When Ecover offered me some laundry tips to help #lightentheload I was all ears- anything to make the family laundry less of a chore is good news to me.
We spend far longer that we’d like sorting dirty clothes, washing clothes, drying clothes and then sorting the clean clothes. Although, we don’t iron- there’s no spare time for that.
Ecover’s first tip is to keep your washing machine well maintained. I completely agree with this- I dread my washing machine packing in and also find a well maintained machine washes our clothes more efficiently.
Ecover recommend that you run an empty hot wash once a year with a bottle of white wine vinegar. This cleans out all the residue accumulating in the machine.
I did this and also cleaned out the soap dispenser and the seals in the drum.
This resulted in a lovely clean and shiny washing machine to wash yet more clothes in.
Ecover also asked me to test out their Ecover Laundry Liquid. I use a lot of Ecover products as I always choose green cleaning products in the supermarket. In all honestly though I go for whichever green product is on offer or the cheapest to buy during that shop.
I made a vegan chocolate cake, wiped my hands on my apron and then tested the cleaning powers of Ecover Non-Bio Concentrated Laundry Liquid. Before I even show you the after wash results I need to tell you that this laundry liquid smells so good.
It’s plant based and formulated to tackle tough stains while also being gentle on sensitive skin. Let’s see how well the liquid performed:
As well as smelling good, I’m pleased to show you that a quick eco wash at 30 degrees using Ecover Laundry Liquid successfully managed to get the apron clean.
If you have stubborn stains then treat them with Ecover Stain Remover first- I need to use this for grass stains on the kids clothes and for the kids white socks (without stain remover and the natural bleaching effects of the sun, they would never stay white).
Ecover have lots more tips below but before I share them with you, here are some laundry tips of my own:
- Ask yourself “Does it really need to be washed?”
Cutting down on the amount of laundry you do is the most effective way of lightening the load. Of course you need to wash underwear and dirty clothes but it it hasn’t been worn for long, still looks and smells good then don’t wash it!
- Choose Clothes Wisely
Where possible buy easy wash “no iron” clothes (I love cotton and jersey dresses for me and good quality uniform for the kids).
- Share the load
Laundry is not a one man job, it should be a shared responsibility between the adults and children of the house. Every (old enough) member of the household should check their own pockets and sort their own washing (put it into the delicates, light or dark wash basket). Supervised young children can help load the washing machine. Older kids (and of course adults) can be taught which programs to use and how to start the machine. Whoever is home on a dry day can peg the washing on the line (and quickly bring it all inside when it pours with rain). Clean, dry clothes can be folded and sorted while watching a favourite show on TV. Younger kids enjoy sorting a bag full of odd socks.
- Keep a Clean Supply of Work and School Uniform
Have enough school/work uniform to last you and your child at least three days (a week is ideal) so you only need to do a uniform wash one or two times a week (I need to buy more at the moment to cut down my washing frequency).
Here are Ecover’s Tips:
Do you have any laundry tips of your own? I’d love to hear them.
Collaborative Post
