Just another tip - if you ask babygirl what she has in the wash that she does not want put in the dryer, I promise she won’t get upset. Even if she does, she will be less mad than she would have been if you shrunk or ruined some of her stuff.
There’s little worse than the heartache of losing a $80 sweater or a $50 bra because your SO was trying to be nice. There’s no one to yell at, then.
Regarding washing clothes, I have three words: Shout Color Catchers. They are awesome! I haven’t separated clothes by color in years. I can’t live without them. (I do still separate the gym clothes and yard work clothes from the work/dress clothes!)
[QUOTE=Nuveena]
Since we’re here, I have a question. I have a blue t-shirt with a dark spot on it. It looks like its just a spot of water, but presumably it’s food of some sort. I believe the stain has been through the dryer a number of times at this point. Is there any hope of getting it out?
[/QUOTE]
It sounds like an oil stain, from meat juice or salad dressing. Short answer? (The long answer involves the difference between soaps and detergents, and between alpha coils and beta chains, and between proteins and carbohydrates.)
Right. The short answer.
WET THE SHIRT! Then pour some hand washing dish soap directly on the spot (which you can probably no longer see). Scrub the soap in with a gentle brush, let it set for a while. Don’t let it dry. Wash as normal, but line-dry. Repeat up to five times.
If it doesn’t work by then, you can wear it to change your oil; the shirt is history.
Bleach? Wet the clothes first. To sanitize, wash in warm water; to remove stains, wash in hot (bleach doesn’t sanitize in hot water).
For all laundry WET THE CLOTHES FIRST!
Thanks for all the answers. Check the tags, got it. I do not see any Woolite or delicate laundry soap, but I do see the color catchers. I did used to wonder why I would see bras hanging around the house on laundry day, but assumed it was because there was some sort of a panty party going on during the load of towels.
So, is bleach ok to use on colored clothes if it says color fast? Do I even need bleach for a load of jeans?
SSG Schwartz
[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya]
And 50 points to SBS for a well played use of Luddite correctly as a technophobe AND as one familiar with textiles.
Worshippin’ goin’ on.
[/QUOTE]
::blushes:: Thank you kindly, Sir!
[QUOTE=SSG Schwartz]
So, is bleach ok to use on colored clothes if it says color fast? Do I even need bleach for a load of jeans?
SSG Schwartz
[/QUOTE]
Do NOT repeat the sin of my mother, who bleached the dickens out of everything. Save bleach for when it is needed, such as a load of whites which need to be brightened up.
I never had a colored tee shirt which lasted more than 6 months until I moved out.
YesIknowmomthanksfordoingmylaundryallathoseyearsbutyoudidn’thavetobleacheverythingkthxbye
[QUOTE=Nuveena]
Since we’re here, I have a question. I have a blue t-shirt with a dark spot on it. It looks like its just a spot of water, but presumably it’s food of some sort. I believe the stain has been through the dryer a number of times at this point. Is there any hope of getting it out?
[/QUOTE]
It’s probably an oil or fat stain, and don’t listen to the naysayers. You may be able to get it out.
I use Spray and Wash Stain Stick, which despite the first part of the name is a rub-on treatment. (I’m sure there are other similar products from other makers.) It’s like a large Chapstick: you rub this stuff into the spot, let it sit for a few hours (or days, if you want), then wash it the usual way. Usually the spot will be gone.
[QUOTE=SSG Schwartz]
So, is bleach ok to use on colored clothes if it says color fast? Do I even need bleach for a load of jeans?
[/QUOTE]
The only time I ever add bleach is if a load of whites needs bleaching out. This probably happens once a year. I never use it with colored clothing. Definitely not jeans!
My hubby is a mechanic and does dirt work & bushogging on the side. Sometimes he comes home with his jeans full of grease, diesel fuel and mud (don’t light a match!). That all comes out in warm water, with regular cheap detergent, without bleach. He even likes to wash his sox & underwear with his jeans (sometimes they come out a little blue, but who cares?).
[QUOTE=SSG Schwartz]
Thanks for all the answers. Check the tags, got it. I do not see any Woolite or delicate laundry soap, but I do see the color catchers. I did used to wonder why I would see bras hanging around the house on laundry day, but assumed it was because there was some sort of a panty party going on during the load of towels.
So, is bleach ok to use on colored clothes if it says color fast? Do I even need bleach for a load of jeans?
SSG Schwartz
[/QUOTE]
My ex- used to use a kind of mesh bag with a zipper for her bras etc. I guess bras don’t last long b/c the washing machine can tear them up. Having them in a mesh bag means the straps won’t get caught in the agitator, hopefully extending their lives. Or, could be, your wife is washing them out by hand.
