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Category: Laundry

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Laundry Boosters

What are Laundry Boosters

Laundry boosters are additives that you add to your washing machine to help make your regular laundry detergent more effective.

Laundry detergent boosters can be either organic homemade laundry soap or a store bought brand. There are a variety of recipes to make your own, and just like any laundry detergent, boosters came in many different brands, sizes, shapes, colors. Some are liquid and some are dry powder.

laundry boosters
Laundry Boosters

You can make or buy laundry boosters with all natural ingredients and essential oils for an all-natural scent, or ones that are infused with fragrances formulated in a lab. And all types offer an unscented version.

Most can be used on delicates, cotton, polyester, wool, other fabrics, and can sometimes even be used for other cleaning purposes. However, they’re usually not recommended for use on leather.

Why Use Laundry Boosters

Although you might think regular laundry detergent should get the job done, laundry boosters add a special touch to your help get your laundry even cleaner in the following ways:

  • Cleans away soil and dirt
  • Removes stains and grease
  • Helps prevent discoloration of your clothes
  • Helps keep whites brighter
  • Adds a little kick in your effort to eliminate odors.
  • Makes your clothes softer

I like to use boosters on all my loads of laundry, but they are especially useful for those extra smelly loads of laundry we all abhor, such as sweaty sports clothing, ‘soiled’ underwear, dirty diapers, pet bedding, well-used sneakers, etc.. Many are also designed to a super washing soda baby detergent that is gentle on extra sensitive skin.

How to Use Laundry Boosters

Be sure to use your booster with your regular laundry detergent, and don’t wash your laundry with a booster alone.

Each laundry booster product or recipe has its own instructions about quantity and timing, but usually you just add a little to the wash at the beginning of the wash cycle.

Many boosters are made for all washing machine types, but some are made for only top loading washing machines, and some are made specifically for HE (High Efficiency) washing machines. Again, read the label, but know that there is a booster out there for every type of machine, from front loading machines, to hand washing or other multi-purpose uses.

You will, of course, want to follow all your other laundry washing guidelines, such as washing wool only in cold water, and not mixing whites and color clothes in the same wash load. But generally speaking, most laundry boosters are made for cold, warm or hot water, and for all material types.

You’ll find laundry boosters that can be used on delicates, cotton, polyester, wool, other fabrics, and can sometimes even be used for other cleaning purposes. Most are color safe, but to be laundry safe, be sure to read that label.

Pre-Wash Tips

Laundry boosters also work great as a pre-wash treatment for grease stains by mixing it with a little water and rubbing your new laundry booster ‘paste’ into the stain.

You can also eliminate odors around your laundry basket, as stinky clothes are waiting to hit the wash by shaking certain types of laundry boosters lightly on the clothes before you wash them.

How Do Laundry Boosters Work?

Some say boosters work best with soft water, but doesn’t everything? Soft water makes soap bubble up more, and soft water makes everything, from skin to clothes, softer. But boosters actually act as a water softener, and thus, they are especially effective for use with hard water.

If your booster has baking soda in it, then the high pH of this alkaline substance helps soften your hard water, or make your soft water softer. This makes your laundry detergent more efficient and enhances its ability to remove dirt and stains. Plus, baking soda is a natural deodorizer and is great for removing foul odors.

If you’re a fan of Borax, you’ll find laundry booster is one many Borax uses you maybe didn’t know about.

Some boosters use ‘oxygen bleach’ that is well known for brightening laundry, as well as removing other household stains outside the laundry arena.

And yet some laundry boosters are loaded with active enzymes that act to help brighten your colored and white clothes alike.

So whatever you’re washing, you still need to shop around, depending on your ingredient preferences and laundry needs, but just about everyone can benefit form some sort of laundry booster or another.

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How to Get Rid of Dust Mites

How to Get Rid of Dust Mites

dust mite allergies
Dust mite allergies

Learning how to get rid of dust mites is important in order to help control allergic reactions in your home.

Dust mites feed on organic materials such as flakes of shed human skin and flourish in the stable environment of dwellings. House dust mites are a common cause of asthma and allergic symptoms worldwide. The mite’s gut contains potent digestive enzymes that persist in their feces and are major inducers of allergic reactions. The mite’s exoskeleton can also contribute to allergic reactions. Here is a natural remedy for the control of dust mites.

dust mites
How to get rid of dust mites

Researchers at Alexandria University in Egypt found certain essential oils to be effective at killing dust mites, the invisible-unless-under-a-microscope creatures that tend to live in bedding, carpets, furniture and drapes. If you want to keep your allergies at bay, eucalyptus and clove were proven to be the most effective oils for eliminating household dust mites.

Here are three tips on how to get rid of dust mites:

  • Add around 10 drops of an oil in with your laundry detergent when you wash your sheets in hot water.
  • Fill a spray bottle with 1 quart of water and 20 drops of an oil to spray on upholstery.
  • Put baking soda in a sifter and add in 10 drops of an essential oil to shake across carpeting. Then leave the mixture on the floor for 30 minutes and vacuum it up.

    essential oils
    How to get rid of dust mites using essential oils

By learning how to get rid of dust mites, you can control and limit their impact in your home.

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How to Clean a Yoga Mat

Here’s how to clean a yoga mat:

There are three ways on how to clean a yoga mat: by lightly hand washing, submerging it in a tub and hand washing, or washing it in the washing machine.

how to clean a yoga mat
How to clean a yoga mat

How to clean a yoga mat by handwashing

If your mat is only slightly soiled, spray it with a solution of water and a very small bit of mild dish soap. Use a clean, damp sponge or clean terry cloth rag. Wash the entire mat. Use a clean cloth, only dampened with clean water, to wipe the mat. Dry with a towel, then let air dry.

