Household Tips

I had an e-mail today from a reader asking about sour towels. Can I say first of all, I love it when you write! It makes this blog SO much easier to write! And this is a great question.

The truth is, there are lots and lots of great laundry products on the market. I personally swear by the Kirkland detergent at Costco. That plus some Oxyclean in every load is my basic routine! But I can relate to the sour smelling towels.

Towels by their nature spend a lot of time damp, and dampness encourages mildew. So, let’s get to the root of the problem.

Laundy Rule One. Always take the laundry out of the washing machine as soon as the spin cycle completes. Then immediately throw it in the dryer or hang it outside.

If you’re already obeying rule one, and you still have sour smelling towels, you can probably still blame mildew. Your towels hang around damp. A lot. So what is mildew’s number one enemy? The sun!

Laundry Rule Two. The sun can be your laundry’s best ally!

If you can, spread your towels out in the sun for a morning or an afternoon, but remember, that the sun is also a natural bleaching source! So, don’t leave them out so long they’ll lose their color. The sun will destroy the mildew and hopefully freshen your towels.

Laundry Rule Three. Vinegar or baking soda really can cure almost everything.

If washing and sunlight don’t work, revert to you grandmother’s picks. For a baking soda cure, Place an open box of baking soda in the bottom of a plastic bag. Place the towel in with the open box of baking soda. Seal the bag. (You can do this just by tying it!) Now, let it stand overnight, or better yet, for a day or two.

To use vinegar, simply fill your washer with hot water. Add a cup of white vinegar. Add the towels and soak for a half-hour. Vinegar is also a great color-setting agent! (Hence, the reason you use it for Easter eggs!)

Laundry Rule Four. If all else fails, revert to the fast food laundry cocktail!

When I was a teenager and even in college, I spent time working fast food. Whether you work fast food, cook with grease, or have a loved one with grease-spattered laundry, there is nothing worse than trying to get the grease smell and feel out of those uniforms! While I don’t recommend this cocktail for everyday laundry uses, it is great as a once-in-a-while, PLEASE-get-that-smell-out option!

Laundry Cocktail
Mix together:
3/4 Cup detergent (like Wisk or Tide)
1/2 Cup vinegar
1/2 Cup ammmonia

Fill washer with water. Add cocktail and agitate for 30 seconds. Toss in clothing. Allow to soak for 10 minutes. Run cycle as usual.

If the ammonia smell is too over-powering, you may want to re-wash with just detergent. Either way, the grease will be gone!

grease, laundry, fast food

For the freshest pillows you need to wash them (2 at a time) in the washing machine a couple of times a year. When you put them in the dryer remember to throw in a few tennis balls to fluff them back up. If you just want to freshen pillows (especially throw pillows) put them in the dryer on low with a fabric softener sheet or a washcloth dampened with fabric softener.

pillows, dryer sheets, fabric softener, tennis balls

I’ve used various products from Mary Ellen’s Product for many years. There are several that I really like and in additon to upper-End grocery and drug stores, you can order them online from maryellen’sproducts.com. I thought of this because someone wrote asking how to get blood off brand new sheets. There is actually a product called For Those Days Menstrual Blood Remover. This works on old, set-in blood stains or on fresh stains and will take out any kind of blood. Best of all it is less than $5.00 (plus tax or shipping & handling) which is way less than new sheets or underwear. Visit her website to check out other stain removers and products.

Use the bed or a table. Fold the sheet in half with the top to the bottom. Tuck the top corner into the bottom corresponding corner. Left top corner to Left bottom corner. Top corners will be turned inside out. Fold the sheet in half so all corners meet. Again tuck the corners into each other, forcing one set of corners to be turned inside out. This will leave you with a bunched up corner area. To smooth it down fold in the longest side so the corner can lie flat. The short side can also be folded in. Fold the sheet again in half the long way. This should leave a long tips to fold into quarters and will look as nice at the flat sheet. Most of the time I just strip the beds, wash the sheets, dry them and put them back on the bed to save folding a set.

