Thursday, May 8, 2008

Icky, Sticky Messes and Clothing

As I was working on my laundry pile again today I started thinking about some practical solutions that I've learned over the years that have helped me save several items of clothing from permanent damage. I thought it might be helpful to share these tips for others who may not have tried them yet.

  • Removing ink from clothing: Spray with hairspray, let it soak in and then wash.

  • Dirty leather shoes: Baby wipes work really well.

  • Removing blood stains: Immediately apply hydrogen peroxide (Do not use hydrogen peroxide on wool, silk or dry clean only fabrics), rub it into the stain and then launder.

  • Removing Gum from clothing: Place the item in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours and the frozen gum will usually peel right off.

  • Washing clothes for sensitive skin: Add 1/3 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washer. The vinegar will help get rid of soap residue on the clothes. White distilled vinegar also helps prevent yellowing of clothing, acts as a fabric softener and reduces static cling.

I have also found that keeping a spray bottle of SHOUT stain remover next to my washing machine is helpful to quickly treat stains. When I was teaching in the classroom, I kept a Shout stain stick and a bottle of hairspray in my supply cabinet. I also kept a bin of extra children's clothes on hand so that if a child ended up with a large stain or mess but didn't bring a change of clothing, I was still able to treat the stain and give the child a fresh article of clothing to wear. Although stains, messes and kids go together, I had many thankful parents when I was able to treat a stain or clean a mess on a special piece of clothing.

What cleaning tips and tricks have worked for you? Maybe you have a solution that I haven't tried. I would love to hear your ideas. Email me at kim@lessonplansplus.com.

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1 comment:

Nature's Miracle said...

Have you tried Nature's Miracle Stain Remover? It's an enzyme based cleaner which means it actually destroys the blood molecules and completely eliminates all traces of the blood. It's completely safe to use around kids and pets and works on carpets, wood and many other types of surfaces. Shoot me an email and I'll give you some more info and a sample if you want.