Concerned About Growing Old?

[Marie2020]

the way various fabrics hold odors is well know in this house because of how much fabrics that Mom deals with for her quilting that are given to her from people who use fabric softeners or those smelly house scent things or even laundry detergents which have a lot of perfumes/scents in them.

I've used organic castille soap for years. For my shampoo soap and detergent
I add vinegar salt, rosemary and lavender oil.

To get rid of the smells I'd use bicarbonate soda, if really bad peroxide.

I can't bear the stench of bleach plus it's cancer genic

it took us some time to find a laundry detergent that Mom can tolerate, but she may also rinse the fabrics with water and vinegar or for the whites add some bleach to help get rid of the extra smells. sometimes she's washed things several times and still had them stink too much for her to use.

the other day i put on an old t-shirt that i'd not worn before, it was pretty scratchy - probably because it had never been washed before either - i'll see how it feels after it gets washed...

 

[Marie2020]

The bad news…I absolutely agree the fabrics are thin , scratchy and stitching not reinforced. A lot of things are different with textile industry today.
I have a hard time finding clothing I like . I prefer solid material to the gaudy prints on fabrics today.
The good news…. No ironing required.
I read an article about what happened to the textile imdustry in the US . Basically the textile industry in the United States was forced out of business , over a period that saw less developed nations open their labor force to outside industry investments. In the 1970s, countries like China opened their doors to the country for manufactures of low technology, high labor products, like textiles.

I really miss those lovely cotton sheets and pillow cases.

The plastics added in our clothes can't be good for us

 

[Marie2020]

I'm a T-shirt and jeans gal and it's so hard to find 100% cotton anymore. I have to admit that the spandex in jeans makes them a bit more comfortable, but I'm in no hurry to get rid of my thrice patched cotton garden jeans. Also the synthetic shirts seem to hold on to smells after washing. I thought maybe I was just going crazy but I came across a YouTube video of a lady talking about it and how to remove the odors.

I also am a novice quilter and love working with denim and men's cotton shirts. It took a few years, but I can pretty much tell by feel whether they're cotton or not and even some of the cotton ones are ridiculously thin.

With you all the way as regards the Jeans a tee-shirt's
Same here, on the feel of recognising the a material.
Cotton has definitely left our world. Yet we purchase the so called cotton anyway

 

[baymule]

I discovered 100% cotton jeans at Atwoods, their brand name. Made in Bangladesh, have to try on every pair as sizes are a suggestion. Their brand name is Real Ranch. I bought men’s jeans as they didn’t have women’s jeans. Legs are roomy, just what I need for my farm activities. Best part? Only $12!!!!!!!
I bought 4 pair, need to go get more!

Jeans and T-shirts are my uniform, scattered with dirt, manure, mud and sometimes blood. Plus lots of dog hair. Footwear is rubber boots, steel toed “cowboy” work boots or tennis shoes. Dress up shoes are flip flops.

I can remember my great grandmother ironing the bed sheets. My mother? Oh heck no! We took sheets off the line, folded them and then made the bed. Wrinkles were ok in my house, growing up. Still are. I have an iron, I guess so I can say I have one.

 

[flowerbug]

wrinkle free anything lasts about 2 minutes after i put it on. makes no sense to me to iron if it looks ok after hanging up. so, no, i won't be ironing much at all any more. once out of work daily life or office i am t-shirt and sweats most of the time in the winter and in the summer there's shorts. for gardening i wear longer pants and sleeves to keep the sun from frying me, but sometimes let some sun get to my legs for a few minutes.

 

[digitS']

Flip-flops for church, @baymule ?

As someone hanging clothes outdoors during the Summer months, I understand one need for ironing. Two clotheslines, usually everything fits on the one under the deck roof. Also, rain is not common and, even if there are some sprinkles, things are very likely to dry under the roof.

Out on the open line, "OH no! Bring the clothes in." Of course, I just toss them in the dryer. But, ironing the remaining moisture out works. Additionally, wrinkles dry into clothes that are hanging quietly on a clothesline. "Shake Shake Shake," Mom would say, both during hanging and taking them down from the line.

After retirement and returning to the clothespins , DW told me to not leave the clothes looking like they have been "chewed by a cow." We may be the only people on the block who have any experience with such an event . However, securing gates as a farmkid was a serious responsibility and didn't happen but rarely...