Thursday, August 3, 2017

The Laundry Line Series || Part 4

As you may notice, it is not Wednesday, the normal day for this series. 
It is Thursday.
I missed Wednesday. 
Now I am posting Thursday instead.
Thanks. =)

Fourth Myth. Stains are stains. Blood stains, grass stains, manure stains (for you farmer sisters/wives!), and grease stains are impossible to remove. I might as well not even try. And I have no idea what products to use for my laundry anyways!

This is the toughest part about laundry. We'd love to get everything clean; spotless, every time, yes? And yet sometimes its just out of our control and we can't. I have to throw out ruined items just like everyone else. However, along the way, I have learned about a few products that are absolute SAVERS for me when it comes to my laundry routine. I know there are lots of great laundry products out there! Today I'm going to share with you my "staple favorites".


The most basic thing needed to do laundry is...the SOAP! I love making my own, and do that often when we are home. I use this recipe here. It works great and is SUPER cheap to make.

Note: my favorite essential oil to add to it is Citrus, but you can use anything! Or you can make it without a scent as well! I personally use Young Living for my essential oils, but for laundry soap use I would actually recommend using an off brand (such as this one) because the Fels Naptha used to make this soap is pretty strong itself and not exactly an all natural type product, and for that reason I always feel like it is wasteful to dump in such a pure + expensive brand oil, like Young Living. I prefer to use Young Living for normal oil usage, but if I'm putting it in something like this, I will use a cheaper "off" brand.

However, when we are on the road touring, it isn't practical or feasible to be hauling my 5 gallon bucket of homemade liquid soap into every laundromat. =) And sometimes I run out of the homemade and simply don't have time to make another batch right away. After trying a variety of different kinds, I have found that my favorite is a brand called Charlies. It comes in both liquid and powder form. I prefer the powder because I do most of my loads on hot or warm water anyways and it dissolves so well in that. I also like powder with the tour life because it takes up less room to pack (every little bit of space counts on the bus!) and is more concentrated than the liquid. However, I have used the liquid before and I like it, too.


My ultimate favorite stain remover products are the OxiClean powder and OxiClean Spray. These are LIFESAVERS for me! I used the powder (dissolved in a bucket of water) to soak whites, and I use the spray for any other kind of stain. (Note: I would recommend buying the spray from Walmart instead of Amazon, though; it is several dollars cheaper at Walmart. I only include the link so you can see what it is and know what you're looking for at Walmart)


I also love using bleach for my whites. If I have a few items that are starting to look a little yucky, or off color, I just stick them in a bucket of bleach water, and that can work wonders! Just be careful with that bleach-I'm speaking from experience! Bleach stains is one thing I have NEVER figured out how to remove. =) I'm not sure that one is possible!


For ink stains, I use aerosol hairspray. The cheapest brand you can find at Walmart should work great! Spray straight on the ink and let set for a bit. Then scrub the foam area into the stain, and wash. It doesn't always work, but if you apply it right away and follow these instructions, I almost guarantee you will able to remove the stain. Just to be safe, also apply a little of the OxiClean spray right before washing.



Peroxide works wonders for blood stains. Again, I apply the same way I do with the ink stains---pour the peroxide straight onto the stain, and let set for a while. Then wash with cold water and more peroxide on the stain. Finally, spray with the OxiClean Spray and let set awhile before washing. 

The OxiClean Spray also works wonders with grass stains and manure stains. The main thing is to treat the stain/s as possible BEFORE washing. Once an item is washed/dryed, it is going to be almost impossible to go back and get the stain out, because by that point it is quite “set” in. 
When I did laundry, my brothers knew exactly where to put their jeans that needed treatment. (laid in the utility sink in our laundry room, which I only used for laundry) When we are on the road, items with stains are put in grocery bags before they are thrown in the laundry, that way when we are at the laundromat, I know which items need extra attention. 


