Laundry. Not my favorite chore by a long shot, but you know what we say at the CMS HQ—Laundry Today or Naked Tomorrow! While we can’t avoid doing laundry, there are definitely some laundry hacks and to make your life a little easier.
How to Dry Shoes Without All the Noise
Sometimes, shoes need laundering, as mine did after a trip to Arizona, when they came home covered in dust with red soles. My issue is that when it comes time to drying them, you have to listen to an hour of them kicking and banging around the inside of the dryer. Here’s an easy fix. Just tie the laces together at the very end, out them inside the dryer with the knot outside the door and then close the dryer door. Alternately, put your shoes in a delicates bag and leave the top of the bag outside the door when you close it. Now you can dry your sneakers without all the noise.
Get Grease Stains Out of Clothing
Rub over a grease stain (front and back) with an ordinary piece of white chalk, and let it sit for a few hours. The chalk will absorb the grease! Scrape off the excess and pre-treat the stain as usual before washing it.
Keep Colors Bright and Whites White
Add 1/2 cup of salt to the wash cycle to help set new colors, and help brighten up those that have started to fade. Another easy way to whiten whites is to make use of that burning-ball-of-gas dryer in the sky. Er, the sun. UV rays really help keep whites looking their best, so line dry your whites in the sun when you can.
Keep Towels Soft and Fluffy
As towels age, they can get an unpleasant crunchy feeling. To avoid this, put your towels through two cycles. The first cycle should be hot water with one cup of white vinegar. Then, do a second load with hot water and one cup of baking soda. This will help remove any residue from the towels, and make the fabric feel lighter and softer.
DIY Fabric Softener
If you want to skip the strong aroma and waxy residues of traditional fabric softener, here is a simple recipe that works great. Combine 1 liter of white vinegar and 10 drops of your favorite essential oil. (I like to use lavender because it smells great on clothes, and has lots of antibacterial properties.) Use about a cup each time you run a load through.
Laundry really is a never-ending story, so I hope these tips will help make your life a little easier!
What is your biggest laundry challenge?
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Hi Melissa. I have a question for you. My bathroom towels have this dingy spot on them – I guess where they get grabbed on the rail and used in the same spot to wipe faces/hands – who knows? Anyway I have tried putting them through the wash with just baking soda and they appear a bit lighter but still scratchy and a bit dingy in that spot. Do you have other suggestions?
Mel
How can I take off the yellow staing under arms ?
I had tried the baking soda and nothing happends
Try applying a paste of oxygen bleach and water with a cleaning toothbrush. Let sit for about an hour then launder.
Try Oxygen bleach, mix it with some hot water and apply to the stain. Then leave it for a few hours and launder as usual.
Dish rags: the ones you use to wipe counter and wash dishes. I hang mine to dry on the faucet but still gets this bad odour that doesn’t seem to go away event after a 30 min soak in the washing machine with vinegar and Tide. I even tried to wash them by hand with ”savon du pays” after the last meal of the day, hoping to use the same one for 2 days. The smell is still there.
Sounds like bacteria is growing in the cloth. Try using a sponge to wash the dishes and disinfecting after use. To wipe counters use an all-purpose microfibre cloth.
If you wash your dish cloth and then microwave damp for 1 minute this kills bacteria. ????
With the DIY Fabric Softener, when you mention to use a cup, do you mean a cup measurement or a cup like a lid/cup from an old softener bottle?
Hello I had a question regarding our washing machine. When we moved into our house it came with a washer dryer. The dryer is fine but the washing machine always seems to have a small odor. I have tried running it (with no clothing) adding bleach or vinegar – I forget exactly the ingredients but it is what seems to be suggested to “wash” your washing machine but it did not seem to work. I feel like to cover up the musty smell I am using tons of different detergents all at once and too much – going through way too much detergent for 2 people.
Is there another way to “wash my washing machine?”- I am frustrated but cannot afford to buy a new machine.
Thank you for any help! Karen ✌️????
I would start by washing the inside of the machine with an all-purpose cleaner, and making sure you leave the lid open after a load so that the inside can dry out. Aside from that have you tried adding vinegar or baking soda to your loads? There’s also a commercial cleaner called “affresh” that you can use to clean the inside the machine.
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for your laundry tips, they are very useful. I was curious as to what kind of salt to use or does it matter? Can I use Himilayan?
Also, was wondering what would be the best for those pit stains?
What do you do for discolored sleeping pillows?
Cheers and thanks for the great tips and videos…my blessings to you both and little one on the way
Suzie
Big olive oil accident!
Hello Melissa, I’m a big fan of your YouTube channel and thanks to you my place is cleaner and tidier than never before.
Last week I was carrying a bottle of olive oil on my luggage and the bottle broke. Luckily there were no clothes inside but my luggage was deeply stained. I managed to clean the main part but I won’t risk to put clothes inside until I am completely sure that my clothes will not get stained.
I tried with several anti-grease products but I still feel the grease.
What can I do? Do you have any advice?
