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LAUNDRY HELP

Source of Recipe

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Recipe Introduction

Organizing Tips to Help You Conquer the Laundry Monster

List of Ingredients

You can add Pine-sol to the wash. It is a disinfectant as well as it usually removes most odors. Some people use it in every load of clothes that they do to kill germs and such. I hope this helps. Also, the pine-sol smell doesn;t stick with the clothes (unless you use TOO much of it). By the time the clothes rinse and you add the fabric softener, your clothes smell great.

OTHER LAUNDRY HELPS TO REMOVE STAINS

Laundry Needs Help
Does anyone know of a homemade wy to get sweat stains and odor out of clothes? I have tried conventional washing and the odor and stains persist. Any ideas?



White Vinegar
I have always used white vinegar to get smells out of laundered clothing. I use about a cup, just added to the wash load, with the soap; since I buy the stuff for for about a dollar a gallon, I stopped measuring a long time ago. I can't recall a time when it didn't work for this.



Baking Soda 'Paste'
Make a paste of baking soda and water. Apply to the stains and let sit for about 20 minutes. Wash as usual. If the stain is still there buy regular "chalk" (which comes in many colors) and apply to stain before wearing. . .the chalk will not harm the material.



Preventing Sweat Stains
Although I don't have a readily available solution to getting rid of sweat stains, I do have a prevention solution that I have used for years. I found that my husband's sweat combined with anti-perspirant was causing the staining. We switched to plain deoderant, and have subsequently had no more problems. Just recently, my teenage daughter began having the same problem with her clothes, and sure enough, she was using an anti-perspirant. I have two teenage boys also and have never had any problem removing "plain ole sweat".


Vinegar 'Sprinkle'
I don't know how old this is, but my mother told me this when I was a teenager and it does still work. As close to the time after taking off the garment sprinke or rub into armpits white vinegar. The acid from the vinegar seems to react in favor of stain/order removal from the garment. You can let it dry and wash at a later time or wash immediately, it doesn't seem to matter which.



Dish Detergent Soak
I have used palmolive dish detergent. Soak the area with the liquid, let sit for at least an hour and then wash as usual. It has work well for me. You can also use it for ring around the collar. This has worked wonders and is very cheap, do not use any liquid with lotions added such as ivory. You could also try the new anti bacteria dish detergent.



Shampoo
I use hair shampoo on yellowing stains on collars and underarms - scrub it in with an old toothbrush. Use shampoo for oily hair, as this helps breakdown the oil our bodies leave on the clothing. Just toss it in the washing machine after you scrub it.



Hydrogen Peroxide
For odor, I have used a cup of vinager in my laundry rinse cycle for years and it is wonderful. It also removes mildew smell. Our washer and dryer is in our garage and it gets very hot in the summer. If I forget to change out the washer to the dryer, sometimes I get that nasty smell. Just put on rinse cycle again and add vinager and it's gone. Also, I might try hydrogen peroxide on the stain. Hydrogen peroxide removes blood stains very well. Test a small hidden spot of garment to make sure that it does not remove dye. I have never had a problem with it doing that but wisdom is on the cautious side.


A Whiter Smile?
Maybe this will help......a teenager told me about this......to remove odors from clothing, (like coffee stains, etc) when washing the clothes squeeze in a good healthy squirt of toothpaste around the tub of the washer, then add your detergent, water, and clothes.....it really works! I just keep a cheap tube of toothpaste in the laundry room.



Bleach & Soda Bicarb
Sweat Stains: Any liquid bleach should be sufficient for removing sweat stains from clothes. Generally 1 teaspoon of liquid bleach solution in 10 lit. of water (preferbaly with about 25 to 30 gm detergent in it) should do. Liquid Bleach cannot be used for silk and woollen clothes.
Odour:After washing the clothes soak them in solution of sodium bicarbonate (soda bicarb). I have found bicarb to very effective odour remover.



Mouthwash?
I had the same problem for years and had despaired of ever finding a solution, especially for sweat odors. I finally hit upon this solution: I spray the underarm area with a "clear" mouthwash ( Dr. Tichenor's) before laundering. It is even safe to let it sit on there for a few days before washing without it causing the clothing to fade. I haven't tried it on delicate fabrics but on most workday and play clothes this works well.



