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Showing posts with label Laundry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laundry. Show all posts
6/6/11
Sweat Stains
I've done it!!! I've found a sweat stain buster! I know, I know, ewwwww. But face it, you sweat. I'm sure you have stained shirts. Some are lucky enough to be able to more frequently replace their shirts than others.
Instructions:
Mix ammonia and color safe bleach (NOT chlorine bleach, which is not color safe, and produces a toxic gas when mixed with ammonia.) at a 1:1 ratio. Liquid Chlorox 2 works well. Apply to stains, let sit. (I'm not really sure how long you need to let it sit. Probably only like 10 min, but I get pulled a lot of different directions and am quickly off to other things, so have let it sit overnight each time I've done it. It has dried in the fabric, but still worked great!). Then wash in HOT water. If the first time trying to bust an old stain, after letting the ammonia mixture set for a while, rinse with the hottest water that comes out of your tap. If any stain is left, apply dish soap, and rub the fabric together all over the stained area (which should be faded, already). Then wash in a hot water load. If it's a bad stain on white fabric, you can use dishWASHER detergent if the regular dish soap didn't quite do the trick. Dishwasher detergent has a bleaching agent in it, so only use it on Whites.
I like to mix a batch in a squirt bottle and keep it by my laundry hamper. Whenever I take off a shirt that may have staining problems, I'll squirt down the arm pit area and then throw in the hamper for regular laundry day. The first time attacking a tough stain will probably take a few applications/washings as well as possibly using dish soap or dish washer liquid (only use this one white, though, because it has a bleaching agent). After busting the stain the first time, a spray after wearing every couple of times is easy maintenance.
I've done this on shirts that have sat in my closet for years, unwearable, hoping some day I'd figure something out. And here it is!
Dish soap and dishwasher soap are my two favorite stain fighting agents! They break down the grease that holds so many stains in our clothes. I've gotten out so many old, set stains once I discovered using them!
Instructions:
Mix ammonia and color safe bleach (NOT chlorine bleach, which is not color safe, and produces a toxic gas when mixed with ammonia.) at a 1:1 ratio. Liquid Chlorox 2 works well. Apply to stains, let sit. (I'm not really sure how long you need to let it sit. Probably only like 10 min, but I get pulled a lot of different directions and am quickly off to other things, so have let it sit overnight each time I've done it. It has dried in the fabric, but still worked great!). Then wash in HOT water. If the first time trying to bust an old stain, after letting the ammonia mixture set for a while, rinse with the hottest water that comes out of your tap. If any stain is left, apply dish soap, and rub the fabric together all over the stained area (which should be faded, already). Then wash in a hot water load. If it's a bad stain on white fabric, you can use dishWASHER detergent if the regular dish soap didn't quite do the trick. Dishwasher detergent has a bleaching agent in it, so only use it on Whites.
I like to mix a batch in a squirt bottle and keep it by my laundry hamper. Whenever I take off a shirt that may have staining problems, I'll squirt down the arm pit area and then throw in the hamper for regular laundry day. The first time attacking a tough stain will probably take a few applications/washings as well as possibly using dish soap or dish washer liquid (only use this one white, though, because it has a bleaching agent). After busting the stain the first time, a spray after wearing every couple of times is easy maintenance.
I've done this on shirts that have sat in my closet for years, unwearable, hoping some day I'd figure something out. And here it is!
Dish soap and dishwasher soap are my two favorite stain fighting agents! They break down the grease that holds so many stains in our clothes. I've gotten out so many old, set stains once I discovered using them!
1/25/11
Stain Pre-treater
Pour a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle, add a few tablespoons of dish soap. Wala.
Note: I haven't tried this yet. I got it off a mommy web site yesterday, but with my experiences of peroxide working on old blood stains and dish soap on lots of stuff, it seems to make sense that it would work. It's a lot cheaper than Shout, too! :-) Oh, and the directions say that the coloring from the dish soap will fade in about 24 hours.
Pour a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle, add a few tablespoons of dish soap. Wala.
Note: I haven't tried this yet. I got it off a mommy web site yesterday, but with my experiences of peroxide working on old blood stains and dish soap on lots of stuff, it seems to make sense that it would work. It's a lot cheaper than Shout, too! :-) Oh, and the directions say that the coloring from the dish soap will fade in about 24 hours.
Blood Stain removal
Soak in cold water for several hours and then pour hydrogen peroxide directly to the stain while still wet. Allow to sit at least a few hours, till the stain is gone or faded most of the way, then wash in cold.
Notes: This is self-invented. I've used it twice to remove set blood stains, one of which had been there for over a week, the other had been washed and dried into the pants several times, but still came out! Just plain hydrogen peroxide doesn't do it. It seems to need the water to complete whatever chemical reaction gets rid of the blood. I've poured on the peroxide and just left it hanging over the shower to dry, and then washed it next time I did laundry, and it worked great!
Soak in cold water for several hours and then pour hydrogen peroxide directly to the stain while still wet. Allow to sit at least a few hours, till the stain is gone or faded most of the way, then wash in cold.
