Laundry Wise...frugal & healthy household

"Houston - the national geographic wonderland of the world". This was the quote from one of my oil industry boss' wives. She had moved to Houston on the company transfer and couldn't believe that frogs were actually mating in her backyard pool.

In this warm climate, many other things flourish, too. A few summers ago, my son contracted a mild form of MRSA, the dreaded drug resistant version of the staph infection, now common to hospitals and locker rooms everywhere.

One evening after my son had his shower, he lifted his arms and I noticed a large 2" diameter looking boil about 4 inches below his armpit. I tell you, I just about freaked! One doctor visit later (luckily the pediatrician understands my budget), and a tube of prescription Bactroban in hand, we were told to swab our nasal passages with a dab of Bactroban ointment on a cotton swab twice daily, for a month. Then we were told to wash everything in hot water (and when able, bleach) and to especially keep the washing machine clean by periodically giving our machine a bleach bath.

What shocked me most was that although we are not the cleanest people in the world, I certainly could have won a clean laundry contest, as I was doing at least 20 loads of laundry a week.

To avoid germs, wash most things in warm water, towels in hot water, and clean your laundry machine periodically with a heavy bleach solution (at least one cup of bleach to a full load of water by itself) to avoid bacteria.

To frugually make the most of all that washing, do full loads. Buy your towels all in the same color - in my opinion, preferably white to bleach and know they are clean. Buy cheaper washclothes in bulk and use as one-time use hand towels - this avoids spreading germs between household members.

And, ooo gross, should you have a runny nose that won't stop (MRSA colonizes in the nose!), or a huge boil that appears out of nowhere, please go see your doctor immediately. MRSA can kill if you don't catch it quickly. For more information, do a search on the CDC (Center for Disease Control) website for MRSA.

Be healthy! Terre