The Poor Man's Laundry Room

A money saving laundry room

This instruct able shows how to use different household items and products to make a laundry station that is cheaper to maintain and easier to deal with while saving money and being just as effective. There are different ideas on the internet on how to take care of one's laundry items on the internet but we wished to make one where all of them were incorporated and improved and new ones added that we use in our house.

This is an original idea that has drawn inspiration from others found around the world.

The inscrutable will also show how to recycle household goods in sensible and pleasing ways to create a room or corner in your world which is not too weird but very effective at helping you sort out any messes. It will also require switching out expensive store bought products for their natural ingredients that work just as well. It will also require the user to form new habits but in the end they are simple and not too hard to fit into a schedule.

If one does not wish to part with certain products then we have also included a way by which you can use them more efficiently.

It will also show just how much money you can save using the methods shown and the alternatives as well.

BUT First things first- we need to make a budget. This happens throughout out the steps and we count our costs and see how much money we may save or make as we go.

The costs before and after are displayed as the last picture.

The final costs are based on averages, e.g one man washes one load a week, has three good suits and dry cleans them 4 times a year. Laundry products last 2 months.

You will need the following products and equipment that will add to your usual laundry equipment. We have added ways by which you can make some of them.

A.Products:

You should already have:

1.Salt

2.Baking soda

3.Detergent

You must buy

Vinegar £4.40

Essential oils £1.80

Vegetable oil £2.00

B.Equipment

You should have

1.Steam iron ( and regular if needed)

2. Wash basin or tub

3.Two baskets

4.Big towel

5.Small towel

6.Pegs

7.Old Rag

8.Old tooth brush

Buy

Sticky Tape £5.00

Rope £1.00

Yarn Ball X2 £2.00

Please note that in ancient times the people such as sumerians and isrealites washed their clothes without soap and it was always as effective as with soap. If you wish to save on detergents you can do the same and use perfume to add any scents you want afterwards. I have tried it and it works.

Also use 1 cup vinegar in top load machines or when washing by hand or 1/4 cup in front load as a natural softener.

A.By hand

First of all learn how to hand wash in the wash basin or sink or tub. Check the label on the clothe to determine if it can be hand washed, the tempurature recommendation, drying and ironing instructions. Check for colour fastness as well.

You have to add detergent to the water, agitate it and leave your clothes to soak for ten minutes. Then take one clothe at a time and using both hands. Knead or swish them in the water for 30 seconds each and ensure that any stains are removed by rubbing. Once finished trace out any patterns with a pencil or knife to ensure that they do not shrink into themselves e.g knitted stiches on a sweater.

B.By machine

Use eco setting. Always place a decent amount of clothes when you use eco because it uses less water. For example put 3/4 of your normal load and 3/4 of soap compared to your normal just to be safe. Once it is done washing, omit the rinse stage and fill you tub or basin with enough water and knead your clothes one by one in the water to remove enough soap. Change the water if it becomes murky after some time. Throw away the water and place your clothes in the machine for the spin cycle.

settings for machine wash

Please also note:

1. Wash your underwear after you bath.

2. Wash certain small items like under wear while you shower.

Like i said, water cleans all things and you dont need soap but you can use shower gel while you shower.

A.Setting up my iron-free drying system.

You can use a regular indoor dryer but best to have a sun drying-line.

1. Connect a strong rope across the distance of the original line, one a shirts length below the original and the other a trouser's length.

2. Put your clothes to dry but stretch them out and use pegs at the new lines to keep them taut. For shirts stretch until the 1st line, for others stretch till the bottom.

3. If using an indoor dryer just strech out the clothes and hold with a peg.

This will remove 60% of the need for ironing most clothes and for shirts the turnout is better.

B.If you want the dryer.

Make a yarn dryer ball using a ball of yarn x2.

1.Tie a small slip knot like thing.

2.Roll your yarn around it until you form a ball.

