Category: laundry

Photos: Artist Transforms Hanging Laundry and Everyday Items Into Surreal Characters

Bringing whimsy to the mundane, a Russian-born, London-based artist is making art from household items such as laundry, furniture, and food. Her unique movement, donned “household surrealism,” has garnered an international fanbase. Helga Stentzel, 38, is hugely inspired by everyday life. She was running a company designing and selling children’s clothes and accessories, and in…


Simple Solutions for 3 Common Laundry Problems

Stinky Towels and Clothes No matter how many times you wash those items, you just cannot get rid of the disgusting sour, mildewy odor. The problem is clear evidence of bacteria that continues to live in those items, despite having been previously laundered and dried. Place the offending items in the washer, and set it…


7 Smart Reasons to Use Vinegar in Laundry

Using inexpensive distilled white vinegar in the laundry is smart because it will whiten, brighten, reduce odor, and soften clothes without harsh chemicals. It’s Cheap Plain distilled white 5 percent vinegar runs around 3.5 cents per ounce in the typical supermarket when purchased by the gallon, and even cheaper when you can find it at…


How to Clean a Washing Machine

If you assume the inside of your washer is the cleanest place in your home because you put detergent through it with every load of laundry, join the club. Most people think that—and that’s a really bad assumption. Have you ever wondered why there’s dirty residue on the agitator? Why do washed clothes sometimes come…


One Big, Fat, Wadded-Up Mess and How to Fix It

If I’ve heard from one reader, I’ve heard from one thousand—all with the same problem: wadded-up sheets. I feel their pain because I have suffered this problem as well. So annoying. It can happen in the clothes washer, but also in the dryer. My best solution, which only slightly reduces the problem, has been to…


How Often Should You Clean Your Washing Machine?

Maybe it seems crazy to clean a washing machine, but the dirt that disappears from your clothes, towels, and sheets has to go somewhere, which means grime can build up inside your washing machine over time. Without regular cleaning, the appliance might also harbor leftover detergent, hard-water deposits, and mold or mildew around the door…


7 Reasons You Would Be Smart to Add Borax to Every Wash Load

Borax, a combination of sodium, boron, and oxygen, is a natural substance mined from the earth in its crude form, found in abundance in the deserts of California and Nevada. Powdered borax is white, consisting of soft, colorless crystals that dissolve in water. Borax is an ingredient in many detergents, cosmetics, and enamel glazes. The…


Homemade Stain Remover for Laundry and Carpet

I’m excited to tell you how to make a fabulous, if not magical, homemade stain remover. This stain remover recipe is so easy and cheap to make. And, wow, does it perform! Unlike some other homemade laundry stain and detergent products you’ll find here at Everyday Cheapskate, this one is also a homemade stain remover…


Frugal Laundry Tips That Will Save You a Fortune

If you’ve ever suffered the heartbreak of stains or other kinds of annoying laundry issues, you’re going to love this! These laundry hacks will elevate you to laundry genius in no time. Dried-On Latex Paint Getting any kind of paint on clothes or other items you care about is awful. Even if latex paint is…


8 Things That Should Never Go in the Dryer

Clothes pinned to a clothesline flapping in the breeze and drying in the sunshine is a visual that brings me back to my childhood. And oh, that amazing smell of line-dried clean sheets. Know what I mean? Modern-day clothes dryers have almost completely replaced traditional outdoor clotheslines. A clothes dryer is a convenient appliance that…