Do you or your children suffer from skin issues like irritation or rashes? These problems are often caused by regular laundry detergent. Lots of common detergents use dyes, fragrance, softeners, and other fillers in their formulas. Both kids and adults can be sensitive to traditional laundry detergent’s icky chemicals, dyes, perfumes, and other additives, and can experience symptoms of contact dermatitis, or ‘laundry rash,’ with an itchy, hive-like rash.

What Causes Laundry Rash?

Laundry rash is caused when chemicals in laundry detergent stay behind after washing. This residue contains dyes, perfumes, surfactants, and other stuff that can cause allergic reactions. Symptoms can include an irritating, itchy rash that looks like hives, sneezing and itchy eyes, and an elevation in skin temperature, where skin may be hot to the touch and can even blister.
The top 3 offending ingredients are sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrances, and coconut diethanolamide. Sodium lauryl sulfate (or SLS) is a chemical that affects the skin’s oil layer, causing your skin to dry out. Plus, SLS's can cause eye irritation and poor eye development in children! Fragrances, which are totally unnecessary for cleaning clothing, often cause allergic reactions. Coconut diethanolamide works in a similar way to SLS, causing dryness and reactions for those with allergies.

Powder is Best for Sensitive Skin!

Nellie’s Laundry Soda has no fillers and consists of just 4 ingredients. It also rinses clear, leaving no residue behind in your clothes and fabrics – no perfumes, no optical brighteners, and no solid synthetics to irritate you. It also dissolves quickly in both hot and cold water, and is safe for HE and standard washing machines. No more double rinses, irritations, or rashes!
Want to know more about why powder is better than liquid? Click here!

With tulips sprouting and warmer days quickly approaching, we’re dusting off winter’s cobwebs with a Spring Cleaning Series to help you prepare for the new season! To kick things off, we’re talking about the place you spend some seriously important time – your bed. We’ve already covered how to clean your mattress and how to clean your duvet, but now that we’re switching over to lighter fabrics like linen for our bedding, what’s the best way to take care of them? Don’t worry, we’ve done the research for you! Keep reading to find out the best way to care for your linen bedding.

1. Be sure to remove any spots before putting the fabric in the wash – once any stains have been cooked on, they’re permanent! Oily stains from body lotion, etc., are not uncommon, so just use your WOW Stick to lift the stains out.
2. Prep your laundry – button any buttons, close any Velcro so it doesn’t snag other things, and turn any patterned or decorated fabrics inside out.
3. Don’t mix bedding with clothes that have metal zippers or a rough texture – any snags could ruin your sheets!
4. Wash with your favourite Nellie’s Laundry Soda – the gentle formula is perfect for cleaning your fabrics without damaging the quality of your linens.
5. Never use bleach – use the Oxygen Brightener to brighten your whites and colours without the nastiness of bleach. It’s better for your fabrics and your skin!
6. Wash in warm or cold water. Lower temperatures are better for the environment, and also easier on your sheets.
7. Line dry your sheets and duvet covers if you can. If you need to use a dryer, make sure the temperature isn’t too high. A too-hot dryer can ruin your fabrics as it weakens and breaks natural fibres.

Other notes

• Most linen on the market is pre-washed, which gives it a more lived-in feel and appearance. Plus, you can put it in the dryer! Traditional, untreated linen should never go in the dryer. The heat causes the fibre to close up and lose its luster.
• If you’re drying your linens in the dryer, be sure to use your scented Dryer Balls in lavender! Not only will you cut down on drying time, you’ll have lightly scented sheets to help you drift off to sleep.
• Storing linens in plastic can result in yellowing and should be avoided. Natural fibres need to breathe, so a non-plastic basket is ideal for storage.

 

We wash our clothes to keep ourselves, our families, and our favourite items smelling and feeling fresh, but there is actually such a thing as washing too much or too little! There are downsides to both: laundering your clothes more than necessary can shorten their lifespan and ultimately wear them out more quickly, and washing them too infrequently can be unhygienic and lead to bacteria growth. Yuck! Here are our general laundry guides for you and your family:

For your clothes

Bras: After three to four wears

Underwear: After every wear, of course!

