Natural Green Cleaning - The Laundry (Part 1)

Before you wash

Pre-treating is all-important of you actually want to rid your clothes of stain and deep soiling. These are the busy stain-sighting tactics:

  

Follow this golden rule of the laundry room: pre-treat stains as soon as possible. Always wash a stain in cold water-warm water can cause fruit and sugar stains to set in.

  Prewash heavily soiled item to help get rid of most of the dirty without red positing it on clothes. After running clothes through the prewash cycle, drain and wash in the regular cycle-in hot water if the fabric permits it.

Essential oil chart for laundry

All of these essential oils help clean and freshen the laundry. They proffer other benefits as well.

• Cedar - Adds a clean, woodsy scent
• Chamomile - smoothing
• Eucalyptus - Excellent for colds and sinus trouble
• Lavender - Relaxing
• Lemon - Stimulating, helps whiten laundry
• Peppermint - Good for colds and sinus trouble
• Rose geranium - Adds a romantic scent
• Sweet orange - Helps remove stains and whiten laundry
• Tea tree - Antibacterial and antifungal

Making Natural Laundry Soaps

These formulas don't have any magical mechanism that you can't pronounce. Intend, the cleaning power of these soaps comes from combining clean, pure ingredients.

Lemon Fresh Linen Wash

This formula can be used for any kind of laundry, but it's particularly nice for cotton linens that have been allowed to dry naturally in the sun after washing. The aloe Vera juice and vinegar soften, while citric acid and grapefruit extract brighten and sanitize.

•  2 cups liquid castile soap
• half cup aloe vera juice
• half cup white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon powdered citric acid
• 2 teaspoons grapefruit seed extract
• 15-20 drop lemon (or lemongrass) essential oil

Combine all ingredients into a plastic container, preferably one a pour spout. give this formula a gentle shake, or just turn it upside down once or twice to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly distributed before adding it to the washing machine.

Bright Colors Formula
This recipe makes enough for one load. You can make larger batches, but keep the liquid castile soap separate.

•  1 ounce liquid castile soap (scented with 2 to 4 drops essential oil, if desired)
• 1/4 cup washing soda
• 1/2 cup Epsom salts

Add the liquid castile soap to washer, then add washing soda and Epsom salts. Laundry as usual.

Tea Tree & Salt Presoak
This stain remover is another great vinegar - based solution.

• 1 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup salt
• 3 drops tea tree essential oil

Place clothes in washer and add enough warm water to cover them. Combine all ingredients and add to washer. Let clothes soak for an hour or more, then wash as usual.

All-Purpose Stain Spray
Since food and drink spills are not likely to occur while you are in the laundry room, why not make up extra bottles and keep this formula handy in the kitchen and bath as well?

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil-based soap
• 1/4 cup glycerin
• 2 tablespoons borax
• 10 drops peppermint or tea tree essential oil
• 1 3/4 cups water

Combine all ingredients in a plastic bottle and shake well. Spray generously onto stain. launder as usual.

On-the-Spot Stain Lifter
Accidents happen, but this stain remover will make you forget the stain was ever there.

• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
• 2 drops peppermint, eucalyptus, or lemon essential oil water

Combine all ingredients in a small cup, using just enough water to make a paste. Spread the a paste over the stain and allow it to dry completely before washing.