A Healthier Lifestyle, Too
A cup of Borax and washing soda make good odor removers for laundry, but are relatively ineffective as stain removers. Believe it or not, the best way to deal with body odor and stains on your laundry is to improve your health by cleaning up your liver and kidneys. Body odor and stain problems are usually related to diet and chemical overload. I am not giving medical advice, just speaking from personal experience. When I switched from a high-carbohydrate diet to a low-carb. adequate protein diet (lifestyle), my body odor problems disappeared.


Wine - Believe it or not, white wine will remove red wine stains. Simply pour a little onto the stain.

2. Butter, Oil, Margarine: Pre-treat with a stain remover and allow to penetrate. Pour on a little laundry detergent and launder as usual. (See tip #1)

3. Coffee or Tea: Again, pre-treat the stain before laundering but don't be tempted to use a bar of soap to get the stain out quickly. This could set the stain. (See tip #2)

4. Grass... you might not believe this but I always used corn syrup to remove grass stains. Don't ask me why it works... it just does.

5. Ink: another interesting treatment that was popular when I was a teenager. We sprayed ball point ink with hairspray (in a can) and then laundered. It came right out!

6. Perspiration marks: Sponge white vinegar into the stain and then launder as usual.

7. Chocolate: Remove as much of the chocolate as possible and then soak in cold water. Rum a little laundry detergent into the stain and try to gently work the stain out of the fabric. (See tip#3)

8. Mud: Scrape off whatever is possible and then soak in cold water. Agitate water to remove any extra and then launder. You don't want to leave this stain to set. Launder as usual. (See Tip #4)


Tips:
If you don't have enough for an entire load, use a pre-treatment stick. This will give you a few more days grace and allow the stick to work on the stain.
Club soda will also work. Great for quick stain removal in public places.
It is really important to launder as soon as possible. Once the stain has set, it's almost impossible to remove.
Believe it or not, I have heard of using a potato sliced in half and rubbed on mud stains will remove mud stains.
Vinegar should not be used on acetate fabrics.
What You Need:
hairspray
pre-treatment spray
pre-treatment stick
club soda
1/2 potato



Recipe

Laundry Tips

Laundry. You sort, you wash, you fold, you blink – and the pile of dirty clothes has grown all over again. Laundry is a fact of life, but approaching the task in an organized way can make it more manageable.

Preparation is Half the Battle

If you have a large family (or lots of clothes!), sorting the laundry can be a daunting task all on its own. Sorting as you go not only ends the need for this part of the project, but also may encourage you to do laundry more often because it's all sorted and ready to go! Use a multi-compartmented hamper or several laundry baskets and as you throw in your dirty clothes just drop them in the appropriate section (even kids as young as pre-schoolers can learn to do this -- make it fun for them, give them a small reward (an extra 15 minutes of TV? staying up 10 minutes later?) each time they get everything in the right spot!)

Toss items that need dry cleaning into a special basket or bag as soon as you take it off. This way, when you are ready to go to the cleaners you can just grab them, rather than having to hunt for them in all the dirty laundry (ugh!)

Make a habit of always keeping a spare of laundry detergent, dryer sheets and whatever else you use regularly. That way you never have to drop everything and run to the store to complete your laundry (or use that as a reason to not complete the laundry...)


Consider sprucing up and organizing the laundry area. A clean and well-organized space makes any task more enjoyable. Schedule set laundry days and stick to them. It's amazing how much more you can get done when you have a schedule.


Put Away the Clean Clothes in a Flash!

Keep hangers and a folding hanging rack near the dryer. Save steps by putting hanging items directly on hangers rather than folding and toting them first. As you fold clean laundry, place items in baskets by person to simplify the process of putting it all away. Get everyone in on the act. Even small children can help put away some of their own clothes -- socks, underwear, etc. Older kids can put it all away. If you share the burden, it's not so overwhelming.

We know it's hard, but go through your drawers and closets and purge things that are never worn. Putting laundry away is much faster and more pleasant if you don't have to struggle to cram the clothes into an overstuffed space.

Set a side a small drawer or basket for socks that have lost their mate in the wash. Sooner or later the other sock will turn up and the pair can be put away with all the others.