Laundering barn clothes

[Mali]

I have always been an avid Tide user, but am trying to cut costs a little around the house. What is everybody's favorite detergent for getting grungy barn clothes clean? My husband used to milk dairy cows, and I always used Febreeze for laundry with his clothes. That works really well to take out any lingering smells, but I need something powerful for the dirt!

[jen-s]

I use Arm & Hammer, dye-free, etc and it works great and doesn't seem to fade my clothes or wear them out as fast as Tide free. (Liquid, not powder) I grew up riding here in NC with lots of red clay and when it's muddy, it's awful. I'll add a scoop of Oxyclean to my uber-dirty loads and am still amazed when it comes out every single time.

[Jaegermonster]

I second the Arm and Hammer. It cleans really really well and also seems a little better for sensitive skin than the tide. I love it.

[onelanerode]

I love Era. It can be tough to find around here though. It's usually ~$11 for the big jug w/ dispenser.

I think it works better than Tide.

[mjrtango93]

I wash all my clothes with a product called Lemon Q. It is an industrial cleaner and only found at janitorial supply stores. Just add a splash of that in with whatever soap is cheapest at the time and my clothes, saddle pads, etc always come out smelling amazing. Best part is the smell isn't overpowering but does hang around for a while. Everybody always asks me what I wash my clothes with as they always smell so good, I just don't let them know that is the 3rd day I've worn the sweatshirt to the barn. I think a gallon of its costs like $14 but it will last for about 3 months doing 2-3 loads a week.

[charismaryllis]

arm & hammer too. but then, i'm not trying to get them brand-new-out-of-the-box clean, just clean enough for polite company. :winkgrin:

[ChocoMare]

Another A & H fan here too. Then add just a capful of Odo-Ban: http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=174030 ;)

[Mali]

So I stopped by Target on my way home from work and picked up a big bottle of Arm & Hammer. I didn't have time to do the math to see how much it costs per load to use. I hate having dirty laundry, so I tend to do alot of small loads throughout the week. Now I just need to get hubby to turn up the temp on the new water heater!

[Laurierace]

Another A & H fan here too. Then add just a capful of Odo-Ban: http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=174030 ;)

No, no don't let the odo ban cat out of the bag. If people find out how good that stuff is for horse laundry and for the pee spots in stalls they will quadruple the price!

[Simkie]

I had a 5 gallon bucket of laundry soap from Sears that lasted a couple *years*. Think it was something like $20. Worked just fine to get barn clothes clean.

[Alagirl]

I use Purex, pretty much the cheapest thing in the shelf. Works well on the clothes my 11 yo cakes in the red mud from the yard.

You can always add some plain white vinegar and/or baking soda to the wash or Borax, for the stubborn stuff.

of course, it's gonna take a while to get used to not tide smell. ;)

[Tasker]

A & H Free or the latest find is the knock off store brand Purex Free for $3.00 less a bottle. And I too am going for 'polite company' clean.

If the clothes or horse laundry are really stinky, I throw in some A & H Washing Soda or Oxyclean (or the generic version)...whatever is cheapest.

[Mali]

Another A & H fan here too. Then add just a capful of Odo-Ban: http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=174030 ;)

Now I have to find a friend that is a Sam's Club member! I read the reviews of this product on the SC website, and WOW!

[Laurierace]

Now I have to find a friend that is a Sam's Club member! I read the reviews of this product on the SC website, and WOW!

Ok I am off to buy up all the stock at our Sam's! Just try not to mention the word horse, that might buy us a little time until they institute the obligatory 400% equine markup.

[strawberry roan]

A&H Essentials. And I just happen to be going to Sam's next week....:):)

[Lambie Boat]

there is no Sam's club around here. now I want me some Odo-Ban!! how do I get it?

anything similar at Cost-Co?

[Hunter Mom]

We use the Wind Fresh from Sam's. Big square plastic tub is about $15, and lasts for months. Gets out everything. I even wash my girls' sheets in it. I used to be a Tide user, but switched years ago.

[goodhors]

Part of getting clean, is using enough water and a smaller amount of clothing in each load, in the washer.

As mentioned in the washing machine thread, the amount of water needs to be enough to swish around FREELY in the tub. Doesn't matter if front or top loader. You can't pack the tub full of clothing or blanket, then use half gallon of water and expect the load to be clean. No soap is going to get that dirt out if water can't rinse thru the fabric.

When I wash jeans, from horse activities, I only load in 3 pair of Levis, in my "Largest top loader tub from Sears" to make one load. Jeans get LOTS of swishing water rinsing the fabric, They come out very clean, using a 1/8 cup measure of powdered Tide. We have soft water, that helps reduce soap usage, makes soap work better. Using less soap, large amount of water, the soap rinses clean from the material easily.

So in my experience, putting in smaller loads of wash, using lots of water, makes ANY laundry come much cleaner. I try not to fill over half full dry material, when that material is heavy. Horse blanket, flannel shirts, so those items wash clean, rinse soap out clean. The daughter's fashion, school jeans, easily can have 4-5 pairs in a load, come out nice. That fashion denim is REALLY light weight, she does not get them actually filthy or even dirty, like the Levi jeans get going to the barn doing chores.

For the worst stuff, I use Spray and Wash on stains, let sit awhile, then put it thru the washer. Those would probably be the Double layer sweatshirts husband wears to work in, Carhart-type hooded jackets and overalls. I do hang all these to dry, don't put them in the dryer. They shrink badly, last longer with hanging to dry. Add some humidity to the house air in winter. You can hang in the basement or on the shower rod, usually dry in a day. Too expensive to replace yearly because they don't fit now with dryer use.

So sometimes you actually save money in clothing wear, special soaps, when you put less in the machine for a washing load. Truly clean fabrics wear and last longer, so you buy replacements less often. Does make for more loads in the washer, as you go thru the week. I have NEVER noticed a smell problem after doing laundry, the clothing is clean. However we just do horses, no cattle or hog chores, which can really smell strongly. Not working or wading in barn muck either.

Even doing stuff at a laundromat, make the loads smaller, and your clothing WILL come out very clean. I used to go there all the time. Usually at night, so I could hog up a dozen machines! What other folks pulled out of the dryer was all that "tattle-tale grey" because they stuffed the washer loads too full, to allow good rinse and dirt removal.
The nice part of the laundromat, was that I got ALL the laundry done in about 2 hours, for the week. At home now, I do at least 2 loads a day, often more, because we seem to get very dirty, as a family.

Try the smaller loads, with full tub setting of water, see how much nicer your laundry comes out.

[Mali]

there is no Sam's club around here. now I want me some Odo-Ban!! how do I get it?

anything similar at Cost-Co?

After googling the product, I found out that it is also available at Home Depot. Darn, I already ran my weekend errands this morning!