Best Bib & Tucker

Archive for the ‘Laundry’ Category

This is the time of year I start finding tubes of chapstick everywhere…on my night table, in my car, in my purse, and in my pockets.  Inevitably, a tube will end up in my washing machine.

mmmm...almond swirl smells like macaroons

The good news is it isn’t so hard to remove the resulting stains.  Lip balm is mainly composed of oils and will leave grease stains on clothing.  The best home remedy we’ve found for grease is Dawn dish detergent.

Using your fingers rub a bit of Dawn into both sides of the stain.  If you have an old tooth brush handy gently work the detergent into the fabric.  Let this sit 30  minutes or so then rinse and wash as normal.  Repeat if necessary.

As a side note… Dawn is gentle enough to use with all of your handwashables.  They recommend using about a teaspoon of Ultra per gallon of water (you’d need a little more of the regular strength).  Let your clothing soak for about 5 minutes, rinse with cold water, then let dry.

Choosing the right setting will prevent shrinkage, fading and wrinkles.

Regular/Heavy: High heat and fast drying
Use this setting to dry whites, socks, towels, etc.  Clothes washed in hot water may shrink if the regular cycle is used to dry them.

Permanent Press: Medium heat
Use with colors. The heat from a regular setting will fade them.  Do not use with delicates the heat is still to high.

Wrinkle Release: 10 minutes in the warm air of the Permanent Press cycle will take the wrinkles out.  If your dryer has a steam setting, use that to take out wrinkles.  It should take less than 5 minutes.

Delicates: Low heat
Delicates really should lay flat or hang to dry.  But if you are in a pinch you can use the delicate setting.

Air Fluff: No heat
This cycle doesn’t use any heat.  In our house we let most items air dry then throw them in the air fluff for 20 minutes to soften the fabric.  This really protects the fabric from fading.  You can also use this setting on dry clean only items.  Throw them in with a dryer sheet to get an extra wear before taking an item to the dry cleaner.

More dryer tips here: Laundry Basics for College Part 3

Q: My husband is very active and spends a lot of time outdoors.  In the summertime his clothes stink, even after washing.  Should I use more laundry detergent?

A:  Try adding 1/4 – 1/2 cup of vinegar to your rinse cycle.  It will remove the odor, release any remaining detergent, works as a fabric softener, and costs pennies!  Use your regular amount laundry detergent.  Extra detergent won’t rinse out and can leave your machine moldy.

Are you using too much detergent?  Here’s an easy test: The Too Much Detergent Towel Test

Those yellow underarm stains that appear on your white shirts are caused by a reaction between the aluminum in your deodorant and your sweat.   They can be really difficult to remove.

Here’s a simple pantry combination to try for white washable fabrics.

Soak the area in a mixture of equal parts water, baking soda, and peroxide (about 1/4 cup of each).  Gently scrub with a toothbrush to remove any particles then wash as usual.

I’ve always heard that people tend to use too much detergent.

According to this 2010 New York Times article today’s machines are much more efficient than they were 20 years ago.  They use less water thus need less detergent.   Additionally, detergents are much more concentrated.

Here is the test they suggest:

“Take four to six clean bath towels, put them in your front-loading washing machine (one towel for a top loader).

Don’t add any detergent or fabric softener.  Switch to the hot water setting and medium wash and run it for about five minutes.

Check for soap suds.  If you don’t see any suds right away, turn off the machine and see if there is any soapy residue.

If you see suds or residue, it is soap coming out of your clothes from the last wash.”

Try it.  You may be able to cut your usage (and detergent budget) in half.

It’s bound to happen to someone this weekend…

Ketchup and Mustard: the foes of holiday fun

Try these simple pantry solutions:

KETCHUP

Pour Mr. Clean on stain, soak for 30 minutes, then rinse.  Wash as usual.  You can also try blotting with white vinegar from the inside of the fabric.

For white fabrics you can try hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice.  These will slightly bleach the fabric so BE CAREFUL.

MUSTARD

Mix 3 parts dishwashing liquid to 1 part rubbing alcohol.  Soak 10-20 min.  If stain turns dark, it will wash out.  Rinse with hot water.

On white clothing:  Soak spot in mixture of 1 denture cleaning tablet  in  ½ c. cool water

Never use ammonia on mustard stains.

As always, after washing double check the stain.  Heat will set the stain so DO NOT put items in the dryer if the spot remains. Retreat the stain and wash again.

Q: Help! My daughter has chocolate stains on her Easter dress.  How do I get them out?

A: First blot the stain with cold water using a clean rag or dishcloth.  Next, add a few drops of light-colored dish washing liquid.  Mild laundry detergent or even light-colored hand soap will work too.  Blot the stain then rinse completely.  If you have a tough stain you can add a couple drops of ammonia for milk chocolate or a couple drops of white vinegar for dark chocolate.  Reapply the soap, blot and rinse again.

For more stain removal tips check out Removing Playground Stains

Shoes and boots and the bottom of coats and pants take a beating during the winter months.  Salt stains need treated as soon as possible.  If you don’t, those little white marks and lines can change the dye color and later look like bleach spots.  Vinegar to the rescue!

