Powder or liquid? This is an easy question for skiers to answer. But when it comes to laundry detergent, you have to wonder: is there a difference between powdered and liquid detergents? Aside from the obvious physical differences between the two, they appear to be identical. That’s my opinion (based on experience), for what it’s worth. Some disagree, claiming each type has specific advantages over the other. This is their argument (along with my interjections):

Pro Powdered Detergent

1. Lower cost per load. If you divide the cost of the package (box or bottle) of detergent by the number of loads indicated on the package. This must be true, as powder detergent is typically cheaper.
2. Ingredients in detergents, such as bleaching agents and surfactants, are more stable in powders and therefore have a longer shelf life than liquid detergents. Interesting, but who is concerned with detergent shelf-life? I suppose it would be smart to buy powders in bulk to save some money.

Pro Liquid Detergent

1. Liquid detergents are pre-dissolved. If you have problems with getting your powdered detergent to dissolve (cold climates, hard water, etc.) a liquid detergent can resolve the problem. This is the best argument yet.
2. Convenient for pre-treating stains: just dribble a little of the detergent on the stained area before placing the laundry in the washer. True, but a similar result can be had by mixing powdered detergent with water. Plus, the grittiness of the resulting solution may help remove stains.

If we really want to argue the advantages of each, I choose liquid detergent.

Alright, all you fitness freaks, athletes and casual gym-goers, we’ve got a new product that will keep your athletic wear smell fresher and last longer. Our new ProWash activewear detergent thoroughly cleans your performance garments (made of materials like CoolMax, GoreTex, DryFit, etc. Click here for a full list) without ruining the fabric.

ProWash is available at select WalMart stores and will soon be available online at Amazon.com and Drugstore.com.

We have absolutely no clue why you’d want to do this, but here are some instructions for how to wash your clothes with a washboard. We suppose this could come in handy when you’re camping, but then again, they have hand-cranked camping washing machines for that now!

Compliments of the National Parks Services site:

The ABC News affiliate in North Carolina recently posted a fantastic article on how to tackle laundry duty as a new mom (or new parent, in general). We’ve attached it below:

Choosing detergent

Your baby’s skin is more sensitive than yours, but as long as you use a mild detergent—one without color or fragrance—you can safely wash his clothing with yours. (Just be sure to wash cloth diapers separately from all clothing. See “Washing Diapers,” below.) For now, avoid using liquid fabric softeners or dryer sheets since they tend to be perfumed and may irritate baby’s skin. Always wash your baby’s PJs in detergent rather than natural animal-based soaps because such formulas wash out the flame-retardant chemicals that are used to treat sleepwear.

Getting out stubborn stains

To remove any baby stain (i.e. formula, food or poop) first scrape off as much as you can and get the clothing into cold water as soon as possible. Fill the washer with cold water and allow the clothing to “agitate” while the stain is fresh — this may get the stain out (never soak in hot water since this can “cook” the protein into the fabric’s fibers, making it difficult to remove) and you can wash normally.

If the stain remains, let it soak in cold water with detergent for at least 30 minutes. If the stain has dried, soak in cold water and detergent for several hours. Wash in warm water, rinse and inspect. If the stain remains, soak another 30 minutes and re-wash. If you use bleach to help get the stain out, be sure to rewash since bleach will irritate a baby’s skin. Never put stained fabric in the dryer since the heat will set the stain.

Cleaning cloth diapers

If you use cloth diapers and don’t have a diaper service, keeping the right supplies on hand will make laundering them easier. The essentials include a pail with a cover, Borax, baking soda, bleach, and white vinegar. Here are three easy steps for dealing with dirty diapers:

• Fill the diaper pail with warm water and 1/2 cup of Borax.
• Rinse dirty diapers before placing in the diaper pail; the Borax solution will help remove stains.
• Run diapers through two wash cycles. On the first, use detergent, hot water and bleach. On the second, use just water, adding white vinegar to the final rinse. The vinegar gets rid of soap residue and whitens diapers. You can also add baking soda to the final rinse which helps soften the fabric.

Here’s another great video from Expert Village. This time, they share a lesson about keeping your colors bright when you’re doing laundry. Enjoy, and don’t forget to take notes.

Spring is here… that means babies. You know what babies mean? Diapers. For the small few of you who still use cloth diapers, we discovered the ultimate online—The Diaper Jungle: Adventures in Cloth Diapering. The site features a chart with ratings of many laundry detergents for their “diaper friendliness,” as well as an informative blog. Check them out!

Marriott hotels are beginning to offer green laundry systems at some of their locations. Click the link below to watch a video from a Marriott in Washington D.C. that saves around 35 percent on energy costs by applying eco-friendly laundry practices for the tons (literally) of guest laundry that they wash each day.

Marriott going Green

This catchy, to-the-point slogan is used by Miami Beach’s Laundry Bar, only one of many establishments nationwide that are attempting to make laundry day a social event. Most of them feature full bars and libraries, while others—such as Harvey Washbangers—are full-service, even offering a food menu. Nearly all of these laundromats are on or near college campuses, catering to students with tons of dirty laundry and unquenchable thirst. What a fantastic idea. Here are just a few of these establishments that we found:

Laundry Bar, Miami Beach, Florida

Brain Wash Cafe & Laundromat, San Francisco, California

Suds & Suds, Corvallis, Oregon

The Bar of Soap, Dallas, Texas

Harvey Washbangers, multiple locations, nationwide

Laundry Bar, Miami

The number one error people make when they launder their puffy winter coats is when they dry them. Make sure that any time you use your dryer to dry your stuffed jacket (or down comforter, for that matter) you toss in a few tennis balls. The tennis balls will fluff the item and keep any of the filling from settling. Also, it helps dry the item evenly. So always remember:

The weather is only getting colder, so it’s time to bring out the big guns. Wanna freshen that down vest or jacket before you let it make its seasonal debut? Here are a few tips on how to wash it without ruining it:

Step One
Shake your jacket out to remove any loose dirt or dust. Do not use any stain removers to pre-treat the jacket; using such chemicals will run the risk of ruining the fabric.

Step Two
Use either a commercial washer at a laundromat or a front-loading washing machine to machine wash the jacket. It’s important to never use a top-loader because the middle piece is too rough on the down inside the jacket.

Step Three
Wash the jacket on a gentle setting with only water to start. After the cycle, squeeze any excess water out. If the water is clear, move on to step four. If not, continue washing the jacket in water until the water becomes clear.

Step Four
Add 2/3 cup of a down detergent to your washer and place the jacket inside. Wash the jacket again in the gentle cycle. After washing, the garment will look funny, but it is fine.

Step Five
Lay the jacket out on a flat clean surface while covering it with a clean, white towel and pressing out excess water. Hang dry the jacket. Every few hours, hand-fluff the down to keep the filling from settling or clumping.