LAUNDRY HINTS

Friday January 30, 2009 09:05:40 PM 

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• After a hem or seam is removed, there are often unsightly holes left in the fabric. These holes can be removed by placing a cloth, moistened with distilled vinegar, under the fabric and ironing.
• BALLPOINT INK: Rub glycerine into area; let stand fifteen to twenty minutes, and wash with dishwashing detergent. Or spray with inexpensive hair spray, and flush with water. Rub glycerine into area, and let stand fifteen to twenty minutes. Use dishwashing detergent and water sparingly. Dab with cool water; dry flat. : To remove ballpoint pen from your jeans, soak the spot in a bowl of milk. The milk will turn blue, you may have to repeat it a couple of times. But it works like magic. You will not believe your eyes.
• Ballpoint Pen:  To remove ballpoint pen from your jeans, soak the spot in a bowl of milk. The milk will turn blue, you may have to repeat it a couple of times. Add cologne to the final rinse water. Or try metho. To remove ballpoint pen from vinyl, spray with hairspray and wipe clean. It works like magic!
• Banana Stains: Let it stand in Kendex false teeth powder for 1 hr, then pour hot water over it.
• Blankets: Set the cycle, add detergent, and let the machine fill. When all the soap is dissolved, add the blanket. Let it soak, and then wash on gentle. Add 1-1/2 cups white vinegar to the final rinse. It will give the blanket a clean smell and give it a little fluff.
• Blood Stains: Remove with hydrogen peroxide.
• Blue Jeans: To soften new blue jeans, soak them overnight (or for 12 hours) in cold water with plenty of fabric softener. Then wash as usual.
• Body Oil Stains: To remove body oil stains from collars and cuffs of coloured shirts and blouses, rub hair shampoo directly on the stains. Rinse out the shampoo, and then wash the clothes as usual.
• Brighten fabric colours. Add a ½ cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
• CHOCOLATE: Start with a combination solvent for grease, then follow up with a digestant for protein, if necessary. Start with an oil solvent for grease. Dab with vinegar for colour if necessary. Dab with cool water; dry flat.
• Clean a scorched iron plate by heating equal parts vinegar and salt in a small pan. Then rub the solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned stains. 
• Clothes will rinse better if a cup of vinegar is added to the last rinse water. The acid in vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics but strong enough to dissolve the alkali’s in soaps and detergents.
• COFFEE: Using an eyedropper, flush with vinegar to remove colour. For sugar, flush with water. For milk, follow up with a combination solvent. Dab with vinegar to remove colour. For sugar, flush with water. For milk, follow up with an oil solvent.
•  Coke Cola: To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.
• Cotton and wool blankets become soft, fluffy and free of soap odour if 2 cups of distilled vinegar are added to the rinse cycle of the wash.
• Curtains:  Restore the body to limp Dacron curtains by soaking them in one gallon of water mixed with one cup Epsom salts, then rinse. Make good looking curtains from bed sheets, either plain or fancy.
• Delicates: Slip them in a covered jar with a little cold-water soap and shake until they are clean. .
• Deodorant and anti-perspirants stains may be removed from clothing by lightly rubbing with distilled vinegar and laundering as usual.
• Deodorize a wool sweater: Wash sweater, then rinse in equal parts vinegar and water to remove odour.
• Designer Jeans: The first time you wash them, soak them for two hours in cold, heavily salted water (3 tablespoons per gallon). This will set the dye. Then wash, using the cold water setting.
• Detergents: If you use concentrated liquid detergent, keep a plastic cup handy by the machine. Use it for measuring. After you pour in the detergent, throw in the cup (or the plastic cap for the bottle if you use this to measure). The wash will pick up all the excess that was left in the cup.
• Don't overload the clothes dryer.  Clean lint filter from dryer after each use. Never dry clothes completely in the dryer. Take them out while they are still damp and let them hang dry. With 100 percent cotton, don't put them in the dryer. Hang dry and they will have fewer wrinkles.
• Dried blood comes out with a little effort. The hydrogen peroxide.
• Dye dingy lingerie with onion skins. Simmer the dried skins of 8-10 onions with 1/2 cup salt and 2 tablespoons alum in a large pot of water. Add several items of lingerie at a time. Cook the dye bath over low heat, stirring gently but constantly, until the desired shade is achieved. Depending on the fabric content, onion skin dye will colour lingerie from gold to rust.
• Dye graying white fabrics. If Clorox bleach won't whiten a graying white garment, soak the item in hot, strong brewed Lipton tea until it is a shade darker than you desire. Then rinse in cold water and let dry.
• Excess laundry suds that develop during hand laundry may be eliminated by splashing a little vinegar into the second rinse. Follow this with another rinse in plain water.
• Fabric Softener: To make your own fabric softener sheets, dab a little liquid fabric softener onto a washcloth. Throw it into the dryer.
• FELT-TIP INK: Flush with denatured alcohol using an eyedropper; wash with dishwashing detergent. Rub glycerin into area; let stand fifteen to twenty minutes, then use alcohol. Dab with cool water; dry flat.
• Fill a clean Tomato Sauce dispenser with water for your steam iron. Keep it near the ironing board to save steps.