Salt on Clothes

Materials Needed:

• Distilled white vinegar, water, toothbrush, rag or cotton ball

Directions:

• Mix equal parts of distilled white vinegar and water.

• Dab water/vinegar mixture, using a rag or cotton ball, on the affected area.  Use an old toothbrush in a circular motion to softly scrub the stain.   For stubborn stains, you may need to treat again.

• Then, for washable items, wash as normal.

Salt on Suede

Materials Needed:

• Distilled white vinegar, pencil eraser, water, spray bottle, suede brush (short bristled wire brush), newspaper, soft brush

Directions:

• If removing salt from shoes and boots, stuff them with newspaper so they hold their shape.  Let any mud dry.  Brush with a suede brush to remove any dry dirt.  Do not brush in a circular motion, instead brush one way in the direction of the nap of the suede (make it lay down).

• Using a pencil eraser, lightly rub the stained area.

• For tougher stains, use the vinegar/water mixture.  Mix 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar to 1 cup water in a spray bottle.  Mist the affected area with the vinegar/water mixture using as small amount of water as possible.  Lightly brush the area to lift the nap up.  Once dry, use a soft brush to restore the original texture.

Salt on Shoes & Boots (Leather, Canvas, etc)

Materials Needed:

• Distilled white vinegar, water, toothbrush, spray bottle, clean rag or paper towel, newspaper, shoe polish or banana

Directions:

• Mix 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar to 1 cup water in a spray bottle…amounts do not have to be exact.

• Stuff shoes and boots with newspapers so they hold their shape.  Mist the affected area with the vinegar/water mixture.  Gently scrub with an old toothbrush or soft bristled brush in a circular motion.  You may need to treat again.

• Once dry, polish with shoe/boot polish or the inside of a banana peel.  Buff with clean rag or paper towel.

When I was a little kid our neighborhood road would get tarred in the summer.  During the heat, there would be a zillion tar bubbles just waiting to be popped.  I could hardly wait to get out in the morning to play, but the rule was to wait until 10am to go outside.   It was extremely stressful for a kid to have to wait until 10am, especially when your best friend/neighbor was allowed out at 9am and just as excited to get started popping the bubbles.  Needless to say, this was some of my first encounters with learning how to remove stains.  As far as the tar…cold cream and lots and lots of toilet paper seemed to do the trick back then.

BLOOD

I have a few different options of getting blood out of clothing.  First, rinse with COLD water to get off the majority of the stain.  Just hold the stained area under the water so blood doesn’t get onto the rest of the clothing.

Option #1: Sprinkle salt generously on stain, rub in or tap in with a little brush, rinse with cold water and then wash as usual.  This can be used on dried blood, just dampen with cold water and then use the salt.

Option #2: Saturate in hydrogen peroxide, leave on over night and rinse. (Hydrogen peroxide works wonders.  It isn’t bleach, but can possibly take out the color on some fabrics, so check first.)

Option #3: Drench the stain with ammonia and let sit. (This will not discolor clothing.)

Option #4: Soak the area in milk over night then wash as usual.

GRASS

Option #1: Rub Murphy’s Oil Soap onto the grass stain with a small brush. Wash.

Option #2: Combine a few drops of household ammonia with 1 tsp. of hydrogen peroxide. Rub on the stain and rinse with water as soon as stain disappears.

Option #3: Use Karo syrup (white corn syrup).  Pour on stain, rub in, wash as usual.  This works really well on baseball pants.

Option #4: Drench area with white vinegar & use toothbrush to loosen stain.

MUD / DIRT

Option #1: First let the mud dry.  Then scrape off as much as possible.  Cut a potato…yes a potato.  Rub the cut side of the potato on the muddy section.  Rinse with white vinegar.

Option #2: Spray shaving cream on the mud, get it nice and foamy.  Let stand at least 20 minutes, then blot off with paper towels or rag.

TIRE MARKS / TAR

Rub peanut butter onto the tire marks.  Rinse and repeat if necessary.  Once the tire marks are gone you may need to use Dawn Dish Soap to get out the greasy peanut butter.

TREE SAP

Rub Purell or any antibacterial hand gel onto the area.  Scrape off.  Wash.  Make sure the sap is completely gone before drying.  If some is left on the clothing, the heat from the dryer can soften the sap and transfer it to other articles of clothing.  Hence, making more work for you.

Shared Laundry Room Etiquette

Q.  Can I use more than one machine?
A.  Yes.  But also don’t hog all the machines.  It is perfectly permissible to use two machines (one for whites/lights and one for darks) at the same time.

Q.  Should you remove someone’s laundry from the machines?
A.  For the most part, you shouldn’t touch others’ clothes…it’s personal.  But, if the owner of the clothes is no where to be seen, it has been for a period of time, and there are no other machines to use…then place the clothes in a basket (preferably theirs that has been left on top of or in front of the machine).  You can also ask the manager or RA what is acceptable for that place.

Q.  Do you have to stay with your clothes?
A.  No.  But you better set a timer so you get back in time to remove your clothes from the machines, otherwise someone may remove your items for you!

Q.  Do I have to clean out the lint trap in the dryer?
A.  Yes. Check the lint before you start in case the person before you didn’t clean it.  Also clean it when you are finished with each load.