A Song from the Suds

Queen of my tub, I merrily sing,

While the white foam rises high;

And sturdily wash and rinse and wring,

And fasten the clothes to dry;

Then out in the free fresh air they swing,

Under the sunny sky.

I wish we could wash from our hearts and souls

The stains of the week away,

And let water and air by their magic make

Ourselves as pure as they;

Then on the earth there would be indeed

A glorious washing day!

Along the path of a useful life,

Will heart's-ease ever bloom;

The busy mind has no time to think

Of sorrow or care or gloom;

And anxious thoughts may be swept away,

As we bravely wield a broom.

I am glad a task to me is given,

To labor at day by day;

For it brings me health and strength and hope,

And I cheerfully learn to say,

"Head, you may think, Heart, you may feel,

But, Hand, you shall work away!"

~ Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Goddesses of Soap and Suds

Laundry is one of those household tasks that's never really finished.  As the wacky Welshman, Spike, points out in the movie, Notting Hill, laundry is a "vicious circle."  Unless you plan on doing the washing skyclad, there's always going to be something to clean; however, laundering is a great opportunity not only for cleansing and purification, but for infusing and charging the items with magickal energies as well.

This is a task where you may wish to invoke the almighty power of a laundry goddess.  The Baltic goddess Saule (pronounced "sew-lay") of sun and sea is a hearth goddess who oversees all spheres of domestic work, including laundering.  Honour her with a piece of amber on the back of your washing machine or by hanging red ribbons or a solar cross nearby.

Or you might like to create a "found" laundry goddess of your own, such as Goddess of the Tide or Lady Ivory, to oversee and bless your work.  Compose a prayer or chant to speak aloud as you load the washing machine or handwash your garments, such as:

Purifying goddess of cycles and tides,

Within you, the power of cleansing abides.

Banish negativity, evil, and dirt.

Make everything clean from our socks to our shirts!

 

   

 

Ivory Lady, pure as snow

That melts in mountain springs,

May your sacred waters flow

To bless and cleanse these things.

For more ideas on discovering and working with found goddesses, see the Found Goddesses page of A Kitchen Witch's Book of Shadows.

Cleansing and Purification

On the most mundane of levels, the goal of laundering is to get the dirt, odors, and nasty stains out of our clothes, towels, and linens.  Armed with her trusty bar of soap and a scrub brush, Lady Ivory can be a kitchen witch's best friend when it comes to stain removal.  The key to preventing a spot from becoming a permanent stain is treating it before it bakes in the dryer. Also, remember:

    Check your clothes for stains before washing them.
    Double-check before drying.
    When in doubt, soak spots in cold water.  

THE IVORY SOAP METHOD

Ivory soap works well for stains because it's mild (with an almost-neutral pH) and it doesn't contain moisturizers, deodorants, and other unnecessary additives.  Other mild white bar soaps will work, too, but save those colorful, moisture-laden, or highly perfumed soaps for unwinding in the bathtub.  For stain removal, plain old soap works wonders.

1. Wet the stained garment with cold water.

2. Rub a bar of Ivory soap directly into the stain, then rinse.

3. If that doesn't remove the stain, rub Ivory soap on the stain again, and then soak the fabric for 30 minutes or so in cold water with a bit of powdered detergent dissolved in it.  (If you forget and leave stuff soaking longer, it doesn't really matter; you won't hurt the fabric.)  Rinse.

4. If that still doesn't work, rub more bar soap into the stain, scrub it with a scrub brush (taking care not to damage the fabric), and rinse.

5. If a second scrubbing attempt doesn't remove the stain, blot it gently with some color-safe bleach (oxygen-bleach, not chlorine bleach) diluted with water, then rinse with clean water to remove all of the bleach.

6. If all else fails, be prepared to live with the stain.

EXCEPTIONS TO THE IVORY SOAP RULE

Like most rules, there are exceptions.  Certain stains require different methods of attack.

Coffee: Coffee isn't hard to get out if you get to it with soap and water right away.

Fruit: Put lemon on the stain first.  If that doesn't work, then use bar soap.

Mildew: Wash the garment in warm or hot water with oxygen bleach, depending on the fabric, and line dry or dry flat in direct sunlight.

Oil and Grease: Sprinkle some cornstarch or baking soda on the stain, then place the garment, stain side down, on a large rag on top of an ironing board.  Iron with a hot iron on the wrong side of the stain--most oil and grease stains will come right out.  (This trick works only for oil and grease, which need heat to dissolve.)

Rust: Soak fabric spotted with brown rust stains (which sometimes come from hard water) in a solution of 1 part lemon juice and 1 part water for at least 30 minutes.  Do not use chlorine bleach on rust stains.

Tea stains: These are hard to get out, but you can soak tea stains in cool water and apply bar soap anyway.

Sweat stains: Line-dry the shirts outside.  The combination of sunlight's natural bleaching properties and drying at lower temperatures than in a dryer keeps sweat stains from turning yellow.  It's the heat of the dryer that sets the stains and makes them difficult to get out.

For more tips on removing stains with natural cleansers, try the following websites:

Natural Choices: The Complete Internet Stain Removal Links Page

All-Natural Stain Removal Guide

Magickally speaking, it is also our goal to purify the items of any residual negative energies or other psychic "gunk" that may be stuck to them.  One method of doing this is simply to add a bit of spring water, holy water, or salt (sea salt is best) to your wash.

