Household Tips and Loads of them
Source of Recipe
Aunt Saunny
1.Soak, new, brightly colored garments in cold, salty water before
laundering. The colors will stay brighter.
2. When washing colored or printed material for the first time, add one
tsp. Epsom salts to one gallon of water. The material with neither fade
nor run.
3. Soaking blue jeans in 1/2 cup vinegar and two quarts water for one
hour before the first washing helps prevent them from fading.
When washing blue jeans, wash in cold water, put in dryer for 10
minutes or so, then fold on a wooden clothes hanger and continue to dry.
Always turn corduroy pants inside out before washing. This will keep
them lint free and they will also last longer.
Pin socks in pairs before washing them and you won't waste time trying
to match them up.
Rub a sticky zipper with a lead pencil.
Rub beeswax inside and outside your zippers on boots, purses, jackets
etc. to keep them running smoothly and quietly. This also removes dust
and grime.
To save on dry-cleaning bills, wash your wool blankets in a mild
dishwasher soap or Zero on a gently cycle. Dry on air fluff.
Silk garments must be hand washed. Use cool water with Lux or Zero
soap. When rinsing, add a bit of lanolin to restore and protect the
material. Drip dry and press, using a soft cloth.
Club soda is a great stain remover for clothing.
To make your own spot remover, combine two parts water with one part
rubbing alcohol.
Glass cleaner is a good spot remover. If you get a spot on a dress, for
example, place a tissue on your hand under the spot. Give the spot a
spray of glass cleaner and rub gently using another tissue on top to make
the spot disappear. Reapply if necessary.
To make your own prewash spray combine 1/3 cup each of water, liquid
detergent and ammonia. Mix, then store in a spray bottle. This is
excellent to spray on collars, spots and stains.
Use vinegar to remove perspiration, grass and slight scorch stains from
clothing.
To remove stains, soak garment in baking soda and water for several
hours, then wash as usual.
Dissolve your soap flakes thoroughly in water before putting into
washing machine. This will eliminate powdery buildups on clothes and extra
washings.
To use up slivers of soap, put them in a white sock, tie a knot in the
sock and toss into the washing machine. This will keep your socks
whiter and save money because you use less detergent.
Always measure any detergent used with appropriate scoops. This
prevents using an excessive amount.
If you accidentally put too much soap in the washer, pour two tbsp.
vinegar or a capful of fabric softener into the machine.
To make certain that clothes receive a thorough rinsing, add one cup
white vinegar to the rinse cycle. This will help dissolve the alkaline in
soaps and detergents, plus it will give you soft sweet-smelling
clothes.
When washing clothes, use cold water for the rinse cycle. Clothes will
retain their shape and color better.
Clean your washing machine by occasionally running through the wash
cycle, using warm water and vinegar. Do not put clothes in for this.
For a whiter wash, add 1/4 cup dishwasher detergent to your load of
white wash.
Dishwasher detergent can be used to whiten sweat socks and cottons.
Just add to regular washload.
Instead of bleach, use about three tsp. peroxide in your wash.
White socks can be white again if you soak them in boiling water to
which a slice of lemon has been added. Wash as usual.
To bleach handkerchiefs, soak 1/2 hour in sour milk and wash as usual.
To whiten lace, wash in sour milk.
To remove blood stains, cover stains with a paste of meat tenderizer
and cold water, let stand 15-30 minutes, then sponge with cool water.
To remove blood stains, dab with hydrogen peroxide. It will fizz up and
the stain will disappear.
To remove blood stains from clothing, sponge the stain with
three-percent hydrogen peroxide. Let soak for a few seconds, rub then launder as
usual.
When fruit juice is spilled on a tablecloth or clothing, boil a kettle
full of water and pour full kettle directly over the stain. The stain
will be removed immediately.
Scrub toothpaste into grass stains for removal.
To remove grass stains from children's clothing and white shoes, just
rub the stain well with molasses, leave overnight, then wash with soap
(not detergent.) The stains will disappear like magic.
