I think money is tighter this Christmas Season for all of us.  I know our budget is certainly smaller than it has been in years past.

If you need to tighten up the budget, consider these homemade laundry gifts for your favorite people this year.  While some are pricier to make than others, they are all still very reasonable.

Sew Your Own Aprons

(The above is a Reversible Child’s Apron with Fabric Crayon Embellishment from LangLang Creations.  Pattern available at site.)

Remember the aprons post  from yesterday?  If you know how to sew, you can certainly make an apron for a fraction of the price.  Here are some posts which link to free patterns.  You can’t beat free.

24 Free Apron Patterns from TipJunkie
50 Free Apron Patterns You Can Make from Tipnut
10 Free Apron Patterns from Skip to My Lou
Best Free Apron Patterns from Proverbs 31 Woman

Cardboard Washer and Dryer for Children

If you’re able to get your hands on a few huge cardboard boxes (refrigerator/freezer boxes), you can make a homemade washer and dryer for your little people.  I think these are great!

The above picture is from ohdeedoh, where you can buy the above pattern for $8.

Also, you can get an idea for a cardboard washer and dryer from this picture on Flickr.  I’m sorry I can’t post the actual picture due to the owner’s license.

Craftin’ Texan offers free instructions for a Cardboard Washer and Dryer.  Love free!

DIY Laundry Basket Dresser

I wrote a post on this fabulous idea of a laundry basket dresser by Ana White several months ago.  This idea doesn’t grow old to me, as I thought it was pure genius the second I read about it.

While it is definitely a time-consuming project, it can be made for $40 or less depending on the materials you use.  I think that’s a great deal.

Have you made any Homemade Laundry Items?  Do tell.

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Looking for a few fresh Christmas ideas?  Make sure to stop by these other sites for some Christmas 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.

I’ve mentioned my love for aprons several times here at Mama’s Laundry Talk.  Not only do they protect your clothes from stains (equals less work for Mama in the laundry room) but they make you feel like you should be working.  Diligently.

And sometimes I need a little motivation to work hard(er), I must admit.

So I may as well be cute while I’m working.

There are as many styles and patterns of aprons as there are laundry detergents.  Here are a few of my favorites that would be lovely to give as gifts this holiday season.

Everyday Aprons

From teresamedow on Etsy:
(The ruffle at the bottom is super cute!)

From Greatgoods on Etsy:
(Absolutely beautiful vintage-y yellow fabric)

From TheSplendidStarling on Etsy:
(Oh my. Just beautiful. The ruffled bodice is a nice, unique touch. This apron makes me want to can some jelly or something.)

Matching Mom and Daughter Aprons

From SmilesandGiggles on Etsy:

From WhatitSeams on Etsy:
(Love the mirrored patterns)

From GenevaDesigns on Etsy:
(This style in the mom’s apron is by far my fave of all apron styles)

Holiday Aprons

From vivasimone on Etsy:
(Beautiful fabric.  Am I the only messy cook?  I’m not sure a half apron would help me much.)

From kita817 on Etsy:
(Super cute.  Love the detailed pocket.)

From Boojiboo on Etsy:
(Bow on the pocket is a nice detail.  Lovely fabric.)

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Make sure to visit the other blogs participating in 5 Days of Christmas.  It’s a plethora of Christmas Ideas!

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.

Disclosure:  I have no affiliation with any of the products listed in this post.

Oh Laundry Friends, it’s been awhile hasn’t it?  I’ve missed you all terribly.  So many of you have emailed to check on me.  What a great community of laundry buddies I have here – and I’m grateful for each of you.

I unexpectedly had surgery over a month ago, as you all know.  For some reason, I just haven’t been able to get things back on track since that event.  While it was routine surgery and there weren’t complications…I just haven’t gotten my groove back.  Yet.

A week after I recuperated, we started back to school here at the Hill House.  My sweet puddin’ pie of a baby started crawling.  I potty trained my b-u-s-y 2 year old.  I’m trying to keep a semi-straight house and put dinner on the table every night.  And of course there is always a pile of dishes and a mountain of laundry.

You know, all of the same things that y’all are doing every day too.

I definitely don’t say all of these things with a tone of whining or complaining.  We have a busy {loud} house and I love it!  (Well, I could stand for it to be quieter on occasion.)

But these little people need and demand my attention, and I want to give my family my all.  They are my favorite people and my desire is to be the best wife and mother to them that I can be.

So Mama’s will be quieter as I enter a new season of life.  I hope to post here once a week at least, but blogging will definitely not be my top priority.  I have a million post ideas, just not enough time to write them!  Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

I am painfully behind on emails.  If you’ve sent me an email in the past 2 months, I’m slowly but surely working my way through my inbox.  You’ll receive a reply shortly!