Making Holy Water  

There are several ways you can do this; decide what works best for you.  Essentially, you will need to gather some (obviously unpolluted) water from a natural source such as a river, lake, well, the sea, or rainwater.  Place this into a glass jar, to which you might like to add some rosewater or sea salt as well as a small crystal.  The jar can then be left outside overnight under the light of a full moon, or under a noonday sun if you prefer to charge it with Saule's blessings.  Hold the jar up the the sky in offering and say:

Lady, I ask you to bless and consecrate this water

That it may be used for positive acts in times of need.

When you go outside to retrieve the water, hold the jar aloft and say something like:

This water is now pure and has been dedicated to the Goddess.  It is free from all negativity.  Blessed be!

The water can be used for laundry, household cleaning, and any spells or rituals involving purification.

While holy water and salt purify the laundry with the elements of water and earth, line drying incorporates the elements of air (wind) and fire (the sun).  It also gives the items a wonderful, fresh scent, and charges them with Saule's energy.

See the Spellwork and Needlecrafts page of A Kitchen Witch's Book of Shadows for other ways to purify fabric for either mundane or magickal use.

Charging Laundry with Magickal Intention

In addition to purifying the laundry, you may wish to charge it with magickal intention.  For example, a load of sheets and bedding could be charged to bring restful slumber and powerful dreams, while table linens might be infused with joy, health, or harmony for enhancing your mealtimes.  The most basic method of doing this is to state your magickal intention aloud while loading the washer and dryer, ironing  the items, and as you fold and put them away, all the while visualizing your magickal goal.

Essential oils are an excellent way to boost your magick and add a comforting or uplifting scent to your laundry.  Lavender is a popular choice due to its relaxing smell and magickal properties of love, peace, happiness, and protection, but you can use any scent that you prefer and aligns with your intentions.

    Add a few drops of your chosen essential oil during the rinse cycle while visualizing your magickal goal.  Or, add five drops of essential oil to 1/4 cup fabric softener or water and place in the centre cup of the washer.

    Dryer sachets are easy to make.  You can sew a small drawstring bag out of linen, cotton, or muslin, or simply use a small circle of fabric tied tightly with ribbon.  Use red ribbons if you wish to invoke Saule's solar energy.  Place one cup of dried lavender and a few drops of lavender essential oil inside the bag and tie it tightly closed.  With your magickal intention in mind, toss the sachet into the dryer with wet laundry and leave until the load is dry.  Say something as you do this such as:

Herbal wonders, hear my plea

[your magickal purpose] is what I ask of thee.

Bring it now and seal it in

The clothes that dry within this bin.

The moisture in your clothes and the heat of the dryer act as a "steamer" to the sachet, helping to renew the blossoms and release their fragrance and magickal energies into your wash.    

You can use the sachet over again several times.  When it begins to lose its fragrance, put it under the seat of your car as an air freshener, place it in your dresser drawer to scent your clothes, or hang it in the linen closet.

As an alternative to sachets, place a few drops of your selected essential oil onto a small piece of terrycloth and toss this into the dryer with your laundry.

    You can also spritz the items with a specially scented spray.  Mix a few drops of your favourite essential oil with 2 to 3 ounces of distilled or spring water.  Pour into a spray bottle and shake well before using.  A nice combination to try is 6 drops of peppermint oil and 3 drops of lavender oil.  For a relaxing sleep. combine 2 ounces of rose water with 5 drops of lavender oil and 5 drops of chamomile oil.  Spray this onto your pillowcase before bedtime and run it through the dryer.

    Essential oils can also be added to your ironing water to infuse your laundry with magickal energy.

Energy Saving Laundry Tips

As ecologically-conscious kitchen witches, it is important that we find ways to maximize our resources, conserve energy, and use the earth mother's gifts wisely.  Here are some tips for saving energy with laundry.

    Use lower temperature settings.  Use warm or cold water for the wash cycle instead of hot (except for greasy stains), and only use cold for rinses.  Experiment with different laundry detergents to find one that works well with cooler water.  By presoaking heavily soiled clothes, a cooler wash temperature may be fine.  The temperature of the rinse water does not affect cleaning, so always set the washing machine on cold water rinse.

    Turn down the thermostat on your water heater. A setting of 120° F is adequate for most home needs.  By reducing your hot water temperature, you will save energy with either hot or warm wash cycles.

    Load the washing machine to capacity when possible.  Most people tend to underload rather than overload their washers.  Check your machine's load capacity in pounds, then weigh out a few loads of laundry to get a sense of how much laundry 10 or 18 to 20 pounds represents.  Then use your eye to judge the volume of clothes for a load.  Washing one large load will take less energy than washing two loads on a low or medium setting.

    If washing lightly soiled clothes, use the suds-saving feature if it's available on your washing machine.  This saves the wash water to be reused in the next load.  Only use this feature, though, if the second load is to be washed right away.

    When drying, separate your clothes and dry similar types of clothes together.  Lightweight synthetics, for example, dry much more quickly than bath towels and natural fiber clothes.

    Don't overdry clothes.  Take clothes out while they are still slightly damp to reduce the need for ironing--another big energy user.  If your dryer has a setting for auto-dry, be sure to use it instead of the timer to avoid wasting energy.

    Don't add wet items to a load that is already partially dried.

    Dry two or more loads in a row, taking advantage of the heat still in the dryer from the first load.

    Clean the dryer filter after each use.  A clogged filter will restrict flow and reduce dryer performance.

    Dry full loads when possible, but be careful not to overfill the dryer.  Drying small loads wastes energy.  Air should be able to circulate freely around the drying clothes.

    Check the outside dryer exhaust vent.  Make sure it is clean and that the flapper on the outside hood opens and closes freely.

    In good weather, consider hanging clothes outside and using totally free solar energy to do the drying.