The biggest deal with removing stains is to work on them as soon as possible after the stain has occured. With brothers and grass/barn stains, I often don't get the opportunity to work on them right away. I do as soon as I can though! But with cooking, for example, we girls have learned to ALWAYS change right away and treat the clothing item which we’ve stained. So for example, if I am cooking something with butter, and I accidentally spritz a little melted butter up onto my shirt (this happens waaay more than I would like to admit! And even when I wear aprons, it seems to avoid the apron!) I will (if possible) turn off the burner, go change shirts, and immediately treat the butter stain. Typically with butter/oil/etc, I use the OxiClean Spray as well. 

And...that's it for today! Come back next week for the LAST post in this series! I will be answering all the other questions I have received the past month (as well as any related questions y'all might have this week) and then also talking about basic folding/organizing/simplifying tips.



Missed the other posts in this series? Click the links below!
The Laundry Line Series || Part One
The Laundry Line Series || Part 2
The Laundry Line Series // Part 3


"The most memorable days...usually end with the dirtiest clothes!"
Remember that quote the next time the stains overwhelm you. If it wasn't for hardworking husbands and active brothers, we wouldn't have stained +  dirty clothing. 
And I want to happily work with those extra stains and a little extra dirt, 
out of appreciation for people who aren't afraid to work hard and get dirty! It's a blessing!
-Chels


***My product links are through the Amazon affiliate program. (see my discloser here) Rest assured that I only recommend products that I personally use + endorse!

13 comments:

  1. for blood stains I always soak things in cold salty water overnight, and wash it in the morning and they come right out. For fruit stains or grass stains putting regular yoghurt on the entire stain for a few hours, and then washing it takes the stain right out. The other day the whole back /shoulder of my white shirt was covered in a grass stain because I was dragged on the ground in tug of war, and I really thought the shirt was ruined, but I can wear it to church again, that's how well the stain came out!! ~ Davida

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    1. Yogurt?! That's quite the idea! I'll have to try that! Never heard of using that for stains before.

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  2. I have really enjoyed your laundry series, Chelsy! Thanks for the idea about soaking whites in bleach! Unfortunately, I just got a bleach stain on my favorite skirt and there is no way to get it out. Thanks again!

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  3. Thanks so much for this fun series on laundry. I have enjoyed reading your blog. Blessings!!!

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  4. Hello Chelsy, I am enjoying reading this laundry series. In my home I do laundry and I enjoy doing laundry. I love having clean clothes and the smell of freshly washed clothes.
    When your family wears clothing and you go a day without getting the clothes soiled/dirty do you put them in a hamper to get washed right away or do you wear the clothing items again? I hope this question makes sense.

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    1. I'll try to answer that-I think I follow your question! =)

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  5. For grease or blood stains, I always use Dawn dishsoap (make sure it doesn't contain bleach if you're not working with whites!). Apply to the stain, scrub it a little, let set for about 15 minutes and then throw it in the wash. This has saved my clothes on many occassions.

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  6. I don't really do a whole lot of laundry {as my older sister and Mom do most of it} but when I do have to do more of it in the future~ I know these "stain tips" will come in handy! :) Thanks so much for sharing!I love how practical your posts are...BTW~ I so enjoyed getting to see you this past weekend and hear your family sing again!

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  7. My mom discovered "the sanitary setting" on our washer. She prefers it over using bleach and it works really well (especially for white).

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  8. Dawn dish soap, specifically the blue kind, is better for getting grease and oil out of clothes than is any stain product i've ever used, and it works quite well for other stains, too. Blood comes out easily after a cold water soak, and some minimal scrubbing with soap, even hand soap works. Fruit stains (all berries and cherries) disappear when you pour boiling water through the fabric with the stain, no products needed. It's almost like a magic trick. I like to use as few products as possible for all of my housework, and the fragrances in a lot of laundry products trigger my asthma.

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  9. Do you know of any difference in the OxiClean Spray vs. the OxiClean Gel? I have the gel and was wondering if the spray would be better or the same. Kathy

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    1. Hello Kathy!
      I've actually never used the gel, so I'm not sure on that! I did look it up and the description looks fairly similar. The main difference would be that the gel is rubbed on, whereas the spray is sprayed on. But from what I read about it, I think it would accomplish the same thing.

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  10. My mom found that for blood stains that if you squirt the stain with peroxide the night before washing and then wash it in cold water it comes right out, Having people allergic to chemicals means getting creative.

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