Do you remember ever being taught how to wash or clean your laundry?
I remember learning a few of things about doing laundry. The main one was to "sort your clothes into 3 piles; whites, darks, and color. I've been doing this now ever since for over 40 years, and my clothes come out okay, but not very bright after that first wash; stains not coming out, and my clothes sometimes shrink.
Recently, I attended 'Laundry Camp' sponsored by Cambria and presented by Patric Richardson, a laundry expert featured on 'The Laundry Guy'. He says "laundry is a language of love." He teaches you all about the "How tos" and "Whys" of cleaning laundry. I really didn't know what to expect because I'd never heard of his t.v. show before, but I was very impressed with all that I learned to keep laundry clean, bright, fresh, stain-free, and longer-lasting.
Here are 10 of his laundry tips and the "3 biggest sins" when it comes to taking care of your laundry:
1. Sorting clothes is still important. Patric's recommendations are to sort clothes into "5 groups."
whites
blacks
cool colors (blues, greens, purples + grays)
warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows + browns)
activewear - usually polyesters
2. Place wool, cashmere or silk items "into a mesh bag, roll it up as much as possible into a sausage and tie with a rubber band." Toss it into the correct pile.
3. "Use warm water for cold water whites to keep them white."
4. Use flaked laundry soap vs detergent. Flaked soap is not detergent and it's "cleaner and purer on your clothes and body." You only need 1 tablespoon of soap to wash a full load. On the other hand, “Detergent is synthetic—it’s basically just a bunch of cleaning agents stirred up in a drum, with petroleum or other oil additives.”
5. Add "Oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate) to brighten your laundry."
6. Always wash clothes using the "warm water>express cycle>cold water rinse>express spin." You only need 25-30 minutes to wash your clothes.
7. "Do not use chlorine bleach;" you can use "bluing" (optical whiteners) or blue soap for whites.
8. "Don't use fabric softener;" "it repels mice, and it makes it harder to remove stains and makes the fabrics less absorbent."
9. Spraying inexpensive "vodka on anything will remove any odors (food smells, smoke, bonfire, etc.)."
10. You "double the life cycle of your clothes by not using a dryer."
According to Richardson, the "3 biggest sins" in doing laundry are:
Using chlorine bleach
Using dryer sheets (dryer sheets have chemicals that are harmful to your health)
Not sorting clothes
Laundry stain removal recipes:
Stain removers:
Use "water + vinegar (50-50 ratio)" placed in a spray bottle to spray on laundry to remove stains. Spray on the stain before going into the washer.
To remove underarm stains: "add a few drops of oily dish or hand soap, then a tiny bit of oxygen bleach." Let it sit about an hour, then run hot water and rinse the area.
"Once you get a stain, before going into the washer, spray with vinegar and water."
To remove red wine stains: "wipe up the wine, fill a bowl with warm water, add oxygen bleach, stir, and add the stained laundry to the water. The water "turns brownish and the item turns grayish, doe or robins egg blue." "Remove the laundry item, then put it into the washing machine."
Grass stains can be removed by using "a horse hair brush, rubbing in laundry soap and scrub the stain until sudsy, then wash."
Did you know?
One laundry detergent "pod has enough detergent to do 5 loads."
Detergent makes your white towels dull; "wash your dull towels with vinegar and rinse to remove the excess detergent and get them brighter."
Immediately upon getting a "stain, before going into the washer, spray with vinegar and water" to remove the stain.
I can't wait to try all of these tips. Check out more on 'The Laundry Guy' website or on HGTV. And click here to see more in 'Cambria Style'.
Note: A beautiful and organized laundry room will help make these laundry tips easier and enjoyable. If you're frustrated about your laundry room, click here to get started on your new laundry room design.
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