• Freshen up the washing machine. Clean the hoses and unclog soap scum.
• FRUIT & VEGETABLE: (juice, jam) Start with denatured alcohol. Using an eyedropper, flush with vinegar to remove remaining colour, then dishwashing detergent to remove residue. Same as for washables, using water sparingly. Even if you can't see stain, point out area to dry cleaner, since any sugar that remains can caramelise when dry-cleaned.
• Get rid of lint in clothes. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.
• Get smoke smell out of clothes by adding a cup of vinegar to a bath tub of hot water. Hang clothes above the steam.
• Grass stains - Karo Syrup
• Grease Stains- use Coca Cola; it will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from batteries!
• GREASE: (butter, oil, mayonnaise) Start with a combination solvent. Follow up with mineral spirits or an oil solvent if necessary. Use an oil solvent, then dab with cool water; dry flat.
• Grease you can't get off, try Sprite or 7-Up.
• Grease: Remove grease by using a few drops of coconut or banana oil, then mild suds.
• Have hot water heater checked periodically by a professional. 
• If you are out of laundry detergent, substitute 1/4 cup powdered dishwasher detergent per load. Use this ONLY if the clothes you are washing can stand a little bleach.
• If you run out of fabric softener, add a little of your hair cream rinse to the rinse cycle. Clothes will be soft and fluffy.
• In place of the oil add Laundry Detergent, 1 Cup soap flakes, ½ Cup washing soda, ½ Cup borax, Mix ingredients together.
• Ink Stains: To remove ink stains from clothing, scrub with a washcloth dipped in rubbing alcohol. Rinse with clean water.
• Insulate hot water pipes well. 
• Iron: To clean the bottom of the iron, sprinkle salt on the ironing board and iron back and forth.
• Ironing: To clean your steam iron, fill it with white vinegar. Let it steam the big bursts are over. Turn it off, and pour out the vinegar after it has cooled.
• Laundry Detergent: 1 Cup soap flakes, ½ Cup washing soda. ½ Cup borax, mix ingredients together.
• Laundry: For husband's work clothes, I used a degreaser, like the Formula 88 kind; it'll give a good clean and great for stains too. If whites aren't very white and Clorox will not do the trick, I'll boil the socks and other small white in a big pot (I have just for the clothes) and add just a bit of detergent.
• Lingerie: Make some very strong tea and soak dingy lingerie until it is just a little darker than desired. Rinse quickly once in cold, clear water, and the dye is set.
• LIPSTICK: Use a combination solvent to remove grease. Using an eyedropper, flush with vinegar or a mild bleach to remove remaining color. Use an oil solvent to remove grease. Dab with vinegar to remove remaining colour. Dab with cool water; dry flat.
• MUD: Shake or scrape off residue. For large areas, presoak in a solution of warm water and laundry detergent. For small areas, use a combination solvent. Follow up with vinegar or peroxide if necessary. Shake or scrape off residue. Use dishwashing detergent and water sparingly. Dab with vinegar for colour.
• MUSTARD: Flush with ammonia solution, then wash with dishwashing detergent. Try dabbing with vinegar; you may need the dry cleaner.
• Need to remove bloodstains from clothing.  Of course the faster the better. Soak in cold water immediately; remember hot water will set the stain. Hydrogen peroxide is very good for removing blood stains. The fresher the easier of course, but even dried blood comes out with a little effort. The hydrogen peroxide seems to do no damage to any fabric I've tried it on.
• Never dry clothes completely in the dryer. Take them out while they are still damp and let them hang dry. With 100 percent cotton, don't put them in the dryer. Hang dry and they will have fewer wrinkles.
• Nylon hose will look better and last longer if 1 tablespoon of vinegar is added to the rinse water when washing.
• Once a month pour one cup of vinegar into the washing machine and run the machine through a normal cycle, without clothes.
• Panty hose: Add a dash of liquid fabric softener to the final rinse when washing panty hose. It lubricates the fibres, and adds life to the hosiery. You can keep it handy in a leftover dishwashing detergent squirt bottle.
• Prevent grease build up in washing machine: Place a small packet Epson Salts into detergent container in machine and run machine with clear cycle. Do this regularly to prevent build up
• Prevent lint from clinging to clothes: Add one cup vinegar to each wash load.
  Keep bright colours from running. Immerse clothes in full strength vinegar for 10 minutes before washing.
• PROTEIN: (blood, egg, grass) Soak bloodstains in cold salt water first. Use digestant. If necessary, flush with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, using an eyedropper, to remove color. Use dishwashing detergent, dab with cool water, and blot out excess moisture; dry flat.
• Remove Ink from Clothing Read the care label! If it says dry-clean only, or the mark is large, rush it to the cleaners. Washable: Try cleaning fluid, spot remover, or petroleum-based pre-wash spray. Test in an inconspicuous area to be sure it's safe for the fabric.