Most grass stains can be removed with methyl alcohol. (Remember: Test
colors first to see if they are affected.) If a stain remains on white
material, use a mild solution of sodium perborate, chlorine bleach or
hydrogen peroxide.
Grease and oil stains may be removed from fabric by first rubbing lard
on the spots, then wash with liquid detergent. Repeat if necessary.
Put 1/4 cup Spic and Span in your wash water for each tub of clothes to
help remove stains and grease.
To remove grease and dirt spots, put cornstarch on grease spots and rub
in. Brush off the cornstarch.
Greasy work clothes will wash easily if you add a bottle of cola to the
detergent.
To remove grease or lipstick stains, pour Mr. Clean on the stain, rub
in and wash normally.
To remove lipstick from linen napkins, dab on a little petroleum jelly,
then wash.
Place clothing, which has gum stuck to it, in the freezer for a couple
of hours. Remove from freezer and crumble off gum.
To remove ink from clothing, use a dab of toothpaste.
Ink stains on clothes disappear when hair spray is used on them prior
to washing the article as usual.
To remove ink from any material, place a slice of raw tomato on the ink
spot. It will soak up the ink and then you can wash the material as
usual.
To remove ball-point pen from dolls, use a lemon juice and salt mixture
on the ink and leave in the sun for a few hours. Wipe clean.
Wet iodine stains with water, then put baking soda on thickly and let
stand.
To remove ring around the collar, rub shampoo on the ring and wash in
the usual manner.
For ring around the collar use a mixture of 1/3 cup Palmolive dish
soap, 1/3 cup ammonia and 1/3 cup water. Place mixture in a squeeze bottle
and rub on with an old toothbrush.
Buy a large bottle of liquid starch concentrate and mix one-part starch
to one-part water and pour into a spray bottle to make your own spray
starch. A light spray of starch helps prevent ring around the collar and
protects against various stains.
To remove rust marks from clothing, squeeze lemon juice on the spots,
pat with salt and hang the garment in the sun to dry.
To remove tar from clothing, rub tar with lots of butter and scrub
until the tar is removed. Use Spray & Wash or similar product to remove the
butter.
To get rid of tea stains from a tablecloth, dab with glycerin, leave
overnight and then ash in normal manner.
To remove candle wax, melt wax between blotters or rub with ice cubes
and scrape off. Wax dye stains can be removed with alcohol or bleach in
water.
Place water-stained fabric (curtains for example) in salted water and
soak until the stain disappears.
To remove red wine from a tablecloth, moisten spot, apply salt, let
stand a moment or two and wash thoroughly as usual.
To remove smoke odor from clothing, fill the bathtub with hot water to
which a cup of or two of vinegar has been added. Hang articles of smoky
clothing in the bathroom overnight, keeping the door closed. The
vinegar will neutralize the smoke odor.
Put a drop of Nilodor in each load of laundry to eliminate all odors.
To remove mildew from shower curtains, wash in a mixture of 1/2 cup
bleach, one gallon water and 1/2 cup detergent.
When washing plastic curtains or tablecloths, add one cup vinegar to
the rinse water. The plastic will dry soft and pliable thus prolonging
the life of the item.
To soften still plastic pants and prolong their use, put them in a
dryer with a load of towels.
To keep your sheer curtains wrinkle free, add a package of unflavored
gelatin, which has been dissolved in a copy of boiling water, to the
final rinse.
When washing drapes and wanting that perfect pleated effect, press,
hang, open and run fingers down each individual pleat, while holding
together at the bottom. Wrap a tie around the center and about two-thirds of
the way down. Leave for 24 hours.
Use rubbing alcohol to remove ball-point pen marks on clothing and
upholstery.
If your slipcovers are washable, place back on your furniture while
still damp. They will fit better and won't require ironing because as they
finish drying they conform to the shape of the furniture and stretch
out the wrinkles.