Stocks and stockings: After every wear

Sports and swimwear: After every wear

Jeans: five to six wears, although some advocate washing as little as possible

Tops: One to two wears

Dresses: One to two wears

Pants, skirts, and shorts: Three to four wears

Jackets and blazers: Five to six wears

Coats: Once every two months of wear, and before storing away for the season

Pajamas: Three to four wears

Get your clothes fresh and clean, but don't sacrifice your health and the environment! Wash clothes (and towels, bedding, etc.) with Nellie's Laundry Soda, and remove tough stains with the WOW Stick. If your clothes need some extra brightening or whitening, choose Nellie's Oxygen Brightener instead of toxic bleach.

For your kids' clothes

Washing your kids' clothes doesn't need to be a massive chore! Most experts say you can wash their clothing along with yours anytime you see stains or they don't pass the sniff test. The problem is that kids tend to get dirtier more often than adults do, so those stains and smells come up more frequently. Here's a handy guideline: the lighter and softer the fabric, and the closer it hugs the body, the more you need to was it. But as long as you don't notice dirty patches or stains, kids can wear clothes multiple times before they're ready for the laundry pile, just like you.

For your baby's washing

It seems like the hamper is constantly overflowing with onesies, blankets, burp cloths, bibs, rompers, and tiny adorable socks! Unlike grownups, who typically wear one or two outfits per day (not to mention wear an item of clothing more than once before washing), babies are mess machines with their spit up, drool, diaper leaks, or the dreaded blow out. Because of this, it's not uncommon to change their clothes as much as 5 times per day! So when it comes to washing your baby's clothes, there are two schools of thought:

1) Wash one load every day because it can be done quickly and won't pile up

2) Wash everything once each week so that you only have to spend one day dealing with laundry

Whichever one you choose, make sure you're washing with Nellie's All-Natural Baby Laundry Soda, which is formulated with baby's soft skin and messy mishaps in mind. Thanks to a concentration of sodium percarbonate for natural brightening, as well as the addition of pure vegetable soap, there is no need for an additional whiteners or brighteners. The stain-fighting formula is effective on cloth diapers and removes stubborn baby stains such as milk, baby formula, and spit-up. The formula is derived from plant-based and mineral-based ingredients and is non-allergenic, leaves no residue on fabrics, and contains no fragrance.

In the dryer

When drying your laundry, use the Lamby Wool Dryerballs to cut down on drying time, soften fabrics, and reduce wrinkles, naturally! Then, smooth out any remaining wrinkles and creases with the new Wrinkle-B-Gone.

Of course, these guides don't apply when excessive sweating or accidental spills occur, or to those that have different hygiene preferences.

Nellie’s All-Natural products work wonders on your laundry, but did you know they’re ideal for using on tough stains from beauty products? Whether it’s lipstick, foundation, or mascara you can use Nellie's products to get your clothes, linens, and household surfaces looking like new!

Maybe it’s foundation on your white collar, lipstick on your sleeve, or self-tanner on your bed sheets, we've all been there - trying to deal with a very noticeable tough stain that’s difficult to get out! Thankfully, you don’t have to use chemical-based detergents. The power of nature is strong enough to get even the toughest stains out.

Oxygen Brightener

Your sheets can fall victim to a lot of tough stains like blood or self-tanner. A warm, healthy glow on the skin is a classic summer look, but it can be difficult to get an even tan when you’re chasing the kiddos around the yard. Self-tanning products solve that issue, but then there are stains on your sheets and clothes! The Oxygen Brightener works like magic on these tough to remove stains like blood, grass, and self-tanning products. Separate your whites from your colours and add 3 tablespoons of Oxygen Brightener to your load. Wash with the Laundry Soda and watch your linens come out of the washing machine as good as new!

You can also pre-soak your stained linens before the wash by using one tablespoon along with Nellie’s All-Natural Laundry Soda in 10 litres or 2.6 gallons of warm or hot water. Soak for 30 minutes, rinse thoroughly, and wash with the Laundry Soda.

WOW Stick

The WOW Stick is oil-based, so it’s idea for oil-based makeup products like lipsticks, mascara, concealer, eye shadows, and many liquid and stick foundations. Simply wet the stain, rub the WOW Stick onto the stained area, and then agitate the stain under water. Then launder using Nellie’s All-Natural Laundry Soda. Can’t wash the stained item? No problem! Use the WOW Stick as a spot-treatment for things like your mattress or shoes.