Notes: This is self-invented. I've used it twice to remove set blood stains, one of which had been there for over a week, the other had been washed and dried into the pants several times, but still came out! Just plain hydrogen peroxide doesn't do it. It seems to need the water to complete whatever chemical reaction gets rid of the blood. I've poured on the peroxide and just left it hanging over the shower to dry, and then washed it next time I did laundry, and it worked great!
2/17/10
Homemade Dryer Sheets
Pour liquid fabric softener into a clean spray bottle and spray 4-6 times onto a designated rag. Put into your dryer with clothes and tumble as usual. Wash the rag ever once in a while to remove buildup. A small refill carton of concentrated softener lasts about 1 1/2 yrs.
Personal Finding: The first several times you use a rag, you have to spray it more like 12 times per side to get it to work. Then once there is a build-up on the rag, the 4-6 times is sufficient. I even go 2-3 loads using the rag without re-spraying it. In larger loads, I add 2 rags, just to make sure the static is cut. I don't wash the rags anymore because buildup actually helps cut the static. (I probably will have to at some point, but haven't for a while.)
Homemade Spray Starch
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 pint cold water
Add both ingredients to a spray bottle and shake well until thoroughly mixed. Spray as if using a storebought spray starch.
Shake and spray away from clothing before each use to remix in case any settling has occurred. If you don't use very frequently, smell check it before using. After sitting for a long time, it will go rancid.
2/16/10
Homemade Laundry Detergent
1 yr supply for a large family for under $20
I've been using this for about 8 months, and it works just as good as any detergent I've bought at the store. And it's low sudsing, so it can be used in HE washing machines.
1 yr supply for a large family for under $20
I've been using this for about 8 months, and it works just as good as any detergent I've bought at the store. And it's low sudsing, so it can be used in HE washing machines.
year's supply
2 Boxes Washing Soda (NOT Baking Soda-Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda)
2 Boxes Borax (20 Mule Team Borax-can be found at Walmart in the laundry aisle)
18 Bars Ivory Soap (3 packs at Walmart for $1)
(1/2-3/4 cup per load=75-100 loads= about $0.02)
Batch
6 cups Hot water
2 bars Ivory, finely grated
1.5 cup washing soda
2 cups Borax
4 gallon bucket w/ lid to mix
Optional: 1/2-1 oz essential oil for frangrance
Put 6 cups water in soup pot and heat on medium; cut or grate soap into water while stirring until dissolved. (Takes about 30 min) Stir in Washing Soda alternated with Borax (or mix the two powders and pour in together. If you add all the soda first or too quickly, it will foam up and boil over, but the Borax helps prevent this.) Stir until thickened and fully dissolved; remove from heat. Put soap mixture into the bucket and add really hot tap water to about 3/4 full; mix well. Stir in essential oil if desired. Put lid on and let sit for 24 hours and it will gel. It is a goopy glop (egg soup) in texture. I've found that while gelling, much of the soap raises to the top and semi-solidifies. I just reach in with my hand and squish it up a bit, and stir it around. Store covered.
For really dirty clothes, use more soap or add a scoop of Oxyclean to the load (you can get oxyclean at the dollar store). I've even added liquid oxyclean to the batch mix.
2/4/10
Stains
These are some fixes for stains that I've found have worked for me. Please share if you find some great ones!
Baby Poo: (even on old onsies that had been handed down and washed/dried several times) DishWASHER liquid. Apply and scrub. Caution, it does take a bit of coloring out, so be careful when using on colored clothing, especially bold colors.
Permanent Marker: (few hours old, on sweater) rubbing alcohol & Oxy clean. Poured rubbing alcohol directly on the stain, let it soak for a minute and rubbed with a clean rag. Repeated several times, and it came mostly out. Then applied Oxy clean, rub the sweater against itself, let it sit for a while, repeated, then added more Oxy and let it sit over night. It's not completely gone, but mostly, and enough so that it's wearable.
Red Jello: (few hours old, on t-shirt) soaked over night in cool water with Oxy clean stuff (from the dollar store), then washed with my homemade detergent and a little more Oxy clean. Totally gone!
Baby Poo: (even on old onsies that had been handed down and washed/dried several times) DishWASHER liquid. Apply and scrub. Caution, it does take a bit of coloring out, so be careful when using on colored clothing, especially bold colors.
Permanent Marker: (few hours old, on sweater) rubbing alcohol & Oxy clean. Poured rubbing alcohol directly on the stain, let it soak for a minute and rubbed with a clean rag. Repeated several times, and it came mostly out. Then applied Oxy clean, rub the sweater against itself, let it sit for a while, repeated, then added more Oxy and let it sit over night. It's not completely gone, but mostly, and enough so that it's wearable.
Red Jello: (few hours old, on t-shirt) soaked over night in cool water with Oxy clean stuff (from the dollar store), then washed with my homemade detergent and a little more Oxy clean. Totally gone!
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