And please know that I appreciate each one of you that has taken them time to send me an email and check on me.  To know that people care about me and pray for me is so humbling.  Thank you.

See y’all soon!

Laundry Friends,

I won’t be able to post here at Mama’s this week. I had my appendix removed very unexpectedly today.

I’ll be back next week with laundry deals and a few good posts. Forgive me for leaving you hanging.

Prayers for a quick recovery would be so appreciated! See you soon, Friends!

If you are in the market for a new washer and dryer, this holiday weekend is the time to buy!  Sears is taking 30% off all of their Kenmore appliances, which includes washers and dryers.

Also, if you purchase the appliance on your Sears card you can get an extra 5% off the total price.

They also offer free shipping on qualifying purchases with the code: JULY4SHIP.

The sale lasts through Tuesday, July 5th.

Disclosure:  I have no affiliation with Sears or Kenmore.

This is part two of a four-part series.  The last two portions will run next week on Monday and Thursday where I’ll cover smelly diapers, host a cloth diaper Q&A and host a CD link-up.

Mama is proud to have this Cloth Diaper Care series sponsored by Cloth Diapers Rock: the unique cloth diaper matching service. 

There are many different methods to washing cloth diapers.  Most cloth diapering mothers have their own washing method that they swear by.  However, I’m going to tell you this tidbit that will be so freeing:

There is no one, perfect method to wash cloth diapers.

Here’s the thing:  there are way too many variables involved in washing diapers for there to be only one perfect way to wash diapers to get them clean and permanently stink-free.

What works wonderfully for me is possibly not going to work so great for another household.  Water temperature, hard vs. soft water, detergent – these all play a part in the effectiveness of one’s wash routine.

So read through these wash routine variables and washing hints and figure out the system that works for you. 

Remember that there are at least three factors in effectively cleaning clothes or diapers:  wash cycle, water temperature setting and detergent. 

Washing Machine Cycle

Pre-Rinse
The pre-rinse involves getting the initial ‘ick’ out of the fibers of the diapers.   Usually a rinse cycle runs about 15-30 minutes or so on a washing machine.  You do not need any detergent or additives in this pre-rinse cycle.  Only water is needed.

Wash cycle
When choosing which wash cycle is best on your machine, choose the one that has the longest cycle of agitation.  On many washers, it will be labeled as ‘heavy-duty’ or ‘extra heavy’ or ‘whitest whites.’  If you don’t have a setting similar to these, use the ‘normal/regular’ setting, but adjust the soil level to ‘heavy.’  This will ensure the cycle uses the maximum time of agitation.  I recommend at least 12-15 minutes of agitation to really clean diapers well.

Rinse cycle
Most washers default to one rinse cycle per setting.  I recommend using an extra-rinse cycle at the end.  The setting on your machine will read ‘extra-rinse’ or ‘2nd rinse’.  You will have to set the extra rinse manually and it will start as soon as the regular wash cycle is complete.  The final rinse and extra-rinse cycles are literally trying to rinse any leftover detergent from the diapers.  Since extra detergent often leads to stink, you don’t want to skip this step.

Temperature Settings

Your washing cycle will be most effective if you follow these settings.  Remember that the hotter the water is that cleans the clothes, the more effective it makes the detergent.

Pre-Rinse
It is best to do this rinse on a cold temperature setting, which helps prevent staining. 

Wash cycle
Use the hottest temperature setting on your washer.  Yes, hot water can be damaging to elastic but it is more the dry heat of the dryer that causes this type of wear and tear in the case of diapers.  Cloth diaper manufacturers know that the diapers need to be washed vigorously and in hot water to clean them effectively, so they make the diapers to be sturdy.  Cloth diapers can certainly be washed in warm water.  Fibers like microfiber tend to hold on to stink however, so they probably won’t be able to tolerate a warm cycle continuously.  I definitely do not recommend using cold water during the wash cycle on diapers.  Cold water just cannot be efficient enough to get diapers as clean as they need to be.  (Yes, I know there are those that disagree!)

Rinse cycle and extra-rinse
It is acceptable to use cold water in the final rinse and extra-rinse.  The machine is literally trying to rinse out any extra detergent that might be left over in the diapers. 

Safe Detergents for Cloth Diapers

This is where things get a little trickier in the washing of cloth diapers.  It’s the age-old question of: what is the best detergent for my diapers and how much do I use?

