It’s been non-stop Christmas here at Mama’s Laundry Talk this week.  I’ve had fun putting together a series of Christmas posts and I hope you’ve enjoyed them!

Now it’s your turn to participate in 5 Days of Christmas!  The bloggers who participated in this series are hosting a joint link-up.  Find your best Christmas-y themed post and link up below.  It doesn’t have to be a new post or anything even remotely related to laundry.  (But I’d be thrilled if it was!)

Go look in your archives and pull out your best post and join us!

A Slob Comes Clean – Getting Your Home Company Ready
Feels Like Home – Christmas Traditions
Somewhat Crunchy – Christmas with Dairy Allergies
Spell Outloud – Children’s Books
Mama’s Learning Corner – Children’s Crafts
Many Little Blessings – Edible Gifts
Sunflower Schoolhouse – Decorations
An Oregon Cottage – Christmas Cookies
Catholic Icing – Wishing Jesus Happy Birthday
The Traveling Praters – Traveling
The Homeschool Classroom – Gifts Kids Can Make

Don’t miss any of Mama’s Laundry Ideas or Tips.  Have Laundry Talk delivered right to your inbox.

Practically everything in life is a trade-off of time or money, right?  Christmas Gifts can also fall into that category too.  While this Christmas Gift Idea is ultra-cheap, it does involve quite a bit of time and energy to give.

The gift idea?  Laundry Coupons

I’m sure you have created a homemade book of coupons at some point in your life.  Those little handwritten coupons that read “Good for 1 Week of Washing the Dishes” or something similar. I’m using that same premise, but these are all laundry related.

How to Use Laundry Coupons

Some of the  laundry coupons are for adult-type jobs such as ironing, while others can be used by anyone old enough to put clothes in the washing machine.

You can print one copy of the coupon or multiple copies, depending upon how often you are willing to give the gift!

Simply download the .pdf and print on thick cardstock.  Hole punch the edges and tie together with a beautiful ribbon.  Then wrap your coupons and put under the tree or use as a stocking stuffer.

Download the Entire Laundry Coupon Set

I am publishing the cover page of the Laundry Coupons set and also the first coupon which states “This coupon is good for: Folding the Laundry and putting it away”.  Simply download here at the bottom of this post.

I created a total of 9 Laundry Coupons which I am offering as a free download for email subscribers of Mama’s Laundry Talk.  I appreciate my faithful Laundry Friends and I thought for days on what I could offer you as a ‘thank you’.  I hope you enjoy this set of fun laundry printables.

If you are already an email subscriber, you’ll see the link in the left sidebar at the top.  You can’t miss it!  Click on the link and you’ll be directed to the .pdf which contains all 10 cards.

If you would like to now sign up as an email subscriber, you’ll receive the link to the .pdf containing all 10 coupons in an email after you opt-in.

I created these beautiful little laundry coupons with the hopes that you’ll really use them if the Chief Laundry Washer in your house would perceive this as a good gift.  Everyone needs a break from their regular chores from time to time.

So download and print as many of these coupons as you’re willing to give!

Come back after Christmas and let me know if your gift was a hit!

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Laundry Coupons

It’s the last day of 5 Days of Christmas!  Make sure to stop by these other great spots for a little holiday inspiration!

A Slob Comes Clean – Getting Your Home Company Ready
Feels Like Home – Christmas Traditions
Somewhat Crunchy – Christmas with Dairy Allergies
Spell Outloud – Children’s Books
Mama’s Learning Corner – Children’s Crafts
Many Little Blessings – Edible Gifts
Sunflower Schoolhouse – Decorations
An Oregon Cottage – Christmas Cookies
Catholic Icing – Wishing Jesus Happy Birthday
The Traveling Praters – Traveling
The Homeschool Classroom – Gifts Kids Can Make

Don’t miss any of Mama’s Laundry Ideas or Tips.  Have Laundry Talk delivered right to your inbox.

{Make sure you stop by tomorrow for Day 5 of Laundry Gifts.  Hint: You can download them.  And they’re super cute.}

Earlier this week, I posted some fabulous children’s books which centered around the exciting theme of laundry. (There really are some good reads on that list.)

But some of us need hard copy how-to help in the actual task of laundry.  Until I finish my in-the-works Laundry Manual, you’ll have to make do with one of these.

The Best Laundry Book on the Market

Hands down, the best go-to resource about laundry is Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson.  I’ve read it cover to cover.

Twice.

There are ample sections on laundry as well as a million other household tasks.  I have a beloved well-worn copy that I will someday pass on to one of my children.

