Laundry Tips

Our newer state of the art washing machines require much less detergent than the washing machines of the past.  Your clothes will come out cleaner and fresher if you use less detergent.  We recommend starting out by using only one-third of the recommended amount from the detergent companies.  You may even be able to use as little as one-eighth of the recommended amount and get a great result.  Give it a shot.  We think you’ll be very pleased with how fresh and clean your laundry is, and you’ll start saving some money in the process.  Using less detergent is also much easier on the environment.

When you use a laundromat, you want to fill the washing machine to the maximum capacity, but do not overfill.  This will save you money.  For example, if you only have a small load of laundry on laundry day, you may want to delay your trip to the laundromat until you have enough laundry to completely fill one machine.  In addition, if you are in the habit of washing clothes twice per week, consider washing clothes once per week, using one of our higher load capacity machines.  This will also result in both money and time savings.

When you use a laundromat, you want to fill the washing machine to the maximum capacity, but do not overfill.  This will save you money.  For example, if you only have a small load of laundry on laundry day, you may want to delay your trip to the laundromat until you have enough laundry to completely fill one machine.  In addition, if you are in the habit of washing clothes twice per week, consider washing clothes once per week, using one of our higher load capacity machines.  This will also result in both money and time savings.

Whoever did their laundry before you might have very different setting requirements than you do. Check all of the settings each and every time before you start your wash.

If you’re like many people, you appreciate that dryer sheets help soften your clothes, keep them smelling fresh, avoid static cling, and reduces wrinkling.  Well, the good news is that you can receive all of those benefits using only one-half of a dryer sheet per load.  This will save you some money and is also easier on the environment.

Overloading dryers will extend the time required to dry and may cause damage to some clothes.

Wash dark clothes inside-out to keep them from fading.

When you throw a dry towel into the dryer with your wet laundry it will reduce moisture in the dryer and speed up the whole process!

The best way to deal with mildew on clothing is to prevent it from happening in the first place. If your damp items have been bunched up and cannot breathe fresh air for any time over 24 hours, they will begin to become mildewed. Make sure damp items are not placed at the bottom of your hamper or laundry bag. Once mildewed, the odor and stains are difficult to remove, but you can try pretreating with a stain remover and laundering in the hottest water safe for the fabric. Hydrogen peroxide or ammonia can also be used in the wash cycle (although NOT together). 1/2 cup per an average load size should help.

White fabrics can become yellowed or grayed and dingy. For gray and dingy whites try triple soaking them. First, soak the whites in a solution of a bucket of water and 2 tablespoons of liquid dish soap. Next, rinse out the whites and soak in a solution of 2 tablespoons of ammonia and a bucket of water. Third, rinse out the whites, and soak in a bucket of warm water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Finally, rinse thoroughly and dry. This soaking method will put the bright back into your whites!

A red sock in the washer with your whites and you’ll be wearing faded pink before you know it.  If that’s not the look you are hoping for, try to fix this problem with a professional product like Carbona Color Grabbers. This product works wonders on white laundry that has dye transfers on it. The Color Grabbers are re-useable up to 30 times each, and are about the size of a small washcloth. When left to soak overnight with some Wisk detergent mixed with water, the stained color transfers from the white items to the Grabber. You may find it somewhat difficult to find this item, but check with us for a source, or check on-line sources such as Amazon.com.

If a pen has found its way into your laundry, it can wreak havoc. The first solution to try is rubbing alcohol. Place the clothing on top of a clean white towel. Be sure to test on a hidden spot before applying rubbing alcohol to the permanent ink stain. Blot rubbing alcohol onto the stain. The towel underneath will become wet and discolored from the ink. Be sure to move the garment to a clean dry section of the towel as this happens. Continue until no more ink stain can be removed. Make sure you rinse the stained area completely free of the rubbing alcohol. Next, try using fingernail polish remover. Blot in the same way as you did with the rubbing alcohol, moving the stained area to a clean dry section of a towel as the ink stain is removed. Rinse thoroughly. In reality, this will work much more effectively if the clothes haven’t been dried, but it can still work on set-in stains — it will just take a lot of work.

Rub with ice and carefully scrape off excess wax with a dull knife. Place between several layers of paper towels and press with a warm iron. Remaining stain can be pre-spotted and washed in the hottest water safe for the fabric.

The best way to remove dog hair from blankets, dog beds and other fabrics is to put these items in the dryer for a cycle or two before running them through a wash cycle.  The tumbling action from the dryer should shake out most of the loose hair.

Most throw rugs can be washed.  However, when washing any kind of rug, use cold water because it’s difficult to determine how many different kinds of materials the rug is composed of.  Always air dry, or dry with very low heat.  Hot water, bleach, and heat are all things that can destroy a throw rug.