When choosing a detergent, it is often best to choose the one with the fewest ingredients.  Avoid detergents with added fabric softeners, enzymes, bleach or oxygen-based cleaners.  These additives are designed to not rinse out in the final rinse, and this is not the desired result in washing diapers.  The goal is to have the fabric rinsed as cleanly as possible.

There are several comprehensive lists advising the best detergents to use for cloth diapering.  Happy Heineys offers an excellent list on what to look for in a detergent and specifically those detergents to avoid.  Pinstripes and Polkadots offers a comprehensive list of frequently used detergents and a list for high-efficiency detergents as well.  Diaper Jungle also has a  list of frequently used detergents and how they rate in the cloth diaper world as well as a chart for high-efficiency detergents.

Since you want diapers to rinse as cleanly as possible, it is recommended to use only 1/4 – 1/2 of the amount of detergent you would use in a load of typical laundry.  If you find your diapers are not getting clean in the wash cycle with that reduced amount, slowly increase it until you find what is most effective while still rinsing out well.

Additional Products to Use in the Wash Cycle

The potential for smelly or repelling diapers increases with the amount of products that you use in your wash routine.  Keep the routine as simple as possible, using only detergent if you can.

That being said, there are other additives you might want to consider in your diaper washing regimen:

• Baking Soda
  Baking soda is an excellent cleaner in and of itself.  Because of its pH, it neutralizes odors and doesn’t just cover them up.  If you have continuous ammonia stink issues, baking soda may be a good choice in getting to the root of the problem.
• White Vinegar
  If you use vinegar, make sure it goes in the final rinse of the diapers in the wash cycle (not the extra or second rinse).  Vinegar also helps neutralize the pH which aids in reducing smelly dipes.  It also helps eliminate detergent build-up on fabrics.  Caution:  Vinegar can also contribute to smelly diapers which I’ll cover in a later Cloth Diaper Care post.  Just be careful with it.
• Bleach 
  The use of bleach in relation to cloth diapering is fairly controversial.  Bleach weakens the strength of fabrics over time, simply because of its chemical makeup.  However, there are times when a small amount of bleach is needed (ie: sick laundry and diapers).  Bleach should never be a routine part of your cloth diaper washing regimen if you want your diapers to last.
• Essential Oils/Grapefruit Seed Extract
  Essential oils and Grapefruit Seed Extract have bacterial-cleansing properties that can be helpful in sanitizing diapers.  And they smell wonderful which can be a nice perk.  However oils and water definitely do not mix, so only a few drops are necessary.  Do not be heavy-handed!
• Oxygen Bleach
  Oxygen bleach can be used in a load of heavily stained diapers to prevent set-in stains.  Oxygen bleach works wonders on protein-based stains, which is what urine/poop stains are made up of.  Don’t be heavy-handed with oxygen bleach either, as it can also cause diaper build-up.

Top-Loaders and Front-Loaders

Both types of washing machines have their pros and cons.  However, in the cloth diaper world a top-loader wins hands down in my opinion.  Top-loading washers use triple the amount of water than a front-loader in a typical wash cycle.  While this is bad for the water bill, it is great for cleaning diapers.  Diapers need a  lot of water to get clean during the agitation cycle and then a lot more water to rinse the detergent out well.

If you have a front-loader, you might need to ‘trick’ your machine into using more water.  At the very most, your front-loader uses 14-15 gallons of water per cycle – that includes rinsing too!  Remember that a front-loader has a sensor to determine the amount of water needed in each load. So if you have a small load, the amount of water will be even less.

To trick your front-loader into using more water, add in an old towel to the wash load.  Or two towels if your load is fairly small.  The machine will sense that more is in the drum and increase the amount of water used.  Designate an old towel just for this purpose if needed.

Drying Cloth Diapers

It is best to hang-dry cloth diapers.  By allowing diapers to air dry, you save the wear and tear that the dryer heat causes on the elastic.  Over time, dryer heat will cause the breakdown of elastic in your diapers.

Cloth diapers and covers can certainly be dried routinely in the dryer if that is your only option.  There are no contraindications except the whole elastic issue. 

If you do decide to dry your diapers in the dryer, use a lower heat setting. While the drying cycle will last longer, it will be easier on your elastic.

If you suspect you have any pinpoint-size holes in the PUL of the diaper, the heat from the dryer can actually seal them up in certain cases.

Do you have specific questions on washing your diapers?  Feel free to ask in the comments or shoot me an email.

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Please visit the sponsor of Mama’s Cloth Diaper Care Series: Cloth Diapers Rock Cloth Diapers Rock is a unique cloth diaper matching service.  If you need cloth diapers, they’ll match you with a great product and distributor.  Cloth Diapers Rock offers information on styles of cloth diapers, sew-your-own diaper tutorials and more!

