seemingly non-frugal stuff that can be efficient!

[LizMoonstar]

I know most would probably say that things like 'disposable' dishcloths and washcloths and such are not efficient or frugal. but i find them pretty efficient.

my point being, i think most people don't realise that they are washable and reusable!

my mom bought me a box of those palmolive pre-soaped dishcloths for my apartment, and i found that they stay sturdy enough to be used even after the soap runs out. i add more soap and keep going. once they start to deteriorate so that they're not as good for dishes any more, i use them to clean sinks/floors/tubs, anything. i haven't tried washing them yet, but i will report back! the handy thing is, i keep them on hand after they're 'dead', and wheni need to clean something up that would take a lot of paper towels, but that's too gross for me to want to use a reusable cloth and have to sterilise it afterwards, i use those - they've got scrubbies, absorbency, and you can dispose of them knowing that you've been good by reusing something that would've been tossed before.

i also like the both the presoaped dry and premoistened face cloths. the dry ones, if you don't get too hosed in the shower, can be used to start at your face and wash pretty much all the important parts. then i toss mine in the wash and use them for hankies or washcloths over and over again. it was a pretty cheap investment for a box of what's essentially 100 washcloths (i got mine in off-brand, a box of 100 for $5 or less.) don't get off brand baby washcloths for this though; they don't stand up in the wash. the moist ones, i either continue on down my body with them if i need a quick clean, let them dry and use them as face powder applicators, or use them moist to wipe down bathroom surfaces. i don't remember if these wash up well (i haven't had them in a while), but it's worth a try.

anyway, both the dish and face cloths are great for traveling - no liquids to pack, and you have your own extra 'rag' cloths built in afterwards, but if you can't/don't want to have to pack them to go home, they can be tossed.


also, as long as i'm wasting everyone's time here, just a reminder that if you have shampoo, body wash, or dish soap that you didn't like (but the scent doesn't bother you), if you don't have the opportunity to donate it to a shelter, you can use it for laundry soap, as it's all just different concentrations of the same basic ingredients. also, hair conditioner can be used as fabric softener if diluted and mixed properly, and fabric softener can be used on hair.

[eleny]

1. Thanks for all these tips

I did't realize that shampoo could be used as laundry detergent. So, is shampoo more concentrated?

[LizMoonstar]

3. it really depends - you have to experiment.

though i don't measure my detergent either way, i just kind of pour some in.

[politicat]

2. In dry climates, the wet 'em and soap 'em facial cloths are

better for the environment - it takes a lot of water to wash a face and wash a washcloth, but those facial cloths are pretty water-saving (I can wash my face in about an inch of water in the sink.)

I found that terrycloth pot-holders are the best dishcloths - they hold up forever, they're cheap and easy to clean, and they have a better scrubbie surface than a regular dishcloth. I haven't tried the disposable ones yet, but they're on sale this week, so I might grab some.

[muttcats]

4. Clorox Wipes

I must admit that I make liberal use of those Clorox disposable wipes. I think they actually save me money in the long run even though I don't reuse them or launder them. If anyone knows of a generic, please let me know.

Reason being that I would use three or four dishrags in a day wiping down the table, the counters, etc. If I threw them in the laundry room and waited for a load they would mildew but if I washed them daily I was running a load with a few rags and a dish towel or two every day. That's a lot of wasted hot water, laundry soap and bleach. So now I use the Clorox wipes for those tasks and toss them when I'm done. I'm not spreading germs back around that way either. I also use them to clean the toilet rim, seat, base, etc.

I use them to clean the bathroom floors. If I use the old rag mop then I have to launder the mop head which is a bigger waste of money than using three or four Clorox wipes to do the whole floor plus the floor is cleaner.

They don't have any bleach in them. The disinfectant action is because they have a lot of rubbing alcohol in them so I can safely use them to dust electronics too. The alcohol dries fast. I've even used them on wood furniture and marble tile without ill effect.

Of course I also use them to disinfect doorknobs, light switches, phones, etc. when anyone is ill or when a bug is going around our social circle.

I do reuse dryer sheets to dust ceiling fans and other things with. I think it keeps them from collecting dust again so fast.

[fight4my3sons]

5. I use those Clorox wipes also.

With three kids, I can't go without them. I wipe down everything with them. I haven't found a generic brand yet. I have to have something that disinfects with these three wiping snot all over the place :-)

[eleny]

6. Solution for those "mildew" rags

Now that I have a work sink in my laundry room, I've started to soak some things to delay having to put them in the wash. I keep a small plastic tub in there with cold water and a splash of bleach. I like the Clorox wipes, too, and have some for the kitchen, bath and the camper. But sometimes I have things that could use a cold, bleach soak to keep them from getting rank.

[politicat]

7. That's my solution - a bleach soak.

I have a front loader, so I can't leave stuff laying in the washing machine until the end of the day, and I don't use hot water in my washing machine for anything (because if I do change temps, I'll forget to change them back - I'm a crappy laundress. I'm lucky to get things clean, dry, folded and put away!

So I have a bucket with a lid - it was originally a plaster-wallboard bucket, but we used up the stuff inside and washed it out. Since I use about 6 flour sacking towels a day, I drop them in the bucket with a half-cup or so of bleach and a squirt of soap. Every three days or so, I wash them with whatever accumulated whites and bath mats need doing.

[eleny]

8. Good ideas!

I use a number of cloth kitchen towels every day, too. We use them as table napkins and bibs when we have spaghetti or barbeque, too. Otherwise, I'd have a permanent stain on the front of my tees.

I love a front loading washer. Ours uses 14 gallons of water and maybe 2 tablespoons of soap. But, yeah, you can't fill it a little and leave things in there to soak.