Bleach—the liquid stuff—is only used for whites or very light colors and then, it’s used sparingly. Bleach in a load of jeans sounds like a disaster. At best, they’d be lightened several shades; at worst, you’d actually see spots where the not-sufficiently-diluted bleach contacted the fabric. Bleach will weaken the fibers in the clothes, so if you don’t need it, don’t use it.
There is a color safe “bleach” that’s in powder form (Clorox 2 IIRC) that IME is worthless.
ETA: I second the idea that if you have oily greasy type stains, warm or hot water will help get them out. Warm or hot water can make colors bleed, however, which may be a problem with newer garments. Again, if you have some mechanics’ hand cleaner, it will often dissolve oily and or greasy stains. Rub some on as pre-treatment.
ETA2: Friend of mine said that if you have something new that’s black, when you wash it the first time add table salt to the wash water. Say, 1/2 cup. Anybody else do this? Supposedly helps keep them nice and black.
[QUOTE=lobotomyboy63]
ETA2: Friend of mine said that if you have something new that’s black, when you wash it the first time add table salt to the wash water. Say, 1/2 cup. Anybody else do this? Supposedly helps keep them nice and black.
[/QUOTE]
See post #10.
[QUOTE=commasense]
See post #10.
[/QUOTE]
DOH! :smack: The “get off my lawn” years can’t be far away…
But, another thing. Recently I’ve been having problems with my dryer. It’s electric, so I don’t think it does as well as gas to begin with, and it wasn’t getting hot enough. So I cleaned out the lint filter, got a brush to try to get beyond the lint filter, etc. It’s still iffy.
I like the Downy ball (Suavitel is much better than Downy, though, IMO). But when I forget or am too lazy, I’ll throw a sheet in. While searching I found a claim that fabric softener sheets are bad in that they create a film that attaches to your lint filter. So, you need to wash (soap and water) your lint filter periodically if you use that. I did; it seemed to help some.
Anybody else notice this effect?
Actually, if the little hooks on the bras come undone, they can do a number on all the other delicate items you wash them with.
Bras have a lot of elastic, that’s why it’s better to line dry them.
Most of the women I know use liquid dish soap (not the stuff for the dishwasher) for their delicates (as well as for those pesky salad oil stains).
I would not advise a man to wash his lady’s delicate undergarments; let her wear sports bras and white cotton waisties until she feels better.
I haven’t used salt in the wash for years; I wash my darks on true cold, with no color-safe ‘bleach’ or borax. If I really like them I’ll use Woolite Dark.
Bleach doesn’t work on whites if you have hard water unless you use something like borax. Blueing works in any water, but you have to be careful, or it stains.
[QUOTE=ntucker]
I’ve always been wary of the “less dry” setting. Who would put their clothes in a dryer to make them less dry? And where does it get the water? 
[/QUOTE]
:applause:
I’d always wondered if Steven Wright posted on this board …
[QUOTE=j666]
Actually, if the little hooks on the bras come undone, they can do a number on all the other delicate items you wash them with.
Bras have a lot of elastic, that’s why it’s better to line dry them.
[/QUOTE]
Not only that, but if the hooks get caught in the air-openings in the dryer, the bra will get twisted round and round, ruining hooks AND underwires, and rendering the bra completely ruined. :smack:
On the laundry machines I use, I noted a while ago that the “more dry - less dry” portion of the dial didn’t have a setting for “completely dry”. If I put a load in on “more dry”, it’ll come out damp. So I just always use the timed dry for the maximum time (a little over an hour), and I still sometimes need to add another fifteen minutes after that, if things aren’t completely dry.
Admittedly, the machine is old, though, so it may be that something in it doesn’t work as well as it used to. It’s possible that a newer machine might not need as much time, and might even work on automatic mode.
[QUOTE=ntucker]
I’ve always been wary of the “less dry” setting. Who would put their clothes in a dryer to make them less dry? And where does it get the water?
[/QUOTE]
Heh… Maybe a “More Wet” setting?
[HIJACK]
[QUOTE=TroubleAgain]
Not only that, but if the hooks get caught in the air-openings in the dryer, the bra will get twisted round and round, ruining hooks AND underwires, and rendering the bra completely ruined. :smack:
[/QUOTE]
This is one of those posts that leaves me speechless; how does anyone old enough to need a bra with underwires! not know this?
I blame the parents.
(insert Wink smilie here)
[/hijack]