• Remove Ink from Clothing: Read the care label! If it says dry-clean only, or the mark is large, rush it to the cleaners. Washable? Try cleaning fluid, spot remover, or petroleum-based pre-wash spray. Test in an inconspicuous area to be sure it's safe for the fabric. Place garment stain side down on paper towels and dab cleaner on stain using a paper or terry-cloth towel. Check paper towels underneath and move frequently so there's always a clean area under the stain to absorb ink. Let area dry and check it. If ink remains, treat with pre-wash spray and launder. Before drying, check again. Still visible: Repeat steps.
• Remove perspiration stains from clothes by applying one part vinegar to four parts water, then rinse.
• Remove tough stains. Gently rub on fruit, jam, mustard, coffee, tea. Then wash as usual.
• Remove wine stains with salt. Place garment stain side down on paper towels and dab cleaner on stain using a paper or terry-cloth towel. Check paper towels underneath and move frequently so there's always a clean area under the stain to absorb ink. Let area dry and check it. If ink remains, treat with pre-wash spray and launder. Before drying, check again. Still visible: Repeat steps.
• Repair leaking hot water taps. 
• Re-route your washing machine hoses so that your water drains outside for use in watering your landscaping.
• SAUCES: (tomato, ketchup, barbecue) Scoop off excess. Use a combination solvent for grease. Then, using an eyedropper, flush with vinegar for colour. Scrape off excess, if necessary. Use an oil solvent for grease, then dab with vinegar for color. Dab with cool water; dry flat.
• Say goodbye to stains. Use equal parts of dishwashing liquid, water, vinegar. Squeeze lemon juice on the stain, place stained item between two pieces of cloth, and press ink stain onto the surrounding fabric. Wash as usual.
•  Set the hot water heater thermostat to no more than 65 degrees Celsius. 
• SOY SAUCE: Start with water and dishwashing detergent. Using an eyedropper, flush with hydrogen peroxide for remaining color. Use water and dishwashing detergent sparingly, then dab with vinegar for remaining color. Dab with cool water; dry flat.
• Stains on clothes - use Colgate toothpaste.
• Stains: To remove stains from polyester clothing, rub in a little white toothpaste, then rinse the garment.
• Sweat Stains – vinegar.
• Sweaters: Outline the sweater on an old framed screen. Make the outline in white chalk. After you have washed the sweater, block it to fit the outline. Put the screen upon bricks so that the air circulates. Or rest the screen over the tub to catch drippings.
• Take grease off suede. Dip a toothbrush in vinegar and gently brush over grease spot.
• Tang, instead of detergent. (The dishwasher should be empty when doing this).To clean cloudy glass vases, carafes and other glassware:  Fill with warm water and add an effervescent denture-cleaning tablet. Then shake. The fizzing scours away the residue. To remove gravy stains from clothing, soak the item in cold water to dissolve the starch before laundering.
• Tea & coffee stains - Wipe off with a few drops of ammonia in a cup of water.
• TEA: Using an eyedropper, flush with lemon juice to remove colour, then stronger bleach if necessary. For sugar, flush with water. For milk, follow up with a combination solvent. Dab with lemon juice to remove colour. For sugar, dab with water. For milk, follow up with an oil solvent. To make your own fabric softener sheets, dab a little liquid fabric softener onto a washcloth. Throw it into the dryer.
• Tie Dye T-shirt - mix a solution of Kool Aid in a container, tie a rubber band around a section of the T-shirt and soak.
• To obtain a sharper crease in your knit fabrics, dampen them with a cloth wrung out from a solution of 1/3 distilled vinegar and 2/3 water. Place a brown paper bag over the crease and iron.
• To remove ballpoint pen from vinyl, spray with hairspray and wipe clean. It works like magic!
• To remove gravy stains from clothing, soak the item in cold water to dissolve the starch before laundering.  To remove old glue before re-gluing wooden items, try incorporating hot vinegar.
• Turn off hot water system if you're going on vacation.  Unclog steam iron by pouring equal amounts of vinegar and water into the iron's water chamber. Turn to steam and leave the iron on for 5 minutes in an upright position. Then unplug and allow to cool. Any loose particles should come out when you empty the water.
• Use cold water to wash clothes when possible. Use in laundry to cut soap.
• Use old diaper pins to hold socks together when washing.
• VINAIGRETTE: Use a combination solvent for grease; then, using an eyedropper, flush with vinegar for colour. Use an oil solvent for grease, then dab with vinegar for colour. Dab with cool water; dry flat.
•  WAX OR GUM: Use ice to freeze wax or gum, or place item in freezer; scrape or crack off as much as you can, then use an oil solvent or mineral spirits to remove residue. Same as for washables.
• WD-40: Removes tomato stains from clothing.
• WD-40:  Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly
• WD-40:  Removes lipstick stains.
• When dyeing fabric, add a cup full of distilled vinegar to the last rinse to set the colour.
• WHITE WINE: Flush with water, and wash as you normally would. Dab with cool water; dry flat. Point out to dry cleaner, even if spot is not visible, since any sugar that remains can caramelise when dry-cleaned.
• Wine stains, pour on the salt and watch it absorb into the salt.
• Whites: Soak white laundry in lemon juice and water. Lemons have a natural bleaching ingredient and can be used to whiten clothes.
• When changing your Doona cover, use a peg to hold each corner as you place the doona inside the cover.