Laundry tips for the clueless

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Forum -> Household Management -> Cleaning & Laundry

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amother

Mon, May 13 2019, 3:26 am

I need some laundry help.

I’m okay with the basic washing. I have a system in place and it works fine for me.

It’s just when the kids come home and their clothing is stained from food and the outdoors that I don’t know what to do.

When I don’t wash their clothing straight away, (because they have enough and it can sit in the washing basket until I’m ready for it), after I do wash it the stains don’t always come out.
That’s problem number one.

Problem number two: I don’t know how to wash their clothing so it shouldn’t get ruined.
If my son is wearing a red and white top with navy pants and my daughter is wearing light pink or light orange. Can I wash it together? I can’t wash navy with pink, but neither can I put pink into my white load?

It sounds like I’m newly married, but I’ve been doing this for years and it still stumps me.
I’ve taken to washing similar colored clothing together on a short wash, but it ends up being 3/4 articles of clothing together in each wash and the water bill is through the roof.

Any advice from some wise and experienced ladies?

teachkids

Mon, May 13 2019, 3:32 am

Get stain pretreater (oxiclean or shout). Every article of clothing that comes off gets sprayed and sorted into the right basket right away. It should keep the stains from setting.
I find most clothing doesnt run after the first wash, but you can always wash cold if you're nervous

amother

Mon, May 13 2019, 3:37 am

Thanks! Would you know where I can find it in israel (if you live there)?
Or does anyone else who lives here, know?

choc lover

Mon, May 13 2019, 3:50 am

Oxygen spray in light greenish bottle or pink bottle vanish oxi action spray

amother

Mon, May 13 2019, 3:57 am

Isn't Sano Oxygen too strong, too let sit so long.
I've had it make holes in my kids clothing before, when I let it sit too long.

someone

Mon, May 13 2019, 3:59 am

Yes, it says on the bottle that you can't use it more than 10/15 (don't remember) minutes before you wash it otherwise it ruins the clothes.

choc lover

Mon, May 13 2019, 4:02 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Isn't Sano Oxygen too strong, too let sit so long.
I've had it make holes in my kids clothing before, when I let it sit too long.

Oh sorry I didnt know that. I use the pink vanish spray, spray stains and let it sit even for a few days before I wash it

amother

Mon, May 13 2019, 4:02 am

someone wrote:

Yes, it says on the bottle that you can't use it more than 10/15 (don't remember) minutes before you wash it otherwise it ruins the clothes.

So that doesnt help me because I'm looking for ideas that will keep my clothing looking nice but not have to wash it straight away.

baby12x

Mon, May 13 2019, 4:18 am

You can also buy stain catchers. They sell in supermarkets in Israel.
It looks like a dryer sheet. You put it in the wash and it keeps the colors from running so its good for clothes that have a dark color and a white together

teachkids

Mon, May 13 2019, 6:25 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thanks! Would you know where I can find it in israel (if you live there)?
Or does anyone else who lives here, know?

I'm not in Israel (just up with kids in the middle of the night) but go to your store's laundry aisle, and check out the sprays

amother

Mon, May 13 2019, 12:11 pm

Bump

anuta

Mon, May 13 2019, 8:32 pm

Here is what I do. I wash all the cotton clothes that are not delicate on the cotton cycle, no matter the colors. I wash the rest on the delicates cycle.
If I have a stain ,I check it after washing but before putting in the dryer. If it didn't come out, I line dry it and when I have enough stainy clothes I soak them in hot oxyclean solution, and rub some water and oxyclean paste on the stain itself before dunking into the soak. Then I wash them again in the next load, maybe after a day or two. Again, if the stain doesn't come out in he wash, don't dry the item in the dryer, it will make the stain harder to remove

mommy3b2c

Mon, May 13 2019, 8:38 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

So that doesnt help me because I'm looking for ideas that will keep my clothing looking nice but not have to wash it straight away.

Shout. Spray it on the stains and let it sit for a few days.

challahchallah

Mon, May 13 2019, 8:50 pm

I keep a bucket with water and oxiclean near my washer and just stick stained items in there until laundry day.

amother

Apricot

Mon, May 13 2019, 9:47 pm

I made a spray bottle with 1/3 Palmolive dishwashing soap and 2/3 water. Spray and let it sit.
Warning: if everything in your load is sprayed with this stuff, it will sud and bubble out of the machine.

lucky14

Tue, May 14 2019, 12:23 am

Shout gets sprayed on the day of the stain. Then when I get around to washing if anything is majorly stained I soak it in oxiclean/water for at least a couple of hours before washing. I wash all clothing on delicate cycle/cold water. I never have a problem with colors bleeding (hopefully I never will!). Only exception is I do wash the whites I really care about in separate cycle.

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