Put this on your Christmas List today.

Per Amazon:

Mendelson’s well-researched book includes meticulous sections on food (for example, which foods belong in the fridge versus the pantry, food storage times, picking the freshest fruits and vegetables, and keeping your kitchen and food sanitary) as well as laundry (caring for various fabrics, how to read–and read between the lines of–clothing care labels, and removing stains). Mendelson covers a lot of ground, and as she herself points out, readers shouldn’t feel required to do everything mentioned in the book–simply pick the activities that seem appropriate for your particular home. This is a comprehensive reference book that should serve homemakers well and induce a greater appreciation for the effort and specialized knowledge that go into keeping house.

Other Household Laundry Manuals

Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook:

I also own this book on housekeeping, which contains a section on laundry as well.  The laundry section in this book isn’t nearly as comprehensive as Home Comforts.  While it is helpful to the beginner, I didn’t find that it offered much for the whys behind laundry.

Per Amazon:

Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook is a pretty and practical package for everyone: “all mothers and daughters, fathers and sons who have a room, an apartment, or a home to care for.” Stewart’s exhaustive handbook features a handy “how to use this book” introduction; a room by room guide with weekly, monthly, and seasonal checklists; tips for cleaning, creating a comfortable and safe home, and moving; and a guide for identifying and caring for materials in your home.

Betty’s Book of Laundry Secrets by Betty Faust

I do not own this book, so I can’t write a personal review.  However, judging from the reviews on Amazon, this book is possibly a little dated.  It doesn’t review oxygen bleach, liquid detergent or how to manage front-loaders.

It does cover how to fold clothes and how to appropriately sort clothes prior to washing, which are two must-knows.

Per Amazon:

Betty is a lifesaver when it comes to laundry. She believes that simple products, such as a bar of Ivory soap and a scrub brush, and low-tech approaches, such as soaking a stain before you wash, are the secrets to getting clothes clean and keep them looking new.

Talking Dirty Laundry with the Queen of Clean by Linda Cobb

I haven’t read this book, but the reviews on Amazon are stellar!  I’d love to take a look through it and learn a few things.

Per Amazon:

Each short chapter concerns a specific topic, starting with the care and cleaning of the washing and drying machines themselves. A short section on line drying is included here as well; never again will you ponder the proper way to hang hand-washed slacks. Most of the chapters are devoted to various types of special problems, such as colors that ran, stain and odor removal, and cleaning large items like bedspreads and lampshades.

Laundry: Hints and Tips by Cindy Harris

Per Amazon:

Laundry in our grandmothers’ day conjures up romantic images of sweet smelling soap suds, bright laundry blowing in the breeze, and an iron warming by the fire. Although the tasks of washing, drying, and ironing are less arduous than they once were, they are still dreaded by many – much less enjoyed. However, Cindy Harris’ invaluable book shows how, with little effort, you can turn your home into a tactile heaven and transform the laundry routine from a chore into a pleasure.

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Are you following along with 5 Days of Christmas?  There’s a wide variety of Christmas topics – a little something for everyone!

A Slob Comes Clean – Getting Your Home Company Ready
Feels Like Home – Christmas Traditions
Somewhat Crunchy – Christmas with Dairy Allergies
Spell Outloud – Children’s Books
Mama’s Learning Corner – Children’s Crafts
Many Little Blessings – Edible Gifts
Sunflower Schoolhouse – Decorations
An Oregon Cottage – Christmas Cookies
Catholic Icing – Wishing Jesus Happy Birthday
The Traveling Praters – Traveling
The Homeschool Classroom – Gifts Kids Can Make

Don’t miss any of Mama’s Laundry Ideas or Tips.  Have Laundry Talk delivered right to your inbox.

I hope y’all had a wonderful Christmas!  Celebrating the birth of Christ is always a privilege and never gets old.  Besides acquiring a stomach bug, this was a very peaceful Christmas for us and for that I am thankful.

One of my best gifts this year was my brother and his girlfriend choosing to spend Christmas with us here in North Carolina!  It is interesting that the older you get, the less important material gifts become.  And while no other presents were necessary for me…

my husband bought me some fabulous new sheets that I’ll be posting about tomorrow.  I can’t wait to tell you all about them!

So did you give or receive any laundry related gifts? Tell me all about them in the comments!

I just love Lindy Sue’s. I first discovered Lindy Sue’s last Christmas when I was searching for fabulous laundry gifts.  It is so exciting when one lover of clean laundry finds another with the same passion!