sheets, folding laundry

Jen gave you a hint about soaking the stain in milk. Ball point ink will come out with cheap hairspray, remember to put a towel under the part you are treating to keep from transferring it to another part of the garment. I use permanent ink and gel ink at work and I frequently get stains on my scrubs. These inks involve getting out the big guns. First try Goof-Off (not to be confused with Goo Gone another favorite product. Goof off removes Dried latex paint, glue, adhesives, candle wax, grease, gum, pen, marker, grease and crayon marks. My last resort is Mostenbocker’s Lift Off Stain Remover. Just follow the directions. Hope this helps Gayle and tomorrow I will tackle Jen’s sheet!

ink stains, Mostenbocker’s stain remover, Goof-Off, Goo-Gone, hairspray

If your clothes, towels and linens are coming out of the laundry stiff, in spite of fabric softener, you are probably using too much detergent. Don’t use more than the manufacturer says to use. It will not clean better. Add a cup of vinegar to the rinse water instead of fabric softener to cut the build up and soften your laundry. Don’t worry, it will not leave any smell. Vinegar will also remove deodorant stains from most fabrics. Just soak the stain with vinegar and wash as usual.
[tags]vinegar, stains, detergent,[/tags}

Multipurpose cleaners

1. Pour one cup of ammonia, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup baking soda into a gallon of lukewarm water. Mix well and use in a spray bottle for a great all-purpose clean. Label and keep out of reach of children. No rinsing is necessary.
2. If you use washing soda use one full cup ammonia, 1 cup washing soda and warm water to make one gallon. Label and put in a spray bottle to clean counter-tops, tile, appliances, vinyl floors, painted woodwork and even some painted walls
[ammonia, vinegar, baking soda, multi-purpose cleaners

My two favorite cleaners are baking soda and vinegar. Not only are they cheap, they are amazing. Use baking soda for scouring powder, it is non abrasive and will even remove coffee & tea stains from countertops and sinks. It is great for cleaning the stove top.
Burn something to a pan, wet it, pour on baking soda and let it sit for a few hours. You can then scrape the mess away with a plastic scraper and scour the pan clean. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda to the wash to boost cleaning power and have the freshest smelling laundry in town. I’ll give you more tororrow!

baking soda, vinegar, laundry, kitchen

I am such a product whore. When I find one I love I have to tell everyone. I usually feel the need to convince you to try it. One of these products is Goo-gone. It will remove the stickest tape residue from price tags and glass, plastic, and other things. Cover with a drop or two and use an old terry cloth, rub away then use the clean part of the clothe to get rid of the goo. I have removed crayon, marker, tar, scuff marks, and some unknown stuff from fabrics (test a small area, but if it is going to get tossed otherwise, give it a shot. Excellent to remove the stickers and decals that end up on car glass or bumpers

Mildew and Mold that grow on shower curtains are alive. Vinyl or fabric curtains need to go into the washer with a cup of bleach and hot water along with some old towels that will do the scrubbing and buffing. It you have a colored or printed fabiric curtain use Oxi-clean instead of Clorox. While they are washing, give the shower or tub a good scrub down with the same to get rid of mold and mildew growing in there. Hang the curtain and allow it to dry in place.

mildew, mold, Cloroc, Oxi-clean

Having lived in the South for 53 years, I have been challenged with more than my share of red dirt & mud stains. This is one stain you do not want to use Oxiclean on. Why? Red dirt gets it pigment from iron ore. Oxidize that stain and it changes from dirt/mud to rust. Try using a fatty soap, I use Murphy’s Oil, rubbed into the stain and washing in cold water. I usually let the soap set overnight then throw in the washer

stain, Oxiclean, Murphy’s Oil

Things you can do while talking on the phone. Load or unload the dishwasher. Fold and put away laundry, clean or dust something. File your nails and put a coat of quick dry hardener on them. Sew on a button. Clean out your purse. Wipe down your appliances.
Once you get used to multitasking the list is endless.

phone, multitasking

When washing and drying my down parka, I put three or four tennis balls in the dryer. My coat is fluffy, puffy and just like new. This also works well on down pillows and comforters.

down parka, down pillows, down comforters

Grab an empty laundry basket and a trash bag and start at one end of the house, removing all the dirty laundry and trash as you go. I usually take two baskets and use one to put stuff in that goes somewhere else. Before leaving the next room, see if there is anything in the basket that belongs in that room. Unload the dishwasher as soon as it has finished. This way, dirty stuff goes in there as it is used instead of piling up in the sink.

trash, laundry, dishes