Welcome to Cleaning Tips

Color Brightener

If you add about 1/3 of a cup of white vinegar to your rinse cycle, you´ll find that your clothes will come out brighter and softer. Any vinegar scent should vanish after the clothes have been dried.

Refresh Black Clothing

You can refresh your black clothes by adding bluing, or strong coffee, or tea (2 cups) to the rinse water. They should return to their original dark black state. To prevent future fading, wash them in cold water, with Ivory Flakes plus only a small amount of detergent.

Softer Towels

The cause of stiffness in laundry is usually that too much detergent has been left in the clothing. To make your towels softer, use less detergent than normal, and add white vinegar to the first rinse cycle. You may also want to add an extra rinse cyle when washing towels. Line dried towels do not get as fluffy and soft as ones dried in the dryer, but this should help.

Get The Ink Out With Style

Ink stain removal can be nearly impossible and many fear their clothes are ruined. Often regular laundry sprays aren’t up to the task and if that’s the case try turning to a different kind of spray to remove that ink.

 

Hair spray is a great ink stain removal tool for clothing. Simply spray the hair spray onto the stained area—make sure you’re generous so the spray penetrates the fabric—and let it sit for a few minutes. Throw the clothing item into the wash straight away and the ink should be removed when the washing cycle is done.

For leather garments try applying a liberal dose of petroleum jelly to the ink stain. Leave the jelly sitting on the stain for several days and then wipe the area clean.

Removing Rust From Clothing is Easy

The best way to get rust stains out of your clothing is to use a lemon, or table salt and cream of tarter.

Lemon

•To use a lemon, lay your garment on a flat surface on top of a towel.

•Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the rust stain. (If you do not have a lemon, you can use bottled lemon juice, it works just as well.)

•Lay your garment in the sun and allow it to dry.

•Once your garment has dried, look to see if the rust stain has lifted. If it has not, repeat the process.
•If the rust stain is removed, launder your garment.

Salt and Cream of Tarter

•To use salt and cream of tarter, simply make a mixture using equal parts of both.

•Lay your garment on a flat surface on top of a towel.

•Spread your cream of tarter and salt mixture onto the rust stain.

•Place your garment in the sun and allow it to dry.

•If the rust stain has lifted, launder the shirt.

•If the rust stain has not lifted, repeat the process.

Grease Stain Removal from Clothing

To remove a black grease stain from clothing, try saturating the stain with rubbing alcohol, then blot with a clean white cloth. If the stain persists, try using a grease cutting dish detergent, such as Dawn, and rub with a soft toothbrush. Another option, although it seems crazy, is to soak the soiled area overnight in a solution of detergent, Coca-Cola and water. Launder as usual.

Restore Whites

You should be able to restore your clothes to white (and not damage the fibres of the fabric) by soaking them them in lukewarm water and color safe or oxygen bleach for 24 hours, then rinse them with vinegar and water. Use one tablespoon of vinegar to one quart of water. After treating them overnight, wash them in hot water with chlorine bleach added. This should refresh them to their original white state. If possible, dry them in the sun.

Stink or Shrink?

Bacteria and mildew love a moist warm environment to breed in. Clothes are made of fibers that will trap many microscopic bits of skin and bacteria- no matter how many times you wash them. If your clothes are not being properly or completely dried before you put them away, this can cause mold, mildew and bacteria to flourish in the fibers of your clothing. Mildew is especially hard to get rid of once it finds its way in. Washing in hot water and bleaching may work- unless your clothing is dyed or are of a fabric not recommended for bleaching, such as nylon or spandex- but this at best, would be a temporary fix.

Most fabrics today can handle medium to high heat. Light fabrics and certain synthetics should be dried on low or hung to dry on a hanger. Cotton fabrics are very durable and versatile and can be dried on higher heats. If you are still not comfortable with drying your clothes on a higher heat setting, another possible alternative- if you are able- would be to line dry your clothes! Just make sure they are completely dry before you take them down.

