If I didn’t know better I’d think my boys run around school all day without shoes. Every day I send them off with pristine white socks and every afternoon they come skidding through the door with socks that look like they’ve been through a war zone. Encrusted with dirt, sand, leaves and grass, they’re stiff […]
With piles and piles of clothes to sort, soak, wash, hang and iron, a mum’s laundry is never done. It seems that as soon as it’s finished you need to start again. So when Shannon Lush, co-author of Speed Cleaning (ABC Books) promised to cut our laundry time in half, we let out an almighty […]
Putting clothes in the washing machine too often can actually lessen the lifespan of your clothes — all that agitation breaks down the fibers and wears things out. But if excessive washing can ruin your clothes, then exactly how often should you wash bras, jeans, towels and other household items? Kidspot has put together this […]
We have gadgets for all manner of domestic chores – imagine life without a vacuum cleaner, dishwasher or washing machine? But while labour-saving gizmos have made our lives invariably easier, there is one chore that is still worth doing the old-fashioned way – hanging out the washing. Here’s 5 great reasons to ditch the clothes dryer, […]
Grass stains will come out with prompt laundering and stain treatment. Some other techniques to remove grass stains include: Rubbing alcohol – or methylated spirits or white spirits – can be a quick no-wash treatment for a grass stain, though such stain treatments can “bleed” the colours of the fabric, so it’s worth trying using […]
There are ways to make trips to the laundromat or public laundry room easier and even less costly. 1. Sort Your Laundry At Home If you sort your laundry at home, you’ll save time and have more work space than at the laundromat. Use pillowcases or different colored laundry bags for whites and dark clothes. […]
It’s hard not to sweat the second you step out in California’s hot heat. If your shirts are marked with sweat stains that won’t disappear after a regular machine wash then put these tricks to the test. Baking soda Create a stain-removing paste by mixing ¼ cups of warm water with four tablespoons of baking […]
Who would have thought that the humble hand sanitize and a spritz of hairspray would be kryptonite to ink stains. Apply hand sanitize and hairspray to the stained area and leave it for 10 minutes. The ink will bleed out; wash as normal. credit: homeheaven
Dryer sheets do a pretty good job of reducing static cling on items in the dryer, plus they can add a bit of freshness to the smell of clothes and other articles. Still, the cost of these sheets adds up. For “name brand” sheets, you’re going to be paying about five cents per sheet. For […]
Good Housekeeping took 74 formulas — 49 liquids, 19 powders, and six single-use tabs — for a spin to see how well they removed 20 common stains (oil, coffee, mascara…) from polyester and cotton to decided which are the best laundry detergents. Surprise: Powders packed the most power. For even better results on laundry day, […]
To speed up your laundry’s drying time, place a dry towel along with your wet clothing in the dryer. The towel will help absorb water. Just pull it out after about 15 minutes so it doesn’t continue to contribute to the water in the machine. credit: homeheaven
The sun and wind are very effective at drying clothes throughout the year (it even works in the winter, unless we hit long periods of below-freezing temperatures or snow and rain), and when drying clothes outside wasn’t an option, we used clothes racks to dry them inside. We didn’t ever buy or build a clothes […]
Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and […]
Consumer Reports has found in its tests that liquid detergent caps are often impossible to read, leading to overdosing of detergents, which itself can leave detergent residues that make your clothes look dingy. They suggest marking the fill line with a permanent marker so it’s easy to see. And when it comes to actual amounts, […]
You thought it was just about whites, darks, and delicates, but your clothes will wind up much cleaner if you separate them not just by color, but also by fabric type and water temperature. Green recommends you make five separate piles for colors: whites (entirely white), light colors that include striped whites, darks (blacks, blues, […]
