Do you have a grey water system?

[Sweetpea]

I do. My washing machine drains into my small yard. But the chemicals! Nope! I use stait vinegar in the wash. 1 cup, let soak 1 hour then proceed with the cycle. My clothes have no smell and after being line dried have no stains.

[Simon]

Interesting! So you notice no difference even when you have some really and smelly dirty clothes?

[greenman]

Vinegar is an excellent natural cleaner. I use vinegar to do most of my household cleaning but I haven't tried using it to wash my clothes. Vinegar is anti-bacterial so soaking in vinegar will kill most of the bacteria. I'll have to give it a try because I don't like using unnatural products.

[thenextGeek]

I'd like to ask a question. Doesn't vinegar leave its smell on your clothes after washing? I'd like to suggest this to my mother but she might react in a not-so-good way because you know, she and even me thinks that vinegar might leave its smell on our newly washed clothes.

[Jessi]

No, vinegar doesn't leave a smell at all. That's why when you use it as a cleaner, your bathroom or kitchen doesn't have a funky smell either. It dries odor-less. I actually use it to REMOVE smells from dirty dishes, too.

[Sweetpea]

Interesting! So you notice no difference even when you have some really and smelly dirty clothes?

My clothes have never smelled or felt cleaner. Vinegar kills the bacteria that feed off the dead skin and oils that build up along our clothes mainly the armpits and critch areas, feet, well you get it. With the bacteria killed off there is no smell. As far as the cleaning power its quite impressive. My husband came home covered in thin slimy cement that he let dry! I soaked the pants in the wash and ran the cycle, no more cement. Bleach can actually stain white clothes a yellow tint. Vinegar on the other hand causes the fibers to release the build up creating brighter colors and whiter whites. Sun is a natural bleach too. It also disinfects. Even i winter I will hang a jacket inside out in a sunny window. Any stale smell goes away in a few hours.

[kulisap]

I just use grey water for cleaning the bathroom and the walls outside my house. With vinegar, I use it on removing poop stains on my baby's cloth diapers. During rainy days, I use it on the last rinse on my laundry so they will still smell fresh even if they don't get line dried.