There's More!

Did you get stains on another home surface? Use the Oxygen Brightener on upholstery, fabric, kitchen floors, counters, trash cans, and many more washable surfaces with a solution of 1 tablespoon of Oxygen Brightener per 16oz or 500ml of water.

Carpet stains? Don't worry. You don't have to rent a carpet cleaner or use nasty chemicals! For a naturally-effective spot remover, create a solution using 1 tablespoon per 16oz or 500ml of water. Soak up excess liquid before applying the solution to the stain. Use only enough to cover the stained area, wait 1-5 minutes, and soak up with a white towel. Repeat if necessary. Rinse thoroughly and blot dry. Vacuum when dry.

 
 

You know how and when to clean your pillows and mattresses, but do you clean your duvet? You can and you should, and we're going to walk you through the how-to. Regularly cleaning and switching out your sheets and bed linens is great, but what good is a wash if the comforter isn't taken care of too?

Before we get started – check the care labels. You’ll want to take some extra care if you have a down comforter or a feather duvet, rather than a hollowfibre duvet. Can you wash a feather duvet? Yes, but you need to ensure it’s in a good condition beforehand, and make sure that your duvet is suitable to be machine washed. If the label says ‘dry clean only,’ then it’s best to leave it to the professionals and take it to the cleaners. If not, then read on!

BEFORE YOU WASH A DUVET

First, remove the covers - you can wash these in your regular laundry load so don't worry about them for now. You can absolutely wash your duvet at home, albeit carefully. First, check the duvet for any holes or loose feathers, and, if necessary, sew up any holes with a needle to make sure the feathers don't become loose in the washing machine. Once you're happy your comforter is secured, you're good to go.

THE PRACTICALITIES

The big question: can you wash a duvet in a washing machine at home? This depends on the size and type of your washing machine. Needless to say, duvets can be quite large and they might not fit into your washing machine. If that's the case, your local launderette should have larger machines that will accommodate the duvet more easily. However, many home machines will be large enough. Front loading machines are the best option here - they tend to have a hollow drum that allows for more room for the duvet to move about. Some top loading machines have an agitator in the middle of the drum which can make things more tough, but it can still be done.

SETTINGS & DETERGENTS FOR WASHING

We recommend a gentle setting for washing duvets, along with a warm (not hot!) water temperature - around 30°C or 85°F is a good rule of thumb. In terms of detergent, it's best to opt for something mild and gentle. The Nellie's All-Natural Laundry Soda is ideal. If the stains are very dark or noticeable, don't be afraid to use the WOW Stick or the Oxygen Brightener. When your duvet is in the machine, don't wander too far! Keep an eye (or an ear) out for the end of the rinse cycle. Before the spin ends, stop the machine and repeat the rinse cycle once more. Since comforters are so big, fluffy, and absorbent, they can easily retain some soapy water, so an extra rinse cycle will make sure it's completely fresh and clean.

DRYING A DUVET

When you take your duvet out of the machine, don't be alarmed! If it's a feather duvet, the damp feathers will have become darker, and will make your duvet seem discoloured. This is nothing to worry about, and it'll return to its normal colour once completely dry. To dry, it's best to use a dryer, and you should always follow the care instructions. Again, if your home dryer can't accommodate the duvet, check out your local launderette. Some people prefer to line dry their duvets, but we recommend using your dryer - with line drying, the process takes so long that the duvet can begin to grow mildew and mould. The faster they dry, the better! A good compromise is partially drying the duvet in the dryer, and then air drying afterwards.

SO, CAN YOU WASH YOUR DUVETS AT HOME?

Sometimes, yes! Just be sure to check the care label first. Some comforters may be marked as 'dry clean only,' and in that case they should be taken to your local dry cleaners.

Washing a duvet may not be the easiest (or most enjoyable) cleaning task you'll ever complete, but it's much better than sleeping under dirty bedding. Don't wash your duvets too often -- too much and the duvet may start to come apart. We recommend washing your duvets once per year, usually when you make the switch between your light summer comforter and your heavier winter alternative.