How to Clean Your Washing Machine

A few months ago, I came across a post by Jillie on How to Clean your Washing Machine. Huh? Yeah, I thought the same thing, but I clicked the link because I was intrigued.  I have a really old (she's a teenager) top loading washing machine.  I had been noticing what appeared to be clothing lint under the rim of the wash basin after each load. So I read Jillie's instructions and added bleach and vinegar to my shopping list for the weekend.

That weekend with my supplies in hand, I tried unsuccessfully to open the top of the agitator.  I was sure it came off because I had seem a repairmen do it previously, so I solicited assistance from my husband.  He got it off.

Yuck!.

We found black mold growing inside there.  Yes, I was totally grossed out.  I've been washing my clothes in there. Ick! 

So I put on some cleaning gloves and wiped the mold and detergent buildup out the agitator.  I then followed her instructions by running a cycle with bleach then a cycle with vinegar. 

WOW, what a huge difference.  It looked and smelled like a new washing machine again.  This resolved the issue with the lint at the end of each load too.  

Jillie has some great household tips on her blog, One Good Thing. Here are links to her posts for top loaders as well as front loaders:

• HOW TO CLEAN YOUR {TOP-LOADER} WASHING MACHINE
• HOW TO CLEAN YOUR {FRONT LOADER} WASHING MACHINE!

Think of all the good money you spend on clothing for you and the family.  I'd highly recommend you spend a few bucks for bleach and vinegar and give your washer a little TLC this weekend.

Back to School on a Budget - Uniform Challenge

Do you dread back to school shopping for school uniform clothes for your child?

Sign me up.   I'm up for the challenge!  It's simple. Tell me a bit about your child and the school's uniform policy. My job will be to search out budget friendly options that meet your school's dress code.

Here's what you need to do:
Complete this simple survey where you'll be asked about the following things:
-Tell me about or send me a copy of the school's uniform policy.
-Tell me who you're shopping for such as age, gender, size, fashion preferences (IE-my daughter refuses to wear a jumper), etc.
-If your school requires specific items from a specific vendor, send me those details.
-Then tell me about the climate where you live.
-Finally, tell me your budget.

Entries must be submitted to me by July 15th. I'll pick 10 entries to be featured here during the Back to School shopping season this fall.  If selected, you'll be invited, but not required, to send a photo of you and your child(ren) for inclusion with the post. 

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Where is Your Child's Lunch Box?

I recently came across a n article which shares tips for how to remove that funky smell from your child's lunch box.  Since the school year just ended, I thought it might be a good time to ask "Do you know where your child's lunch box is?"  If not, find it and clean it out and store it away for use again next fall.

If you find it on the floor in the hall closet with what appears to be a half eaten sandwich and a baggie of mush that might have been grapes at some point in the recent past, then you should check out Leah Dossey's Quick Tip of the Day post from her blog Code Red Hat - Survival Skills for the Modern Mom on How to De-Funk a Smelly Lunch Box.

Good Luck!

(photo used with permission from Microsoft)

CookiesKids School Uniform Fundraiser Program

Haven't heard of CookiesKids?  Me either, until recently. The are known as the World's Largest Kids Department Store and have 6 retail locations in New York City.  In 2007, they were noted by Crain's Magazine as the #1 School Uniform Headquarters in the United States. The Cookie's website, which they consider their 7th store, features a special school uniform section. You can check out my overview of School Uniforms at the Cookie's, the Kids Department Store from the Retail Round Up Series.

I spoke with a company representative and learned that they work with over 1200 schools, mostly in New York City and others across the US. They are focused on working directly with schools to offer quality uniform items at the lowest possible price point.

Cookie's offers two different school uniform programs. The "Direct to School" program allows schools to place bulk orders at a discount to distribute or sell to students themselves. In the "School Webstore" program, Cookie's will create a custom website that features your school uniform or items that comply with your school's uniform dress code.  Parents are offered free shipping on orders over $49 and the school received a 5% royalty which is "donated back to the school to help underprivileged students pay for their uniforms".

Cookies also offers a in-house embroidery program and screen printing department to customize your school's uniforms.  If it's plaid you need, CookiesKids offers 38 different plaids in a variety of styles.

To see if you school is registered, check out their school search.  To sign up, complete the online form to have a representative from the School Sales Department work with you to design the uniform program for your school.

Related Posts:

• French Toast Dollars in Uniform Fundraiser Program
• Fundraising with the Lands End School Rewards Program
• Myself Belts School Fundraiser Program

School Uniforms at Marks and Spencer - Retail Round Up

Living in the US, I don't have many opportunities to shop at Marks and Spencer, a British department store. I did get a chance to visit the one in London once and the one in Bermuda once while traveling on vacations.   Imagine my surprise to find Marks and Spencer brand school uniforms while digging through a box of  clothing at the Uniform Locker exchange event at our local elementary school in Northern Virginia.