Lindy Sue’s offers several laundry gifts.  Today at Mama’s we are highlighting the Quip Clip. Per Quip Clip’s Etsy shop description:

Stains are no match for Lindy Sue’s Come Clean Guide, now available in handy digital (pdf) format on our Quip Clip 2GB flash drive. Vanquish all common stains, from red wine to ketchup to mud and more. 3” clothespin is blonde wood.

Not only is the packaging just the cutest thing ever, it is a practical gift that even the non-laundry lovers can use on a daily basis.

Of course a print version of the Come Clean Guide is also available for those who are not so computer-savvy.  Or those who just prefer to literally have stain remover information at their fingertips.  The print version of the Come Clean Guide would be the perfect addition to one’s laundry room bulletin board.

Who knew there was specialty laundry detergent for the hunting crowd?  I’ve known tons of hunters in my life, and I’ve never heard a thing about specialty detergent.

But it does make sense. It’s hard to shoot a deer if he can smell your Gain detergent and runs before you can get him.

The product is called: Scent-Away.

According to various product websites, it is odorless, all-natural and environmentally safe.  It’s not terribly expensive, with prices starting around $10 for 22oz of detergent. 

Scent-Away contains camo-guard for color retention and it contains no UV brighteners.

So if you have a hunter on your shopping list who is hard to buy for at Christmas time, this might be worth a try!  The reviews at Bass Pro Shop give it great ratings.

(Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with this product or the websites mentioned in this post.)

Over the next few weeks, I’m posting many laundry-related Christmas gift ideas!  These gifts fall in a wide-price range from a few dollars to a few hundred (think washer and dryer!).

And these selections are for all ages – toys for children to nice appliances for the Mama of the house.

So hopefully there will be something for everyone!

So we’re starting off with an easy, affordable gift: specialty laundry detergent.

I’m not referring to your regular Tide or Gain or Arm & Hammer, but a laundry detergent you would consider a splurge.  Most people I know wouldn’t buy these types of detergents for every day use, which is why they would make a wonderful gift!

A few examples to give you some ideas:

This laundry set from Caldrea includes a 64oz. Laundry Detergent, 32oz. of fabric softener, and 80-ct. box of dryer sheets.  According to Caldrea’s website, the set sales for $30.00.  Caldrea offers free shipping on orders of $50 or more!  If you join their mailing list, you’ll receive free shipping on your first order.

The Laundress has a multitude of laundry detergents to choose from – their signature detergent, as well as specialty formulas for denim, whites and unscented are available.  Per The Laundress website, their Signature Detergent of 20oz. retails for $20.50.  To find a spot near you that sales The Laundress products, you can check their website.

Indulge your gift recipient in a luxurious laundry powder, such as the lavender-scented powder from Victorian Trading Company.  A laundry powder scented with natural oils often leaves that ‘clean’, fresh scent on laundry – not the heavy, floral scent we often associate with laundry detergent.  This laundry soap contains 4 pounds of product (40 loads) and retails for $14.95.

(Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with any of these products or any of these companies at the present time.)

Who knew there were so many great toys related to laundry?!

Some are available for Prime Shipping on Amazon.  So if you order today, they will arrive on December 22.  Not bad!

Here are some last minute ideas:

This is a great bath toy!  Kiddos get to scrub off the “dirt” when in the tub.  The little clothes stick to the bathtub when they get wet.  It’s a 12-piece set and is very reasonable priced at $9.30 and available for Prime Shipping.

This laundry room would fit right in to any dollhouse!  The ironing board flips up and down and washer and dryer doors really open.  Priced at $26.95 and available for Prime Shipping.

Playmobile also offers a pretend Laundry Room.  It features a figure (a little Mama Laundry!), ironing board, iron, washer, and drying rack.  A great addition to your Playmobil set!  Priced at $14.53 and available on Prime Shipping.

What little girl wouldn’t love this washing/ironing center?  Look at that realistic ironing board!  The set requires batteries for realistic washing machine and iron sound effects.  Priced at $59.99.  It must be ordered with ‘Expedited Shipping’ to arrive in time for Christmas.

Several more kid-friendly ideas coming.  Check back soon!

Is the saying ‘Go big or go home?’

Well, this gift idea is definitely big…and they certainly carry a big price tag.

If you are sick of doing your laundry at the laundrymat or just need to seriously update your equipment, then a new washer and dryer may be the best items to put on your Christmas List.

Need some suggestions?  I have lots of opinions on “good” washers and dryers.

Instead of featuring specific models of washers and dryers, I’ll highlight specific features.  I’ll preface this with saying that these are for Front-Load washers only.  Now that I have a front-loader (FL) I will never be bothered with a top-loader again.  But that is a post for another day!