Thanks in advance from Spain
I’m going to suggest something that may be sacrilege to some, but it’s not a good idea to use fabric softener with towels. Fabric softener (either liquid or dryer sheets) actually coat the fibers and this can cause your towels to lose their absorbency. So instead, I toss in a few wool dryer balls.
Hi Melissa!
I am new to cleanmysace.com
I too have a big laundry problem!
I live in an apartment building and I have to share a washer and dryer with other tenants and they are coin operated old top loading washers and front loading dryers. I always have a white ugly residue or something resembling lint on my dark clothes after I wash them and not all of the items go into the dryer which seems to help with the residue.
By the way, I do put my laundry detergent after some water has filled the washer and has mixed with the detergent and I don’t overfill the washer, and I check all pockets for tissues or any other items that may try to accidentally sneak into the washer .
I look forward to your response!
Arm pit stains and greying whites are my biggest problem. I only use cold water.
I have a much older washer & dryer than your gorgeous set and the washer is a top loader and doesn’t have the pull out drawer for adding bleach or fabric softener or detergent, so can you please tell me whether I should add things like vinegar for whites in the beginning or if I should wait for the rinse cycle and add after it refills? The same question applies to your salt trick and the diy fabric softener. Also for clothes that specifically state not to use FS (a lot of athletic wear and my yoga pants all have this on there tags; I think I read it’s damaging to the elastine fabric or something?) would this diy FS be okay for those? I take very good care of my clothes but I do wish in cases like this that they cud be a tad softer. I realize that’s like 3 questions but they’re all equally important to me. Can you help??? (Incidentally idk if it makes a difference or not, but I always fill up my washer with water first, adding things like oxiclean or borax while it’s filling so they have a chance to dissolve. Just in case that makes any difference ????) Oh! One last thing that’s been plaguing me! My bff & RM, in an attempt to be hyper vigilant came rushing home during lunch the other day when a cut on his leg reopened and blead thru hide bandage and onto his light gray all cotton work chinos. I know that cold water is the first best defense but he went immediately for the Shout and then put it in the washer. I told him not to put it in the dryer until we saw the stain situation and it looked like it had worked until it fully dried and then we saw it. There was what looked like a grease stain on his pants where he’d put the Shout. I’ve looked all over the internet and everyone says it’s a lost cause. Have you ever heard of this happening? Any idea if it can be reversed? Thanks again. We love you in our very OCD and diy friendly house! ????????????
What gets rid of strong urine smell?
I’ve been using some kind of carpet cleaner that is for getting rid of pet accidents. Bissell possibly? It works perfect at removing unwanted odors, I’m really happy to have found by just adding a couple of tablespoons with my laundry soap, most odors are gone after the first washing!
You can also try this DIY pet stain remover if the source of the smell is a rug/carpet: https://cleanmyspace.com/pet-stain-carpet-cleaner/
If you’re trying to freshen up a room- these deodorizers are good options: https://cleanmyspace.com/diy-natural-home-deodorizers-air-fresheners/
How do I deal with armpit stains on my husband’s dress shirts?1?1
Hello Melissa, my biggest laundry challenge is to get rid of yellow sweat stains on my White clothes. I ve tried backing soda, vinegar, bleach, but nothing worked. I ve got myself amonium, but I am kind of afraid to use it because of it smell And of course it could get dangerous. Do you have some good tricks I could use. Thank you.
Katarina- Slovakia ????
I’m not Melissa, I just found this site. I’m thinking of starting something similar myself, just laundry tips, folding tutorials., I LOVE washing, folding and ironing. I iron even my sheets and pajamas, they always look and feel brand new when finished,
My favorite stain remover technique. I soak in Oxi Clean and dishwashing liquid. Even antique lace looks fresh again. for more stubborn stains, I’ll make a paste with Oxi Clean and dish washing liquid and scrub the stain with an old toothbrush or fingernail brush before soaking. I’ll soak for a few hours or over night, I haven’t met a stain yet I couldn’t remove.
I hope this helps, Linda
Hi Linda-I get mystery spots on my husbands white work out shirts (the dri fit type) When i put them in the wash they are clean (stinky-but no spots) and when i take them out to the dryer they have varying sizes of brownish-grey spots. Any clue how to get rid of them and how to prevent them?
Thanks!
Sharyn
hi melissa hope all is going good for you i sent someone to store walmart to pick up great value oxiclean could not find it where do i find it the one you said great for stains thanks sorry to bother you again ,
it would be great if u printed out a short list of ingredients etc after each video on tips
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for your laundry tips. If I may suggest, about the towels and the “little crispy” aspect… As a beauty “tip” you may have really good results on your skin using “little crispy” towels, it only helps your skin to get rid of one part of the dead cells, leaving some dead cells that are not ready to go away do their protection job.
As a matter of fact, dead skin in a really nice proportion is your best friend for protection…
I am a really big french fan, 44 years old with 2 boys and a “tv manager” husband. I think I have experienced many laundry situations…
All my best regards and best wishes for your future videos.
Sanja