Ironing board covers add some pizzazz!

Well, maybe I'm new...but I just discovered patterned ironing board covers! I've spent the past 1/2 hour browsing Etsy to find the one that's just right for me. I've been wanting to add some *spunk* to my laundry room (it's very small, so not many options), and not sure what to do. I have my boring silver padded ironing board hung on the wall. Well, no more!!!! (You can see the extent of my laundry room decor on my post here.)

It's true, it's really not a major breakthrough, but what a fun way to add a little something to a space! I had no idea people were even making these until I saw a patterned cover on a blog about laundry room organization, and started searching.

Here's one I'm eyeing from Compelled To Craft:

You can find lots more by doing a search on Etsy.
Once I get my new cover and some other things settled, I'll post an "after" picture!

Wool wash options

There are many options for caring for your wool. Each one you may find to have benefits over the other (which is why I personally have a tub full of various types of wool wash!)

Liquid Wool Wash: These are made commercially and by WAHMs and have everything together - wool wash and liquid lanolin. Wash and lanolize with one easy step. No rinsing required. They have just enough lanolin to keep your wool working right with every wash.

Wool Wash Bar: This is a solid form of wool wash (usually with lanolin). Great for stains and soil spots - just rub gently on wet wool and rinse. You can also use a wool wash bar to make a sink full of sudsy water to soak your woolies in and get the same effect as a liquid wool wash. Depending on the suds, you may need to rinse slightly. I find the liquid tends to have a bit more lanolin content, depends on the maker. 


Spray Lanolin: This is a form of liquid lanolin with no wash, put into a fine mist sprayer. Used to freshen up your woolies between washing (get a scent you LOVE!), or to add more lanolin after washing (especially helpful for night wool). Great for the "wetzone" area. Can be sprayed on wet or dry wool. I prefer to spray it on wet and it seems to soak in better.

Regular Wash: You can easily wash your wool using baby shampoo, or other mild soap/shampoo. You may not even need to lanolize for a few washes. When you notice they start to soak up too much liquid, smell, or not function right, its time to lanolize them.

Solid Lanolin: You can lanolize your wool separate from washing (great if you do a regular wash, or if you need an extra lanolin boost). Using Lansinoh (the purple tube you may recognize from breastfeeding) and very hot water to melt it, add to a sink full of warm water and your wool.

Liquid Lanolin: Like solid lanolin that you don't have to melt!

Tips:
- Wash your wool inside out! Just in case your lanolin is not fully melted to avoid lanolin dark spots. Also it gets the bulk of the lanolin where you want it - on the inside!
- I prefer not to have my wool "sticky" with lanolin, but you'll figure out the right amount for you.
- Pick different scents and try them out, there are some wonderful ones out there!
- The most inexpensive option is to wash with baby shampoo and lanolize yourself with solid lanolin. Its a bit more time consuming, and doesn't have the fancy scents...but is definitely the cheapest!


I send out washing instructions with my items, however if you've never lanolized wool before, there are some great online tutorials. (Usually your wool wash will also come with instructions.)
Etsy Cloth Diaper Team
Diaper Pin - by Laura Gent
Green Mountain Diapers



All of my favorite sellers seem to have their shops closed right now :(
Ewe Need It (liquid, spray, and bars)
Ignite the Senses (bars)
Blue House Soaps (bars)
Eucalan is a good commercial brand. And there are LOTS of sellers on Etsy and HyenaCart that offer wool wash products.  

What are some of YOUR favorites or tips to share?

Minimize your laundry impact

We all have it (and lots of it!), here are some tips to help minimize your environmental impact when you do laundry:

1. Wash on cold – most items wash up well with cold water (even if they say “warm”)

2. Use natural detergent (or at least phosphate free) – or make your own!

3. Use wool dryer balls* instead of fabric sheets (or use 1/3 dryer sheet at a time, and re-use it more than once)

4. If you’re using a non-HE washing machine, be sure to adjust your water level manually based on the size of your load.

5. Dry your clothes outside whenever you can. If you don’t like the ‘crunchy’ feel, try putting them in the dryer on Air Only or on low heat for 15 minutes to fluff them back up.

6. Challenge yourself to use less water on wash day to balance out your water usage (a good one is flushing toilets less often – if its yellow, let it mellow! Or skip a shower on wash day.)

7. Wear clothes more than once when possible (especially jeans, bras, sweaters, towels, etc.) - it's really not disgusting, trust me.

8. Find a crafty use for your dryer lint (and let us know what it is)! Remember not to put your dryer lint out for the birds – it doesn’t make the best nesting material, opposite of what you might think! (www.allaboutbirds.org)

*Use 2-6 wool dryer balls to help fluff laundry and speed drying time. They don’t help with static in my experience, but drying synthetics (especially fleece) separately helps a lot with that. Lots of Etsy sellers make great wool dryer balls!

(Tip originally published by me on the EcoEtsy street team site)

Make your own laundry detergent!

I came across these recipes on diaperswappers, in the Green Families Forum. The author (Melissa) also has a shop on Etsy! Sew Fine Baby Boutique. There are lots of tips/advice within the thread if you want more information: diaperswappers.com

Super Gentle Homemade Laundry Soap

1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
1 (4 oz) bar Kirks Castile Soap

1. Slice soap into strips/chunks and run through food processor to make "soap beads". (Do NOT use your blender, you'll break it!)

2. Combine soap beads, Borax, and washing soda.

3. If desired, add 20+ drops of essential oil and stir with a fork to evenly distribute.

4. Store in a covered container. (I use an old OxiClean tub)

5. Use 1-2 tablespoon for small loads, 3-4 tablespoons for large loads.
(more or less depending on your water quality) Works well with any temperature water.

Another option:
Homemade Diaper Detergent

1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
1 cup Oxyclean Free

Combine all ingredients.

use 2 tablespoons for a small load, 1/4 cup for a large load.
(again, more or less depending on your water quality)

--This was originally posted here for Team EcoEtsy