At Keeping the Castle, I am giving away a bottle of the Wisk High-Efficiency laundry detergent.  Please stop by for easy opportunities to enter the giveaway.

If you’d like to try Wisk, here are some printable coupon links.  Visit the Wisk LaundryHE.com site for a $2 coupon.  Simply click on their site and at the top toolbar, click on “TryWisk HE”. A pull-down menu will appear for a $2 coupon.  Also, Wisk.com has a $1 coupon available on their site.  It’s in the bottom left corner.
Because of my sensitive skin and eczema, I cannot use regular Wisk products.  I like their …read more

For today only, you can get a $2 printable coupon for All Small & Mighty® laundry detergent.  Hurry, because this fabulous money saving coupon ends at 11 pm tonight, April 6th.  After 11 pm, the coupon value will drop to $1.   
While you’re getting your coupon, please take a few moments to watch the videos on the site.  Melissa and Joan Rivers want to give more to their charities so they have made videos for viewers.  For each video that you watch, All will donate 50 cents to charities.  Watch Joan’s video to donate to Guide Dogs for the Blind or watch Melissa’s video to …read more

I stop functioning mentally around 9:30pm.  I just get so tired and exhausted that I just vegetate or go to sleep early.  So when I attempted to do laundry at 10pm the other night, I paid for it.  I wasn’t paying attention and just scooped up all the clothes on the bathroom floor and didn’t see the pull up that my daughter left on the floor that morning getting ready for school.  DH didn’t have any shirts for work the next morning so I was trying to get as many of his work shirts clean as I could.  Imagine my …read more

I have a 2 year old that is potty training and sometimes, I get clothes back from the sitter that smell of urine.  Then sometimes, I don’t know that there are clothes in the plastic bag or they fall out of her bag and get hidden for a few days until I start smelling them. 
I was afraid I would never get that smell out of one of my fave outfits for her.  So I tried everything after I found a bag of clothes from a day last week.  I have no idea how I missed those clothes from her bag …read more

Hey everyone!  How’s it going?  Last weekend, we talked about cooking a meal for only $10.  This weekend, I have laundry on the brain.  Karen and I must be thinking alike.  So the frugal challenge for Today is doing your laundry without getting backed up.  Frugal is sometimes time related.  I find that the main reason I get backed up is the fact that I hate to put it up.  If you have little ones, they can’t help but if you have older kids, just place their clothes on their beds and make them put their clothes up themselves.  They …read more

About 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water.  Unless you are washing clothes that are really dirty, the cold water wash will usually work fine.  I wash all of our colored clothes in cold water and I wash the towels and whites in warm water.  This seems to work fine for us. 

More thrifty laundry tips:
1.  Wash only full loads.  If you have to wash a smaller load then adjust the water level.
2.  Don’t overdry your clothes.  If your dryer has a moisture sensor, use it.
3.  Clean the lint filter after every use.
4.  Periodically inspect your …read more

I was reading Tiffany and Erin’s “Nature Moms” and saw this cool new washing machine.  At $1300 it’s a bit pricey, but it releases silver ions to disinfect clothing and kill 99.9% of bacteria.  You can even wash delicates in this machine.  Because of this machine’s ability to sanitize clothing, you only need to use cold water.  If you’re in the market for a new washing machine, perhaps you should look into the Samsung.

This post is for my mom.  She wanted me to write one about the many uses of vinegar. 
It definitely pays to have some vinegar around the house.  I need to go to the store to stock up on vinegar and baking soda.  I’ve had a mustard stain that won’t come out of my daughter’s clothes.  I think I need to try some vinegar or baking soda.  Both seem to be amazing, inexpensive, and safe products.  Definitely a thrifty choice!    
1.  Add 1/4 cup vinegar to laundry, along with the usual soap, to brighten colors and make whites sparkle.  This will also act …read more

Baking soda is an inexpensive cleaning tool.  It is safe to use and gentle on your skin.  This is important for me, since I have terrible eczema.  Looks like I need to go purchase a large box of this amazing product.  I am excited that there is a cleaner out there that won’t irritate my skin and cause pain.  I hope you will try these tips for this frugal product. 
Crayon marks – Clean crayon marks off your floors and walls with baking soda and water.
Clean coffee mugs – Mix 3 tsps of baking soda with hot water to clean stains from coffee mugs.
Laundry – Add some …read more

Are you contemplating how you are going to fund your child’s college education? Worried that they will want to be a doctor or lawyer and you will get the bill for all the 25 years of college? We are too. But that is another post altogether.
However recently I came across a great little blog from The Frugal Law Student. Evidently, he is paying his own way through school with the help of his wife. Kudos to them. But he reminded me of a lost art – clothes washing 101.