3.tie the ball up and throw it into the dryer to reduce drying time.

costs

A.This will show you how to clean dry clean only clothes at home with only a steam iron. It is a method that helps to keep the clothes fresh only so isnt actual dry cleaning but helps on a budget. You will only have to take to a launderer fewer times a year. If however, the garment has a very difficult stain to remove it would be advisable to take it to a professional.

1.Hang the item on a hanger.

2.Turn on the steam iron and set it to remove as much steam as possible by putting enough water

3.Run up and down the cloth to kill germs, remove odors and lesson dirt. Do this for 2 mintutes

4.Place a towel on your ironing board or the floor.

5.Iron out the creases on the item and iron it out flat.

A.To clean your shoes, make a solution of

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup detergent

2 tablespoons water

store it in a recycled jar or bottle.

B.Get an old tooth brush and rag.

1. Use your tooth brush and dip it into the cleaner, then rub the grooves to loosen any dirt

2.Rinse and repeat to remove sufficient amounts of dirt.

3.Use the rag and wet it to wipe down your shoe and clean of any excess dust and dirt.

C.To remove odour you will need a fairly large cloth (e.g bandanna) made of tightly woven fabric, baking soda or washing powder and a string.

1.Put the soda or powder in the fabric 1/4 cup if you have small feet or 1/2 for large feet and heavy odour.

2. tie it well to ensure that it will not spill

3.Wet your shoe a bit or the fabric.

4. Fill up your shoe with this package so that it covers enough of the base.

5.Leave it overnight.

6.Refine the amount based on your shoe size and odour removal needs.

D.For leather shoes.

These are tougher because you should only follow the care instructions on the small white label that comes with leather sofas, clothes and the inside of shoes

If it is unfinished leather just settle with wiping it with a rag.

1.Mix one part vinegar to one part olive oil.

2.Apply it to the shoe and leave if for 10 minutes.

3.Wipe it with a rag to make it shine.

A.Folding Clothes

Make a folding helper using a cardboard box.

Get a box that is fairly large. Cut it so that you only have one part of it.

1.Cut a box into 6 pieces each 9 inches wide and 12 inches long

2. Place a folded shirt on one and mark out its size on it using a ruler.

3.Cut the pieces into sizes as small as that shirt.

4. Tape them together in the way shown in the picture both behind and in front. leave a 1/4 inch gap between them though.

B.To fold clothes

1.place a shirt in the center and lift the left wing, then the right, then lift the top half down to make a square folded shirt

2. For trousers, place it down with its creases aligned, then lift the right wing, then the left.

C.To pack clothes

The helper will fold your clothes so that they can stand on their edges if they are packed closely together, Hence you must fold them vertically

1.Use the extra cardboard to divide your drawer perfectly into sections you need.

2.Put one item into your drawer. Use the dividers to help hold the items up

3.Add the second one while holding the first in place

4.Continue to add the items.

5.If your drawer is deep, add a box to fill up the extra space providing a secret storage and will keep your clothes up.

D.Packing your products.

if you use a product frequently and it runs out quickly like jam jars or bottle of detergent, keep them so

that you have a fairly large stock of empty yet similar container so that they match.

E.Keeping shirts well.

If you forgot to iron out a wrinkled shirt, spray some water with a water bottle with a hole made with a pin in its cap. Spray the cloth lightly and hang it on a hanger after stretching it out.

F. Removing Lint. You can either

1. Use your normal lint roller

2. Put tape backwards around your roller if its adhesive has come off then remove and throw the tape when done.

3. make a permanent one by getting a cylindrical object rolling the tape backwards around it and using that. Preferably use an empty toilet roll and put a medium sized pipe through it to hold onto.

At the end of the day we must add up how much was spent and see that we have saved as much money as possible both for the long term and in the long run.

The lists disclude the cost of machines.

In the end you can save a good £125.00 (50%!!!) MAX In your new and improved laundry room.

To you-the now happy man on a budget- i say well done and keep going to build your assets.

Remember also to always keep just enough for a drink with the mates ;)