Those of you who read my blogs on a regular basis probably realize that the subject matter is inspired by my own personal experiences. Today’s topic is no exception. I learned the hard way about the importance of checking the pockets and care tags of my family’s dirty laundry before throwing it into the washer. Today, I found a couple of crayons in my son’s jeans. I can’t imagine what a nightmare it would’ve been had they made it into the washer and dryer. Even so, many laundry mishaps can be fixed. What follows is a list of those common mishaps along with their solutions.
Pink Laundry
I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t experienced this problem. Whether you unknowingly included an article of colored clothing with a load of whites or simply didn’t expect a particular item to bleed, chances are that you’ve turned a basket of laundry pink at some point in your life. It's likely that many of you resolved to wear newly pinked underwear, because you didn’t know there was a solution. The next time you open your washing machine and discover that you mistakenly dyed everything pink, remove the colored article(s) and rewash the white clothes with detergent and non-chlorine bleach or a cup of white distilled vinegar. If you already dried the load, soak the clothes for 24 hours in mixture of oxygen-based bleach (ie: Clorox2 or Oxiclean) and warm water. If the stains are still present after 24 hours, soak the articles in a fresh solution before laundering them as usual.
Ink Stains
Like all stains, you’ll have the best luck treating the ones made by ink if you catch them before the clothes are put in the dryer. If the ink is from a washable marker or ballpoint pen, place the clothing on a white towel or a paper towel. Dampen a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol and blot the stain, starting from the outside and working inward. The ink will be transferred to the towel, so keep moving area being treated onto a clean section of it. Rinse with cold water and repeat the process until the stain is gone.
Don’t you just hate when your blush or foundation gets on your shirt collars? Get rid of these pesky stains by starting with a pre-treatment like Shout; just follow the directions on the bottle. Next, rub the stain with a heavy-duty liquid detergent or a paste made of powdered detergent and water. Scrub the stain and rinse in hot water. Launder the clothing in the hottest water the allowed for the garment. This solution will also work should you discover that a tube of lipstick found its way into the wash.
Crayons
Crayon is best removed with good ole WD-40 and dish washing liquid. Put a folded paper towel underneath the fabric. Spray WD-40 onto a clean white cloth and blot it on both sides of the stain. Then, rub a little bit of dish washing liquid onto the stain. Let the paper towel soak up the stain. When it seems to have disappeared, launder the clothing as usual. Please note that this trick should not be tried on clothes that are labeled “dry clean only.”
So there you have it: easy solutions to a few common laundry problems. Don’t forget that Laundry Care is here to help you with all of your laundry needs. Give us a call and we’ll handle those pesky stains for you.
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