The Lazy Housekeeper - Laundry Edition

Lately I've been seized by the shoulders and shaken with the urge to clean and organize. Maybe it's the new year. Maybe it's a form of nesting for Lil Sib even though we have no clue when he/she might be arriving. Either way, I thought I'll do a post of my favorite cleaning products and strategies. As mentioned before, I am a lazy, lazy housekeeper, so I like to keep tricks and products that are simple and cheap. As always, I am not paid to endorse any of the following.

I think I'll pick a topic each week until we get around the house (by which time, the entire house will have befallen disaster at the hands of a 2.5 year old). How domestic! As always, please feel free to leave your own tips in the comments.

Today's topic - Laundry

1. Charlie's Soap Powder - works like magic, great on my boys' sensitive skin, HE compatible. It comes in such a cute little retro fabric bag, but you only need one tablespoon per load!

2. Imse Vimse Stain Removing Soap - I was a Shout spray and wash girl until I met Imse Vimse. Then I kicked that Shout habit to the curb, because I was buying a $4 bottle a month, and the bottle has all sorts of warning labels about it - eye irritant, skin irritant, keep away from kids and pets - eek. No more! IV is a block of coconut-based soap. Get the stain wet and rub til you see some suds. Throw it in the washer or the hamper, and the stain disappears. Works on poop stains, chocolate, grass, tomato, and wine. Has even gotten out some old stains that I'd learned to accept! I've had the same brick for 2 years, and it's got a lot of life left.

3. Mesh zippered lingerie bags. One for each machine - I collect all the Nugget's socks and mittens in here so they all come out on the other end.

4. Laundry bags - Our washer/dryer are in the basement, down an unfinished staircase. Walking up is fine, but I feel a little off kilter dragging full hampers or baskets downstairs. So I keep a laundry bag hanging on the basement door and collect the laundry there, then I can slide the whole thing downstairs on its own, while I walk my clumsy, accident-prone self down the stairs, holding the railing! Plus, unlike a hamper, they are easy to throw in the wash for cleaning, and the Nugget has a harder time emptying the dirty clothes when I'm not looking. Not that he doesn't try, but he usually only has one undershirt out by the time I catch him. When we used a hamper, the whole thing would be toppled and he'd be cavorting in stinky undershirts and rags in the time it took me to use the bathroom.