That day at the uniform exchange, I found and purchased a pair of navy slacks and a white long sleeve button down shirt for my daughter. They were a dollar each. Bargain!

School Uniforms are much more common in Britain than in the US. Marks and Spencer carries full offering of school uniform items for girls and boys.  Their website is well organized and easy to navigate.  The prices are listed in British pounds, so you'll need to be aware of the current conversion rate and any fees that your credit card might charge to get a somewhat accurate idea on prices as you browse their site.And at least for a limited time, they offer free shipping to the US and Canada with no minimum to order. 

They carry a wide selection of items for girls and boys that can only be rivaled by a handful of US uniform retailers. I thought I was getting the hang of shopping at stores that size items in centimeters, but M&S's sizing is different.  It is labeled in sizes from 3 years to 16 year. I'd recommend you check the handy sizing chart to compare how their sizing compares. Especially since the site was light on details of how international returns are handled.   They also offer slim fit, plus fit and longer lengths in some items.

Below is a one minute video where they highlight their 2012 school uniform innovations:

Disclosure - Affiliate Links in Use.

Thanks for supporting Uniform Mom!

Normally for the Retail Round Up series posts, I list the items available in the current school uniform collection by gender and clothing type. M&S offers too many items to list.  Instead, I'll link you to the major groupings areas: 

• UK students can shop the Personalised School Uniform site with details for specific schools.
• The Boys Directory includes Polos and Shirts, Trousers, Sportswear, Bags and Shoes, Jumpers (In the UK, they call Boy's sweaters Jumpers.), Shorts, Blazers and underwear.
• The Girls Directory includes Blouses, Polos, Sports, Skirts, Cardigans and Jumpers, Trousers and Shorts, Pinafores (These are what we, in the US, call Jumpers.), Blazers and Coats, Shoes and Bags, socks and underwear.

While navy and khaki are the basic colors in US school uniforms, I noticed that most bottoms at M&S are offered in black and gray in their collections.  If you're looking for school uniform items that will comply with the school dress code that not everyone will be wearing, then you should browse their selection.  I noticed selections that I hadn't seen in other school uniform collections.  Unique Girls Selections included 3/4 sleeve blouses, ruched polos, 9 different styles of pinafores, 25 different styles of skirts including straight skirts, tube skirts, pencil skirts and culottes and Blazers!  Plaid was noticeably absent.

Video Pick: School Uniform Badged or Not?

As a fellow association executive (IE- my day job), I can't help but support a recent project of the Schoolwear Association in the UK.  They recently shared this video asking parents and children which uniform they preferred, those with the school's logo or those without.  

What's your preference?  Please chime in using the comments below.

According to the video description on You Tube,

"The Schoolwear Association, represent all those involved in the supply of school specific uniform including retailers, direct to school suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, suppliers, decorators, agents and schools." 

A Year in Reviews-Kindergartner's School Uniform clothing items

School's out!

It seems like just yesterday we were attending Preschool graduation. Tomorrow is the last day of school for our daughter, and I can't believe how fast this school year has gone. During her first year at elementary school, she has made new friends and learned many new things, probably most importantly reading and writing simple sentences and basic addition and subtraction.  Socially, she made new friends and learned how to hold her own on the playground with the big kids at after school care.

Since she started Kindergarten at a school with an established uniform dress code, she doesn't know any different when it comes to school clothes. I've become a fan of the uniform dress code because it makes getting dressed for school each day very simple.  After I learned which stores carry uniform collections, shopping for her clothes is simple.  I've become a fan of several brands that have held up well for her this past school year.  Some items didn't work so well, and we'll skip over those during next year's shopping.  I've learned when things go on sale and learned to spot a bargain on the quality items.  

As we wrap up the school year, I thought I'd look back at the items from my daughter's Kindergarten wardrobe that I've reviewed this school year. Last fall, I set out to buy a week's worth of school clothes and hoped to pick items that would last the full year.  Each of these represent lessons learned- some good and some bad.

• Izod School Uniform Bermuda Shorts
• Cherokee School Uniform Pants
• Izod Flat Front Skirt
• Cherokee School Uniform Scooter
• Izod Short-Sleeve Woven Shirt
• George brand long-sleeve polos
• H&M's Organic Cotton T-shirts
• Lands End Girls Uniform Pleated Twill Skort
• Cardigan sweaters (Land's End, Cherokee and French Toast)
• Lands' End Knit Ruffle Front Dress
• Children's Place Active Skort and Fold-over Active Pants
• Myself Belt's Navy Canvas belt
• Lands End Kiki 3 Strap Skimmer shoes
• Saucony Radar LT LTT Sneakers
• Stride Rite Carla shoes 
• Cherokee uniform shoes (Falda Ballet)

(photo used with permission from Microsoft)