I will fully admit that before I had my kids I was not a stain fighter. If I dropped something on a blouse or dress that I didn’t think would come out, I immediately dropped it off at the dry cleaners. We were on a first-name basis and I no longer needed to bring my ticket to pick up my clothes because we were that tight.
Now, to stay on budget I am the washer, dryer, ironer, and master of stains. It, I always say, is a lesson in chemistry. In fact, my laundry room cupboard has a bevy of kitchen items stocked to help me combat tough stains.
My first line of defense is pre-soaking. Most stains(grease excluded) can be stopped in their tracks by simply soaking the item in dish soap and cold water and scrubbing it with a brush.
Secondly, I write which pieces need to be watched on the top of the washer(thank you Pinterest) with dry erase marker so that I don’t forget to check to see if the stain came out before everything goes into the dryer. If a stained piece of clothing goes into the dryer it is next to impossible to get it out.
If a tough stain(like chocolate or spaghetti sauce) is on a white shirt I have had good luck with a baking soda/peroxide paste applied directly to the stain. To add some stain-fighting strength I squirt fresh lemon over the paste after it has been applied to the garment. The paste will bubble and turn a yellowish tinge, but don’t worry it comes out in the wash. Let this sit for a couple of hours and then place the item in the wash.
My crappy old washer sometimes leaves tiny little rust spots on shirts and pants if I leave them in the machine too long. Salt sprinkled on the spot and fresh lemon juice squirted over top gets this out every time.
Because my husband works at a car dealership he is always getting grease and oil on his clothes. The best thing I have found for this is applying a pre-treater, like Resolve’s Stain Stick to the oil stain and letting it sit for a few hours before washing. To make sure that the stain is out I let the clothes air dry. Sometimes oil is hard to see when a garment is wet.
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Disclosure: I am part of the Resolve® Tip Exchange Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.”