Rubbing cornmeal into a grease stain on upholstery and vacuuming it the
next day will lift out the mark.
Spruce up old stuffed nonwashable toys by placing in a bag with baking
soda. Shake and brush off.
Clean white kid gloves with flour. Just rub it into the dirt and brush
it away.
To clean silk flowers, put flowers in a plastic bag with a couple
tablespoons of salt. Shake vigorously while holding stems and bag shut. The
dust will cling to the salt and the flowers will look like new.
Dry lingerie on a clothes line or place on a clothes hanger to dry.
Heat from the dryer will ruin the elastic.
Use half of a fabric-softening sheet for a regular-size load of laundry
in the dryer. It is as effective as a full sheet.
Mix two cups fabric softener with two cups water and store in covered
plastic container. Dip an old facecloth in the solution and use instead
of fabric softener sheet.
Lint from the dryer and the washing machine, along with other garbage
collected in the laundry area, can easily be placed in the empty soap
box. This saves space in the garbage and also saves on garbage bags.
To remove burrs from sweaters or slacks, use disposable razors.
For best results when hand washing sweaters, put a capful of hair cream
rinse in the final rinse.
Wool is weak when wet. Do not wring or rub wet wool garments. Lay the
garment on a towel, roll it up and gently squeeze.
Shrunken woolens may loosen and stretch if soaked in a hair cream
rinse.
To resize woolens after shrinking, dissolve one oz. Borax in one tsp.
hot water and add to one gallon warm water. Immerse garment, pull gently
into shape and rinse in one gallon warm water to which two tbsp.
Vinegar have been added.
To tighten stretched sweater cuffs, dip in hot water and dry with a
hair dryer.
Turn acrylic sweaters inside out when washing them to avoid getting
fuzz balls on them.
To avoid ironing clothes, take them out of the dryer as soon as it
stops and fold them.
If you can't iron damp clothes right away, put them in a plastic bag
and place in the freezer. They will be easier to iron and there's no
danger of mildew.
To keep delicate fabrics from becoming shiny when ironing, cover the
material with a sheet of tissue paper. Make certain the iron isn't too
hot.
An iron heats faster than it cools. Therefore, iron fabrics which need
a cool temperature setting first, then iron fabrics which require
higher temperatures.
Pressing pleats in a skirt will take less time if bobby pins are used
to hold them in place. They may be left in position while pressing all
but the hem and then removed to complete the job.
Place a sheet of aluminum foil under your ironing board cover. It will
hold the heat longer.
Scorch marks may be removed by using a cloth dampened with vinegar.
Place it over the scorched area and apply a warm iron.
To treat scorch marks on cotton, press with a warm iron on a cloth
dipped in peroxide.
Stop your iron from sticking by running it back and forth, while hot
over a piece of paper on which salt has been sprinkled.
When your iron is off and unplugged, use pipe cleaners dipped in sudsy
water to clean out the steam holes.
Clean a dirty iron bottom with a dampened SOS pad. Then, warm the iron
and run over a piece of wax paper to restore the shiny finish.
Before you wear a new garment (or even on old ones) touch the center of
each button, front and back, with clear nail polish. This will seal the
threads and the buttons will stay on much longer.
Find buttons easily. Sort them by size or color in the compartments of
an egg carton.
When sewing on a button, especially a large one, place a pin under the
thread at the back of the button. When finished pull out the pin. The
button has room to move and will last longer.
Sew buttons on children's clothing with dental floss - its much
stronger than thread.
When removing buttons from a discarded item, sew them together before
storing with your spares. It will save you the time of having to match
buttons later.
Button popped off? For a quick fix, reattach it with the wire from a
twist tie.
Stop tangled thread. For a single thread, knot and cut from spool last;
and for double thread, knot each end separately.
Wet your finger before slipping on your sewing thimble. The suction
will keep the thimble from slipping off.
Always place a used desk blotter under your sewing machine needle when
oiling the machine to keep from soiling thread and material.
