The Laundry Room
~~~Using Baking Soda~~~
Replace half of each measure of laundry detergent with baking soda to keep clothing fresh.
To freshen laundry, add 1/3 cup baking soda to the wash or
rinse cycle. clothes will smell sweeter and cleaner.
To remove grease stains, either add baking soda to the wash load or pre-treat the stains
with a baking soda paste.
Pre-treat diapers in their pail with baking soda. This will keep odors from
becoming overpowering between washings.
Baking soda increases the effectiveness of chlorine bleach. Add 1/2 cup to
your laundry, along with the usual amount of bleach.
If you keep a laundry hamper, add some baking soda every day to keep the
hamper from smelling between emptying.
~~~Using Vinegar~~~
Instead of using expensive fabric-softener sheets, pour 1/4 cup white vinegar in the last rinse of the washing cycle. This eliminates static cling, helps remove wrinkles, gives clothes a fresh smell by removing soap scum and lint.
To make your blankets fluffier, add 2 cups of white vinegar to a washer tub of rinse water.
When hand washing items other than silk, add a capful of white vinegar to the next to last rinse. The vinegar removes any soap or detergent residue in the water or on the fabric.
In cold weather, wipe your clothesline with a cloth moistened with vinegar to prevent your laundry from sticking to the line. Wax the line once a month to keep black marks off your clothes.
White vinegar will remove permanent creases when rehemming pants or skirts. Simply dampen with vinegar and press with a warm iron. Repeat if necessary.
If your steam iron clogs up, fill it with a mixture of 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 cup water and let stand overnight. Heat the iron the next day. Remove the mixture and mix with clear water.
To remove perspiration stains in clothing, soak in warm vinegar and water.
~~~MISC~~~
Use cold water, if possible - especially on colored clothes. This will help them stay bright longer.
A cloth dipped in 2% peroxide and used as a pressing cloth will remove most scorches.
Wash chocolate stains in warm suds with few drops of ammonia added. Rinse. If stain remains, sponge or soak in dry cleaning solvent, then use the appropriate bleach. *Wool: Sponge with glycerin. If unavailable, use warm water.
You don't have to buy expensive "delicate wash" detergents for sweaters and washable silks. Use shampoo.
Harden chewing gum stuck to fabric with an ice cube, then gently scrape off as much as possible with a dull knife. soak in dry-cleaning solvent until remaining gum is loosened and scrape again. Wash in warm suds. Rinse.