Clean laundry -my thrifty way

My children tease me that I am picky about lots of things and that may be true but I am especially picky about how I do laundry.

Clothing and linens are expensive and I know that careful laundering can keep them looking good or careless laundering can make them look bad before their time.  

First,  I sort the laundry- 

I sort by color and by fabric weight/type

whites get washed alone so nothing transfers color onto them and they get washed in hot water to kill germs 

Darks like jeans and husbands work shirts all get washed together on the sturdy cycle

mostly in cold but sometimes in warm if they are especially dirty. 

lighter weight things like my tops and sleepware get washed together on gentle on cold.

I use 2 kinds of laundry detergent-
 I use Tide for any clothes that might have stains.

This is my grand daughters Thanksgiving shirt that she wore all that day while she ate and played with her Louisiana cousins.
  It was plenty messy with red marker, pink frosting and all kinds of dirt and spots.
Her mom asked me to wash it as she did not think she could get it clean.
I poured liquid Tide on the spots and added it to the rest of that delicate load
This white shirt came out 100% white and spot free after just one wash!

I don't buy or make pre-treatment- I just use Tide on those spots.

Yes,  I know Tide is expensive.  I buy a giant jug at SamsClub and it really lasts a long time.
For me,  it is worth it.  That jug of Tide costs less than one blouse or shirt that might end up stained and useless.  

for laundry that is not stained or spotty,  I buy the cheapest powder detergent and use it  on those loads.  

Drying that clean laundry

I have a clothesline outside and use it for bigger things like sheets, blankets and jeans.

But last week,  I did laundry and cleaning on Monday- a very cold and windy day in Oklahoma.

So,  I use the clothes dryer for the small things.  

For the bigger things,  I started them in the dryer for about 15 minutes and then I put them on their hangers and spread them around the doorways to finish drying,

I did this early in the morning and by mid-afternoon, they were dry and put away in the closet.

Monday was also cleaning day,  that vacuum and mop weren't just there for looks.
It was Monday after Thanksgiving,  and our house had lots of living in it during that 4 day weekend.
It needed a good cleaning and I was happy to do.
and really happy when it was done.