Since you use your washing machine to clean your clothes it must be clean, right?  After all, it has soap and clean water running through it for each wash, just like washing your hands.  Take a look below at the image.  I took it during the Wisk Bubbles & Bubbly Event. The scientist at the event said that those slides were taken from washing machines.  Eeek!

Washing machines sometimes hold a little bit of water in them. This water sits, becomes sour, and sometimes turns into mildew.  Also, high efficiency (HE) machines sometimes hold water and suds in the gaskets.  This is …read more

Hi everyone. I had a great time in New York City. The nausea from the plane ride is gone now.  Later this week, I’ll share some photos from NYC, but for now I want to tell you about some things I learned at the Bubbles & Bubbly Event.

Myth #1 – More suds mean cleaner clothes.
Fact – More suds do not mean cleaner clothes. In fact, using too much soap can cause keep your clothes from getting clean and it can leave an oily residue on them.
Myth #2 – It’s ok to use regular detergent in an HE (high efficiency) machine.
Fact – You …read more

At one point or another, we’ve all probably found ourselves with stretched out sweater cuffs.  We certainly don’t want to throw out the sweater, but we don’t like the look of a stretched or worn out sweater.
Real Simple has a video and simple instructions for fixing a stretched sweater cuff.  You’ll only need boiling water and a blow dryer.  It’s worth a try.
image from real simple

Now that I have three children, it seems the laundry is endless.  Well, honestly, it pretty much is (sigh). Doing laundry for five people can be a bit time consuming, but I’ve found a solution to some of the madness and it’s saving me some time.

My tip for saving time with laundry is to wash the clothes from one bedroom at a time.  On Monday, I got the dirty clothes from my 11-year-old’s room and washed his clothes.  The only clothes in the pile were his and the only clothes that needed to be put away were his. 
Doing only one …read more

Washing the sheets and blankets is definitely not one of my favorite household chores.  It has to be done though, so we might as well find a way to make it easier. There is a way that you can save time and make this task easier.

Many folks take off their sheets and put them into the laundry hamper.  Then they get out another set of sheets from the linen closet and put those on the bed.  Later, after they’ve washed the previous sheets, they fold them and put them back into the closet.  This seems like a lot of extra …read more

A few weeks ago, we discussed some tips for making laundry time easier.  It wasn’t until I was doing laundry this week that I realized I haven’t told you about the Tide BraBag.
The BraBag is a cylinder shape and is made with padded mesh to help protect the shape of your bras and keep them from twisting.  The padded mesh also allows water in to wash the bras yet keeps them from snagging and stretching.  All of the zippers are covered with nylon to prevent snagging.
I have used lingerie bags for years and have been very disappointed at the bra hooks poking through …read more

We’ve been talking a bit about laundry lately and I found some tips from Better Homes & Gardens.  Enjoy!

Stain Removal Tips
Lively Laundry Rooms
Hidden Laundry Rooms
Install a Built-In Laundry Cabinet
Storage-Smart Laundry Rooms
Innovative Laundry Room Helpers
We also have some laundry tips posted here at Keeping the Castle.  Please let us know if you have any laundry tips.
image sxc.hu

We’ve been talking a bit about laundry lately.  We’ve discussed developing a laundry routine, getting the kids involved, and my favorite laundry softener.  Today, I’m going to let you know about my two favorite stain removers.
My two favorite stain removers are Shout Advanced Gel and Spray ‘N Wash Max.  Over the years, I have tried many other stain removers and none seem to remove stains the way these two cleaners do.  The Shout Advanced Gel has even removed some stains that were dried in the dryer; accidentally of course. 

We’ve had quite a wet winter here.  My daughter wore her coat …read more

We have talked a little about developing a laundry routine and I briefly mentioned getting the kids involved.  Let me say, I believe in kids being kids and enjoying their childhood, but I also believe in them helping out a bit. 

Our younger children are 3 and 5, so we have asked them to do simple things such as bring all the laundry baskets to the laundry room, take the laundry baskets back to the rooms, and put away the socks that I have already folded.  My daughter is 5, so she sometimes asks if she can help fold washcloths or put …read more

A few days ago, I asked if you all had a laundry routine.  Some of you may only wash the laundry when there is nothing left to wear, some of you may have one day a week that you wash, and others of you may be on a schedule of washing one load each day.

I try to wash one load each day, but life happens.  Things don’t always go as planned.  I don’t always do one load of laundry every day.  It is important though to stay on top of this necessary chore or it will start mounting and seem impossible to …read more