I am so thrilled about the new series here at Mama’s Laundry Talk!

The cloth diaper community has exploded in recent years and parents are looking for helpful cloth diaper information in one place.  So over the next two weeks, I’ll have all of that diaper information in one series.

The series starts on Monday, May 16th and will run every Monday and Thursday for the next 2 weeks.

These posts will be packed with cloth diaper information and recommendations.  I’ve cloth diapered three children and have several suggestions that will make your diapering life easier.

I’m also having a cloth diaper Q&A that I’ll post.  Email me your specific cloth diaper questions and I’ll make sure to include the response to each question in one of these posts.

Even though cloth diapering is much more main stream than it was 10 years ago, there is still an element of mysteriousness to it.  I hear a lot of, “Why in the world would you want to do that?”  So if you cloth diaper, are just considering cloth diapers, or think cloth diapering is just plain weird, I think there will be a little something for everyone in this series.  Well, all of you that deal with diapers that is.

So get ready to start with a bang on Monday!  In the meantime, email me your cloth diaper questions!

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Please visit the sponsor of Mama’s Cloth Diaper Care: Cloth Diapers Rock

Cloth Diapers Rock is a unique cloth diaper matching service.  If you need cloth diapers, they’ll match you with a great product and distributor.  Cloth Diapers Rock offer information on styles of cloth diapers, sew-your-own diaper tutorials and more!

I am so excited about this next week here at Mama’s Laundry Talk.  I am joining with several of my favorite bloggers and we are hosting a Spring Spruce Up!

Each blogger is focusing on a different aspect of the home during the Spruce Up: garage, playroom, bedroom, garden and many other hot spots.  I’m in charge of giving you some great tips on sprucing up and organizing your laundry room.

Here is an idea of what is to come:

Sprucing Up the Laundry Room | Mama’s Laundry Talk
Sprucing Up the School Room | Homegrown Mom
Sprucing Up the Craft Room | Many Little Blessings
Sprucing Up the Bathroom | Feels Like Home
Sprucing Up the Playroom | …Life’s About a Dream
Sprucing Up the Garage/Storage Space | A Slob Comes Clean
Sprucing Up the Master Bedroom | Raising Arrows
Sprucing Up Your Homeschool | Jimmie’s Collage
Sprucing Up the Kitchen | So Happy Together
Sprucing Up the Garden | An Oregon Cottage
Sprucing Up the Backyard | Successful Homeschooling

The Spring Spruce Up is going to run Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  And the great part? On Thursday, we’ll have a linky up where you can post about your own Spruce Up and link up with us!

So think about what room you would like to focus on, get moving on it, take a ton of pictures and write a post!  Then link up here on Thursday!  (Of course pictures are not required.  They just are fun.)

I can’t wait to see what y’all come up with.  And I am super excited to share my Spring Spruce Up ideas with you!

Teaser: I’ll have a laundry check-list for you to download.

My friend Carrie is having a blow-out sale on her Grocery University series!

You’ve heard me sing the praises of her series before – it’s not just a couponing course.  She also helps you maximize the current sales ads so you can menu plan more effectively.

I’ve couponed for 5+ years and still learned so many great tips from her course.

If you are serious about saving money on your grocery bill, Grocery University is a must.  Commodities are only going to rise higher in the coming months, and that means we will see higher grocery prices. Grocery University can help take away some of the pain we will feel in our pocketbooks!

The sale includes: almost 2.5 hours of audio, the 40-page e-workbook, and the popular Rock Bottom Price List, which has been updated to reflect rising grocery prices.

The prices for Grocery University is typically $24.95, but today the price is only $8.95!!

You’ll easily earn your money back in your first shopping trip, so give it a try!

If you’ve read here much at Mama’s Laundry Talk, you know that I love all things laundry.  Well, clean laundry that is.  I love it when my laundry baskets are empty and fresh-smelling clothes are neatly folded in everyone’s drawers.  And I love writing about it.

I’ve spent a couple of days mulling over the direction in which Mama’s will go in this new year.  And that leads me to you:

What kinds of laundry-related topics are you looking to read about in 2011?  More how-to posts?  Stain removal? How to get the laundry finished and put away?  Actual laundry techniques?  Laundry room ideas?

I’d love your input in making Mama’s Laundry Talk an even better place to visit, so please be honest in your suggestions and comments.

I have a good number of faithful, daily readers now and I am thankful for each of you!  Your questions keep me on my laundry toes and I enjoy researching and answering them!  Thank you for choosing to visit Mama’s each day.

So write me a comment about what you’d like to see at Mama’s.  I can’t wait to read them all…