How To Remove Stickers and the Adhesive

Some adhesives are easy to get off. Say you need to get the label off that empty pickle jar. Scrape through the label a little and smear it with dish soap. Soak in hot, soapy water. The paper comes off, leaving just a little adhesive to scrape off. Easy stuff. Price tags and stickers are harder to remove. Citrus oil to the rescue! It's a powerful dissolver, or solvent if you want to be scientific. Your store's cleaning aisle has citrus-based cleaners as well as goo removers. Follow label directions. Has the sun baked tape or a sticker to the outside of your window? Visit the hardware store. They'll advise you on the right kind of scraper.

Unshrink a Sweater

There is no guaranteed way to unshrink a sweater, but I have a few ideas for you to try. 1) Soak the sweater in hair conditioner and water solution, and pull gently to reshape, lay flat to dry. 2) Dissolve one ounce of borax in a couple of tablespoons of hot water, add the mixture to a gallon of warm water, immerse the garment. Pull the sweater gently into shape, and rinse in a gallon of warm water to which you have added 2 tablespoons of vinegar. 3) Dissolve two cups of non-iodized salt in enough hot water to cover the garment. Let cool, and leave the sweater to soak in it for three hours. Wash it in mild suds, rinse three times, roll the sweater in towels, then reshape and let dry.

Whiter White Cotton Socks

Return white socks to sparkling white by boiling them in a saucepan with a few slices of lemon. The lemon is a natural bleach. Dishwasher detergent also whitens socks - just add a little to the regular washload.

Keep Jeans Looking Like New

To prevent a new pair of jeans from fading when washed, soak them in 4 tbsp. of vinegar mixed with 5 quarts of water for about 30 minutes. For added insurance, wash them inside out.

Deodorant and Perspiration Stain Removal

Yellow underarm shirt stains are likely caused by a combination of deodorant and perspiration. Many deodorants and antiperspirants contain aluminum salts. When these salts are combined with laundry detergent, especially in cooler water settings, they are not easily dissolved, and they remain on the fabric.

To remove the stains, try soaking the shirts in warm water with an enzyme pre-soak product or rubbing the soiled area with white vinegar. Wash in the hottest water safe for the fabric. If the stain remains, dampen and sprinkle stain with meat tenderizer. Let stand for about an hour, and launder again.

To avoid new stains from forming, always wash the shirts in the hottest water safe for the fabric. Also, allow antiperspirant to dry completely before dressing.

Cooking Oil Stain Removal from Clothing

The most effective way to remove grease stains from laundry is to treat the stain with a dishwashing detergent that is formulated to remove grease. Rub it into the stain, let sit for a few minutes, then wash as usual. Waterless mechanic´s soap (from an auto-parts store) is also very effective at cutting grease. Grease is very effective at removing grease, so you could also rub Crisco into the stain, then launder.

Tea and Coffee Stain Removal from Clothing

For a fresh tea or coffee stain, immediately pour boiling water over the stain until it disappears. Or, soak the stain with borax and water, then wash as usual. On old stains, make a paste of borax and water, leave on for 15 minutes, then wash as usual.

Fresher Looking Whites

You should be able to restore your clothes to white (and not damage the fibres of the fabric) by soaking them them in lukewarm water and color safe or oxygen bleach for 24 hours, then rinse them with vinegar and water. Use one tablespoon of vinegar to one quart of water. Your clothes may be turning gray because you have hard water, and this diminishes the effectiveness of detergents, and often leaves a residue on clothing. If you think this is a case, you may want to add a powdered water softener to your wash, particularly when washing white clothes.

Grass Stain Removal from Clothing

To remove grass stains, dab the area with rubbing alcohol or diluted hydrogen peroxide before washing. Or, try putting liquid dishwashing detergent on the stain, let sit for ten minutes then wash.

Washing White Clothes

When washing white clothes, hot water works the best, since your detergent will dissolve and work the most effectively at this temperature. Water rinses equally well at any temperature, however, so be sure to rinse all your clothes using cold water to save on hot water. If your clothes are not particularly soiled, you could probably get away with using hot water every second or third washing to save on hot water as well. Be sure to always follow the washing directions given on the label of your clothes for best results.