Washer Necessities:

• Load Size Sensor – why waste water?  A machine with a load sensor only uses the amount necessary.  Save the environment and your water bill too! Almost all FL now have this feature.
• Sanitizing Cycle – Especially helpful if you use cloth diapers. Or you need to wash sick bedding/clothes.  Or your man physically works hard every day and his clothes prove it.
• Energy-Star Certified – this goes without saying.  If you’re going to spend the big bucks for a top-of-the-line washer, it needs to drastically reduce your water and electricity bills.
• Oxi Dispense Option – I’m one of the biggest Oxi-Clean fans that there is.  Not having an Oxi dispenser would definitely be a deal-breaker for me.  It dispenses your Oxi product at just the right time in the cycle in order to maximize its boosting power.
• Steam Option – This seemed like a needless option to me when we purchased our current washer.  I wasn’t convinced it would work any better than just plain Oxi-Clean.  I was so wrong.  The steam option is a must for our family.  It gets rid of really tough stains like mustard, tomato sauce, blood, baby poop.  It certainly upgrades the price, but it does really work, in my experience.  It is the ultimate in stain removal.
• Size – We currently have a family of 5.  I would never buy smaller than a 4.2 cu. ft. machine.  Honestly, I’d buy the biggest machine I could afford.  Even if you’re a smaller family, there will occasionally be either large items you want to wash at home or laundry is piled up and you have large loads.  Trust me – you won’t be disappointed by buying the largest capacity machine you can afford.
• Multiple Washing Programs – I make a concerted effort to wash our clothes on the cycle that is best in order to prolong the life of them.  I need a good sanitizing cycle for dipes, an ultra delicate cycle for lingerie, hosiery, and the like and a heavy duty cycle for towels and such.  And of course  a Normal cycle for everyday washing.  All of the other cycles are just icing on the cake in terms of clean clothes.  I love having options.
• Self-Cleaning Cycle – I also thought this was a useless feature prior to my education on FLs.  I’m so glad I was wrong about it also.  I use it several times a month since I own a laundry business, but the normal household only needs to run it once a month or so.

Dryer Necessities:

• Size – If you bought a large-capacity washer, make sure not to skimp on the dryer.  If the clothes don’t have enough room to tumble, they’ll take longer to dry.  And that’s no good.
• Wrinkle-Shield Option – Allows clothes to tumble at intervals until you can take them out.
• Multiple Cycles – A variety of options is ideal.  The goal is to easily select a cycle that is specific to the wet garment.  A manual cycle is mandatory for garments that don’t fit the mold.
• Steam option – This is my favorite by far.  Have a load of clothes that you threw on the bed but never got around to folding?  Put them back in to tumble with the steam option and they look freshly laundered.  Knocks out wrinkles and odors.  I could talk about this option for hours.
• A reversible door – Sometimes plans don’t proceed as you think they might.  If that’s the case, you’ll be happy the door can be moved.

My biggest piece of advice?

Buy the warranty.

Today’s washer and dryers have a tremendous amount of electrical components.  Which means there are lots of opportunities for malfunction.

I am definitely not one to buy a warranty, but was so relieved last month when my washer had to be repaired.  A $250 part is not fun to pay for out of pocket!

Do you own a front-loader?  What is your favorite feature?

Have you ever checked out Lindy Sue’s?

If you haven’t then you must go browse right now.

Although we’ve never met or conversed, I knew we were kindred souls from the moment I read “Lindy Sue is a laundry enthusiast.  She has devoted her talents to the quest for the perfect load of laundry.”

Ah… so refreshing to this lover of clean laundry.

Lindy Sue’s makes my southern self want to say, “Oh my word.  Have you seen her fabulous items?!”

These would make great Christmas gifts for anyone on your list.  Who doesn’t love clean clothes?

These are my personal top picks in no particular order:

Aren’t these the cutest ever clothespin bags?  I just love them.

They would be beautiful holding your pins on the line as you hang sheets.

I also like how you can use them as lingerie bags, hosiery bags, etc.

These are sturdy clips to hang in that cute little clothespin bag above.

For indoor or outdoor use.

This is a 20-page stain removal guide.
A great resource to keep in the laundry room.

What a well-designed laundry bag!
It has stain removal tips on the front and a guide to laundry care symbols on the bottom.  A genius idea in my opinion.

What’s even better is that Lindy Sue’s is offering a 20% discount!  Happy Shopping!

(Disclaimer:  I have no affiliation with Lindy Sue’s in any way.  I was not compensated through any means for this post.)