To sharpen your sewing machine needle, stitch through a piece of fine
sandpaper.
When elastic that is sewed on a garment becomes worn or stretched, just
baste cord elastic through the worn elastic. Pull it up and knot.
When patching the knees of your gardening jeans, leave the top of each
patch open like a pocket so that you can slip in pieces of foam rubber
or knee pads. They will make kneeling more comfortable.
Save old drapery draw cord and use the good portions for replacement
drawstrings in rugby pants and pajamas. Just thread through the
waistband, using a large safety pin, and make a knot in each end to hold.
Discarded neckties make interesting women's belts when three are
braided together. Single ties may be opened to serve as a neck kerchief on a
dress or sweater.
Men's cotton-blend shirts make good coveralls or aprons. Just cut away
the collar, shorten the sleeves (if long sleeved) and finish the
neckline with bias tape.
When the feet on men's socks wear out, cut them off at the ankle.
Stitch along the bottom and use as children's socks.
Using your old quilted housecoat for the inside of a baby quilt makes
use of a useless housecoat and is an inexpensive light filling for the
quilt.
To recycle wrinkled ribbon, run through a warm curling iron.
To wear sheets evenly, place a safety pin in the bottom end of your
sheet. After every wash, place the safety pin to the other end of the
sheet and make your bed with that end to the bottom.
When a bed sheet begins to show wear, cut the sheet in half across,
bring the unhemmed top and bottom ends together and sew them together. Hem
the center ends with one narrow hem and one wider hem. The worn ends
will be on the top and bottom of the sheet, making the sheet last a few
years longer.
Recycle old bed sheets by cutting them into pillowcases.
Cotton sheets can be recycled into pillowcases.
Old flannel sheets can be used to make a child's nightgown or pajamas.
Trim old tablecloths into a number of napkins.
Turn two old bath towels into a duvet cover for your cat's bed. Simply
sew together on three sides like a pillow slip and slide a scrap piece
of fiberglass insulation batting, wrapped in a plastic drycleaner's
bag. The cover is easy to slide off for laundering.
Baby's receiving blankets can be sewn together to make a special quilt.
Key chains sewed into the collars of children's coats and jackets
provide strong hangers.
When small children have difficulty zipping their jackets, make it
easier for them by attaching a key ring to the zipper pull.
To make a child's emergency throwaway apron, take a plastic shopping
bag with hand holes at the top and cut down one side and across the
bottom. Open and use as an apron by pinning at the back.
To remove scuff marks from white shoes, rub with dressmaker's chalk and
polish.
Give suede shoes a new look by wiping with a sponge moistened in cool
black coffee.
A cloth dampened with vinegar will remove grease stains on suede shoes.
Add extra shine to your shoes by putting a couple drops of lemon juice
on them when polishing.
Furniture polish is an excellent substitute for shoe polish. Spray an
even coat on the shoes, wipe dry and buff to a shine.
Polish your shoes well once, then when they look dull wipe them with a
soft cloth dampened with baby oil.
Paint heels of shoes with clear nail polish to prevent scuffing the
finish.
Spray the insides of new running shoes with spray starch and let dry
overnight. The starch will keep the insides clean and keep the runners
fresher for longer.
After washing running shoes, spray with spray starch. This will help
resist soil.
To dry the inside of children's winter boots or summer rubbers quickly,
put the hose of the vacuum cleaner into the boot and turn on the
blower.
To make children's shoelaces last longer, stitch up and down new laces
with the sewing machine before putting in shoes.
If your shoelaces are always coming undone, dampen with a spray of
water before tying.
To renew shoelaces which have lost their plastic tips, dip the ends in
the nail polish.
If sandals pinch, dab the inside with rubbing alcohol and wear them
immediately. The leather strap will ease a bit over the tight spot.
Kerosene will soften boots and shoes which have become hardened by
water.
Erase water rings on smooth leather boots by brushing spots with a
mixture of equal parts vinegar and cold water.
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