New Year, New Projects

Get a fresh start this new year: Amanda Lauer shares tips for deep-cleaning the laundry.

As much as I love the holidays, there’s just something so refreshing about boxing up all the décor and starting the New Year with a fresh, clean slate. I like to give the house a deep cleaning after our children and their families have made their way back home and quiet reins once again.

This is the ideal time of year to do a deep clean of the laundry as well. In particular, sheets, pillowcases, towels, t-shirts, jackets, pajamas, and any other clothing items that get ground-in dirt from oil or sweat, and have a funky smell. (Not to get graphic here, but the smells rhymes with cuke.)

A friend shared a tried-and-true recipe with me for washing those items. I was shocked when I looked at the first load of clothes that I soaked in this mixture. What started out as a bathtub filled will clean, clear water looked like a huge mud puddle after the clothes had soaked for a couple hours.

Deep Cleaning Laundry Recipe:

¼ C Borax Detergent Booster
¼ C Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
½ C powdered detergent (my preference is a natural detergent but commercial detergents work as well)

Wash all items first. Fill bathtub with hot water and add detergents. Place all clothing/towels/bedding in the bathtub for three to four hours. Every hour or so, stir the wash around. Afterwards, wash and dry the items as usual.

You’ll be astounded by how much dirt comes from those things. And, by how clean everything smells when they are washed and dried again. Believe it or not, the items actually weigh less when all the ground-in dirt is removed as well.

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Bonus recipe:

Any moms use cloth washcloths to wipe up the kids after meals? Those cloths not only start to smell after a while, but they get stiff too. To get the ground-in dirt out of them, use this recipe (my daughter swears by it).

Simply place your washcloths in a pot of boiling water with 1-2 Tbs of baking soda. Let the cloths simmer for 15 minutes, turn burner off, remove the cloths with tongs as they’ll be hot, and drain the water off. You may need to do more than one round, continuing the process until the water is no longer dirty after the cloths are removed. Then wash and dry as usual.

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