Laundry and Clothing Care

Below I have listed some time tested laundry tips, to help you keep your clothes looking new longer.

Since most of us past adolescence have learned that a few expensive items are better than a bunch of cheap items.

Before you launder any garment:

• Repair rips that may get worse in laundering.
• Shake out any loose dirt
• Zip zippers, hook hooks, and snap snaps.
• Remove belts and any trim that you suspect will not launder well.
• Empty pockets.
• Pretreat heavy soiled items and remove stains.

Hand Laundry

When you've finished washing your hand laundry, let your washer complete the task. Place the clothes, still soapy and dripping wet, into your washer. Adjust the cycle to final rinse. Not only wont you have to rinse your fine washables, but you wont have to wring them either. Your clothes will dry much quicker too.

Chlorine Bleach

Chlorine bleach is well-known for its stain removal ability. But did you know you should never, never mix it with ammonia or any other cleaning products? You could very easily create toxic fumes.

Soap vs. Laundry Detergent

Soap works fine for cleaning clothes in soft water but laundry detergent is best for most water conditions. Hard water minerals combine with soap and form an insoluble scum that deposits on clothes and washer parts in an automatic washer.

Lint

If you're having a problem with lint on socks and other dark clothes, add a cup of vinegar to the final rinse cycle.

Socks

There are a lot of tips on how to keep socks together while you're washing and drying them. Pinning them together is one example. However, even after you've been diligent enough to pin them together, you're often still left with the irritating chore of turning them right side out. The solution is: return them to their owners "as is." Let them turn them right side out!

Silk

Dry cleaning laundry is generally recommended for silk as the fabric tends to water spot. But some items, such as scarves, are hand washable. Use lukewarm water and a mild detergent. Rubbing is not necessary since silk releases soil very easily. After you rinse the item, wrap it in a bath towel to dry. Iron the item on the wrong side while the garment is still slightly damp. Cover it with a white cloth to avoid water spotting and use the low setting on your steam iron.

Distributing Clean Clothes

Getting clean clothes back to their owners is accomplished easily with a shelf in the laundry area holding a rectangular plastic dishpan labeled for each family member. Even the little ones can take care of their own belongings this way.

Removing Spots and Stains

• Blood - For fresh stains, soak the garment in cold water first, and then wash in warm suds. If the stain remains, soak it in a bleach solution and rewash.
• Candle Wax - Using a dull knife scrape off excess wax. Put stained portion between paper towels; press with a hot iron. With stain face down on towels, sponge back with dry cleaning fluid. Laundry.
• Chewing Gum - Rub the gum with a piece of ice and scrape it off with a dull knife. Sponge with dry cleaning fluid and launder.
• Chocolate - Soak the garment in cool water. Rub detergent on stain, then launder in water as hot as is safe for the fabric.
• Coffee, Tea - Rinse in cold water at once. Then stretch the stained fabric across a sink and pour boiling water from a height of 2-3 feet through it. Launder and bleach the item if the stain remains.
• Cosmetics - For lipstick, rub the stain with vaseline and wash in hot suds. Treat other stains with dry cleaning fluid; rub laundry detergent on stain and launder.
• Fruit and Wine - Soak in cool water. Stretch the stained fabric across a sink and pour boiling water over it from a height of 2-3 heat through the stain.
• Grass - Rub laundry detergent into stain; rinse and bleach any remaining stain. Launder.
• Grease - Sponge with dry cleaning fluid; launder
• Ink - Rub the stain with white petroleum jelly or Crisco. Launder; bleach if stain remains.
• Nail Polish - If fabric is not synthetic, sponge with nail polish remover or dry cleaning fluid; launder.
• Paint - If stain has dried, soften first with vaseline; then sponge with turpentine until paint is removed. Rub in detergent, soak overnight in hot water and launder next day.
• Perspiration - Sponge with detergent and warm water. Discolored fabric can sometimes be restored by applying white vinegar to old stains. Rinse with water. If stain remains, use dry cleaning fluid, then launder.

Quilts and Sleeping Bags

The bathtub is a good place to launder a sleeping bag or a quilt. Fill the tub about 1/3 full with lukewarm water; add a mild laundry detergent. Place the item in the water and let it soak for thirty minutes. Squish the suds through it and rinse three times, squeezing not twisting. If you can let it drip over the tub for an hour on a line or a rod, you can keep squeezing out the water. After a good bit of the water has been removed, put it into the dryer on a low setting and toss in a clean pair of sneakers too. They will keep the quilt or sleeping bag from becoming overly fluffy.

Pillows and Dusty Draperies

You can give new life to pillows and dusty draperies. Put them into the clothes dryer (separately, of course) and toss them on the warm air cycle for about 15 minutes. It gets rid of lots of dust and delays expensive commercial cleaning. Don't put foam pillows in the dryer.

Removing Starch from Iron

An easy way to get rid of starch on the soleplate of your iron is to iron over table salt sprinkled onto waxed paper.

Clothing Care

Treating Clothes Properly

Hanging your clothes on suitably shaped hangers, frequent use of a good clothes brush, and letting them air out before going back into the closet saves the need for routine dry-cleaning or washing. If you need and incentive, just consider the price of cleaning.

Knitted and Stretch Garments

Don't hang knitted or stretch garments to dry. They'll just keep on stretching. Most stretch clothes can be tumbled in a dryer. For those that cannot, squeeze them in a towel and lay them flat to dry. Even when dry, stretch garments shouldn't be hung for long periods of time. Store them flat in a drawer or on a shelf.

Clothes in Plastic Bags

You probably save the plastic bags from the cleaners to cover dresses. Here's an easy way to do that: Turn the bag upside down and put in the dress, on its hanger, with the opening at the top. Secure the bottom with a twist tie. Any dust on the floor of the closet won't fly in, and if the garment should slip off the hanger, it will fall in the bag, not on the floor.

Panty Hose

Panty hose will last longer when you put them on correctly. First sit down, then gather the entire garment together and slip each foot in so that toe and heel fit smoothly and aren't twisted. Then with steady pressure and leaving no slack, draw hose up over knees. Stand up and pull hose smoothly over the waist. If the panty part is still around your thighs, you are definitely buying the wrong size.

Alternate Your Clothing

Give the world a break, as well as your clothes. They will last longer if you give the wrinkles a chance to fall out, and the entire garment a chance to get back into its natural shape. Shoes, too, last longer when worn alternately with another pair. Perspiration is hard on leather; it needs a chance to dry.

Rain Soaked Shoes

Shoes that are rain soaked should be stuffed solidly with paper and thoroughly rubbed with saddle soap while they are still wet. Let them dry with the soap on them and it will keep the leather from getting stiff. Be sure to wipe off the remaining saddle soap when they are dry.