I've found that now that I am using only cold water and environmentally-friendly washing gels, my whites are staying white. I like the lemon juice advice, I use this on teatowels to good effect.

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Miss Info,

Put your stinky towels and washclothes in the sun to dry thoroughly before putting them in the dirty laundry basket. Sun kills most germs, especially in the hot summer.

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Just a caution to seasonal allergy sufferers. If you hang clothes outside, they just become suspended pollen-collectors. So if you're a sufferer, perhaps the dryer or an indoor clothes line would be your best options.
Doesn't help with whitening, but all the best suggestions for that have already been covered.

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I have also used soap nuts for well over a year. The cost per load is much less than detergent. I use the same nuts 4-5 times before they lose the soap-feel. I hadn't thought to compost them - thanks, Caroline! I also put cheap white vinegar in the fabric softener part of the machine. The only short-coming to soap nuts concerns my washcloths and towels, which always seem to stink no matter how I clean them. (Anyone know why or what I can do?) I usually use detergent and/or put smelly stuff in the dryer just to cover it. I just bought some bamboo washcloths, and I'm hoping they're more resistant to getting the stinks. Quick shout-out for bamboo: shirtsofbamboo.com is going out of business right now and everything is on sale! The washcloths are soooo soft!

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I just treated a load of laundry with a half cup of WASHING SODA - the results were amazing. I didn't use any soap at all, just cold water and the washing soda. I checked on the clothes after letting them agitate for a few minutes and the water was murky and grey. By the end of the cycle, everything was noticably brighter. Did I find the secret of color safe bleach???

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Soapnuts are great for removing normal dirt and smells, but you need to remove stains first. They produce hardly any lather, so you can save water on rinsing. I've used them for more than a year now, both hand washing and in the washing machine on the shortest possible cycle. They're economical because you can use them a couple of times on the same day. I use them first time for dirty things, second time for things like towels etc. They also act as a natural fabric softener. I've read that you can also blend them with water to make liquid soap but haven't tried this yet. When finished they can go on the compost heap or with organic waste.

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gr Een:
I understand your comments regarding costs. Personally, we use rubbing alcohol+water to clean our countertops and mirrors; it's cheaper than Windex and works better (no streaking or fogging!). Baking soda is an excellent scrub for sinks, caked on grease, etc., and is 2lbs/$1 at most dollar stores. Vinagre, peroxide, lemon juice, and rubbing alcohol are at similar prices at the dollar stores. When it comes to items like bleach, laundry or dish detergent, they're actually more expensive at the dollar store because the concentration is so low that more has to be used.

I use products from our kitchen to clean my face (honey, baking soda, olive oil, fresh fruit). I do know that when I lived in Newark, there weren't any real grocery stores, so getting anything fresh (let alone organic or local) was impossible. There are tons of fresh fruit/vegetable markets in most of the neighborhoods I've lived in across the country; many ethnic neighborhoods have great variety at unheard of prices elsewhere.

The "smug" get to most of us; those super-consumers who get the same over-priced stuff but now are getting "more natural" versions of the same thing (most of which get their natural or organic monikers through green-washing).

Caring for the environment AND oneself and family doesn't have to be expensive. Most of us are on a tight budget. Switching to wind-energy from other sources would cost my household an additional $12-20 per year, not month. There are choices.

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Until we have a house, hanging things outside is not an option (I'm sure that there are laws against it in New York). Aside from undergarments and dress shirts, I never buy anything white. That said, I don't think that there has ever been anything that has been able to completely ride collars/pits of sweat stains (natural or otherwise). Soap, borax, chlorine bleach, baking soda, lemon juice, peroxide, oxy clean--none work on pure cotton sweat stains--once the stain is there, it's permanent. Trying to dye the fabrics afterwards won't work either (the sweat area will be highlighted).

What I am curious about, however, is whether anyone has tried Soap Nuts (Chinese Soapberry). I've read good reviews on the various sites, but there's nothing on Care2 regarding them. Has anyone tried them?

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This comment can apply overall to this web community--care2 and all its concerns, petitions, wishes and desires for the universe. If no one has ever heard of Maslow's Hierarchy, they should look it up. It's more than I have the energy to explain right now, but the bottom line is that if a person's immediate needs are not being met, they cannot focus on any of the levels of needs or values that are next in the hierarchy, including environmentalism or concern for anything or anyone. There are several levels on this hierarchy that is shaped like a pyramid with the basic necessities being on the bottom and largest level. My point is this. Let's suppose that someone's ability to work has been interfered with, sabotaged, and abused to the point that they can no longer hold a job. When they're at the cheapo store, they're probably going to buy a .93 bottle of bleach which will last and sanitize their home for an extremely long time as opposed to stocking up on much smaller bottles of vinegar and lemon juice, regardless of that person's true, honest concern for the environment. This applies to their reactions to anything and everything in need beyond their need to have sanitary food, clothing, shelter. The pets will get cheap food, they themselves will get cheap food, all miscellaneous household items will be cheap, etc. I think you get the point. To onlookers who should be minding their own business, this might appear to be something entirely different.

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I add lemon juice in the rinse, and my whites always look bright and clean.

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