restart button after opening the dryer tumbling our wash (leaving a soggy mess behind), we did the happy dance when we finally moved into a home with the elusive w/d hookups.

the laundry now gets done whenever we please in our combo washing machine which washes and dries in one little unit (space age by american standards but quite common in europe and asia) and is super energy & water efficient. the only thing is that the laundry is not quite as soft as before, and, since we are pretty green around our home, chemicals are a no-no.

even though method is our go to laundry detergent, the dryer cloths didn't quite work so, after experimenting with a vinegar rinse (better), i recently whipped up a few batches of eco-friendly fabric softener with a little help from the internet. the laundry is now softer than ever - mission accomplished!

this recipe makes enough for a few loads. feel free to play around with it and make it your own (the links give you the scoop on what makes each ingredient a laundry wonder):

• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vinegar (fyi - costco sells a 1+ gallon jug)
• 1 tsp borax (optional - works as a softener if you are vexed by hard water)
• 5 drops essential oil (optional)

directions: mix baking soda and water then slowly add vinegar (if you pour the vinegar all at once expect a fun homemade volcanic eruption). add borax and essential oil. gently shake before use.

happy earth day!

p.s. take a peek at this handy stain chart from martha stewart.