i need laundry help...lets talk STAINS

[abh5e8]

i have lots of stains on our clothes and i need a new plan :scratch

we have a front loader and use charlies soap. but i need something for stains. what do you all use? would washing the same day help? and what water temp is better for stains...cold or hot? add a soak or not helpful?

i dont' want to use bleach...but how to I get the collar's of all the kids undershirts clean...dh has trashed all of his when they peak out from under his regular shirt. do you just toss them and start over? does something like oxyclean work? is that safer than bleach? or just bleach them every once in a while?

i do use some bleach, but just on my cleaning rags and towls and on my BG diapers about every 2 - 3 months. i hand most clothes to dry...just use dryer for undies and socks and towels.

thanks mama!!

[AngelaVA]

This is why I can't use the natural type detergents. I think the natural soap's effectiveness may be negated somewhat by hard water, is that a possibility?

[abh5e8]

hmm...how do i know if i have hard water? overall, i really think the detergent is fine...i had the stain issue when i used all too :bag

i think i just need remedial laundry instruction....like what do you do with a shirt that has food on it (lets pretend its dd;s or ds;s)?

[relizabeth]

Cold water is better than hot for stains. I would saturate the stained area of a shirt with food on it with cold water ASAP after the stain happens, then wash it on hot. Ecover makes a peroxide-based bleach if you have whites with stains.

Also, I swear by Spray N' Wash Stain Stick. I have four sticks in the house. If you thoroughly rub that stuff into the front and back of a set-in stain (that's been washed already or not) be it grease, blood, poo, I don't know what all, it will come out.

[Charlie U]

I usually soak mine for a little while first. I've got a big Tupperware bowl that I'll put the clothes in with cold, cold water and a leeeetle detergent. Then I scrub it a little bit and soak it more if need be. Then I'll either wash it in cold water or just rinse it, depending on how dirty the shirt still is.

I've gotten some bad stains out that way. :)

[mommylobster]

I have the same trouble with stains. I have never used bleach but it sure is tempting. I think I'll try the Spray and wash stick though. The worst stains for me are chocolate milk and spaghetti sauce.

[mountainash]

I've heard shampoo works on pit stains and ring around the collar. My husband wears black undershirts, so I haven't tried it myself. :shrug3

When something gets stained with food, I soak it in hot water as soon as possible. I leave it soak until I'm ready to throw in a load of laundry. I wash pastels and whites with hot water. Plain old bar soap works to rub into stubborn stains. Oxi-clean is also fantastic. I also use a sink sprayer to spray the stain out from the back side of the fabric.

[Drew]

Oxiclean takes out pretty much everything except grease stains. I put a half of a scoop in with pretty much every wash (we have a HE front loader) and our clothes are blissfully stain free. Occasionally, like once every two or three months, there will be a stain that doesn't come out in the wash and I have to soak the item in an Oxyclean solution but it always does the trick.

For oil/grease stains I rub a little Dawn dish soap into the stain before tossing it into the wash.

[abh5e8]

thanks mamas....i have a plan. i know anything other than just tossing them into the dirty basket at the end of the day would be an improvement. :bag but i would love a real tried and true plan.

ashley thats interesting you soak in hot. what kind of bar soap do you use? i have some fels naptha laundry....right now we have dr bronners bars upstairs for us. i'll try that.

drew do you put the oxy clean right in with the detergent? do you use less detergent or just add the oxyclean?

thanks mamas!!!

[Drew]

Oxy goes into the tub before the clothes. I turn the tub a bit by hand so all of the Oxy falls through the holes in the tub. Same amount of detergent as usual in the dispenser. Oh, and I just toss dirty clothes, stains and all, into the laundry basket until laundry day. :shrug

I get Oxy in bulk at Costco now because I'm such an addict. The love affair started when it took red wine out of my favorite white shirt (after sitting for 3 days!) and I haven't looked back.

[mountainash]

I'm sure the Dr. Bronners would work. It's more the waxyness of soap that loosens the stain.

Another thing that works wonders is sunlight. In the winter I hang badly stained shirts/pants in the sunniest window of my house. It works better than bleach.