It’s Saturday and the weekend of your multi-tasking mom is not complete without giving full attention to her laundry chore.For several months, I have overlooked and disregarded those perennial stains on Cj’s (my son) white school uniform until it dreads me and cannot anymore stand to see those eyesore’s stubborn tinges. So I need to make myself offline for a while to prepare me to a journey and give way to a new career – meet the stain-buster mom (lol).
Let’s get started. When I separated the whites from the colored ones, I have spotted a lot of stains that need careful handling and special treatment. Although this chore is no fun task, worry no more, there were home products or stuffs readily available right in our kitchen and in our home without requiring me to buy for a consumer brands to combat those persistent blots. This time, I went out of my way to really go green on white fabrics with deodorant stain around the armpit and rust stain. I applied splash of lemon juice on the affected area and place it under the sun. Lemon freshens up the clothes too and the sun offers free and non-toxic incredible bleach but be careful in colored ones.
Before removing those intermittent stains, please be cautious to check the care label on the soiled garments. Prior testing on the inconspicuous area should keep in mind to avoid further damage to the garments.
Let me share with you some of my get-rid ways I have researched, tried and tested myself to fight those stains.. stains.. and stains.
Mildew is a living fungus that thrives in warm and damp areas. Pour a good amount of peroxide all over the stain and add some baking soda. To remove mildew in carpet, you can also mix one teaspoon ammonia to a half-cup of water and dab on the stained area. But be warned that hydrogen peroxide can bleach your fabrics, so try a dab on in an inconspicuous place first to see if it'll bleach the fabrics.
Dried blood
Soak overnight in cold water and two cups of salt. Wash as usual in cold water.
Fresh blood
Rinse well in water. Dab on hydrogen peroxide with a damp cloth and allow it to bubble then wipe with fresh cloth. Repeat as necessary.
Candle wax and crayons
Scrape off as much as possible. For white wax, place a power towel under the mark. Iron on medium setting. The wax should be absorbed by the paper towel. For colored wax, put in the freezer. Once the wax is frozen, shatter it with the back of knife. Iron as prescribed above. Launder as usual.
InkBefore washing the stained garment, put paper towel under the affected area and spray with hairspray. The paper towel absorbs the ink. Repeated application will get best result. Alcohol too, helps eliminate the spot by dabbing the affected area. Rinse with cold water.
Oily Food
Pour amount of shampoo on the stain and gently rub. Baby powder and dish washing liquid can also serve as grease-cutter and absorb grease and oil. Put generous amount of baby powder on the stained area and let sit at lease overnight. Wash as usual.
Rust
Squeeze a lemon and sprinkle salt on the affected area and place under the sun. Launder as usual.
Shoe polish
For white fabrics, apply straight rubbing alcohol. For color-fast fabrics, mix one part alcohol to two parts water and sponge directly on the spot.
Stains produced by the human body
Apply generous amount of shampoo (which is a strong cleaner) on the under arm stains and ring of spot around the collar.
Sweat
Drop Aspirins into the white garments and let sit for few hours. (I haven’t tried this one but I will definitely give Aspirin a try)
Vomit
Scrape the stain. Vomit or baby spit-up contains acid that can permanently ruin fabric if it is allowed to sit. Sprinkle baking soda and rub on the affected area.
Wine Make a mixture of vinegar and water solution. Sponge onto the the spot, let it sit a few moments. Wash as usual.
Some other helpful tips:
- Vinegar does wonders not only to my laundry but a cleaning agent to my jewelries, kitchen utensils/appliances, sinks and other things around the house. It has added benefit of breaking down laundry detergent more effectively. Adding ½ cup of vinegar and splash of lemon juice to the rinse will serve as fabric softener and freshener respectively.
- Washing a new cool black t-shirt or black jeans with ¼ cup of vinegar for the first time would lock the color and prevent the fabrics from fading easily.
- Adding about 2 tablespoons of regular table salt to your colors in cold water and allow to soak for a while will brighten and enhance the colors.
Do you have great washing clothes tips that you may want to share and contribute? Please feel free to post it here.
Posts