How to clean a yoga mat by handwashing in bathtub

If you haven’t washed your mat in a long time or it is particularly soiled, you may want to do a more heavy duty cleaning of your yoga mat. Fill your bathtub with warm water and a bit of mild detergent. Submerge the yoga mat and hand wash it using a clean cloth. Rinse with clean water. Towel dry then let air dry.

How to clean a yoga mat by machine washing

Put the yoga mat by itself into the washing machine and using a mild detergent for delicates, run it through the gentle or delicates cycle. Let air dry.

It is important to keep your yoga mat clean, but do not over wash your your yoga mat.

One way to speed up the drying process is to roll up your mat with a towel and squeeze excess water out.

Whatever method you choose to clean a yoga mat, be sure your yoga mat is completely dry before rolling it up. In between classes, it is actually a good idea to hang your mat rather than leave it rolled up.

And that is how to clean a yoga mat!

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How to Clean an Iron

Here’s how to clean an iron:

How to Clean an Iron
How to Clean an Iron

Keeping your iron clean is important so you don’t transfer dirt or gunk from the hot iron to the material you are ironing. To keep your iron in good working condition, you should read the manufacturer’s manual that came with your iron.

Be sure to start with a cool iron. Trying to clean a warm or hot iron is not only dangerous, but your cleaning efforts would be ineffective on the hot surface.

If the surface of the iron plate is oily, use a clean cloth dampened with ammonia or window cleaner then use another clean cloth dampened with water to wipe off the iron plate. A clean cloth dampened with vinegar can also be used instead of window cleaner.

If the iron plate has wax-like dirt on it, you can turn the iron into a hot settling and use a scrunched up newspaper to wipe the iron plate. Let the iron cool then wipe it with a clean cloth dampened with water.

To clean in the holes on the iron plate, use a cotton swab dampened with ammonia or window cleaner then wipe holes again with cotton swabs dampened with water. Do not use any sharp objects to scrape or clean the holes in the iron plate. The surface may get scratched.

To clean the water reservoir in your iron, fill it with one part vinegar and one part water. Turn on the iron to get it hot. Let it steam for a few minutes, and use the spray feature. Turn the iron off and let it cool. Empty any remaining liquid from the reservoir. Add water to the reservoir and turn the iron back on. Let it steam for a few minutes and use the spray feature. Turn off the iron and let it cool. Empty the reservoir. You can repeat the water steps if you want to be completely sure there is no vinegar left in your iron.

To clean the rest of your iron, use a clean cloth dampened with ammonia, window cleaner, general purpose cleaner or vinegar. Wipe all surfaces.

And that’s how to clean an iron!

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How to Clean TOMS Shoes

How to Clean TOMS shoes:

There are a couple of ways to wash your TOMS which will keep them looking their best: handwashing or machine washing. Firstly, brush off all the dried on dirt from the shoes.

  • Handwashing  Soak the shoes in cold water and a small squirt of mild liquid dish soap. Using a small, soft bristle brush, gently brush the shoe material in a scrubbing motion. If your TOMS are the sparkly ones, be very careful to use the brush in the same direction as the sequins lay.
  • Machine washing Use the most gentle cycle on your washing machine. Select cold water and use a small amount of gentle detergent. When the water level is high enough to fully cover the shoes, add the shoes.

It is best not to put your TOMS in the dryer. The dryer can tear the fabric. The most recommended way to dry them is to air dry. You can stuff a fabric softener sheet in each shoe while they dry. This will help to alleviate shoe odors. Some people use baking soda in a sachet to deodorize the shoes, however, do not pour baking soda directly into your TOMS as this can dry out the insole.

And that is how to clean TOMS shoes!

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Removing lint and wrinkles

Removing lint can be done a few ways the fastest and easiest is a rolled up piece of tape, use duct or packing tape to have more sticky surface area, or use a slightly dampened sponge, or clothes or lint brush works too…

Removing unwanted wrinkles when you don’t have easy access to an iron, hang clothes in the washroom when having a shower, keep the doors and windows closed and leave the fan off.  You can also place the clothes in the dryer with a damp towel for 10 minutes to remove wrinkles as well.

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Mildew on clothes

Prevent mildew on clothes by storing them correctly.  Always be sure they are 100% dry before storing.  Avoid storing in plastic bags or boxes, which can trap moisture.  Ventilate storage areas when the weather is good or the opportunity presents.  Pack storage areas loosely allowing air to circulate.  Don’t use starch or fabric softener on items to be stored.  Use a chemical desiccant (absorbs humidity) like packaged silica gel to absorb humidity.

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How to make whites, whiter…

Whites, whiter…

My white clothes look dull and dingy. Most of the labels say “NO Chlorine Bleach” – is there another way to whiten them?

There are many reasons for whites to become dull. A very common factor is hard water. The trace elements in the water can prevent soap from lathering properly and the residue can leave a dull or gray appearance. Check with your local utility to see if this is a concern. For slightly hard water, it is possible to overcome the problem of siding, by simply adding more detergent.

You can try an all fabric bleach (Bleach for un-bleachable), or an oxygen bleach, but always test for color fastness on the clothing, and add the bleach to the soap and water, BEFORE adding the clothing. Even these ‘safe’ bleaches can cause damage if poured in concentrate, directly onto wet clothing.

You might also try soaking in a solution of water and lemon juice overnight before washing. Then add this soak water into the wash water with the regular detergent when washing.

The final tip would be to hang these articles to dry in the sun. The sun is an excellent natural bleaching tool, which can actually even lighten some stains to the point they are invisible. The other huge benefit of air drying, along with the fact it is free, is that stained clothing will not have the stain ‘set’, whereas a tumble dryer gets so hot, that the stains are baked into the fibers.

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Ink stains in dryer….

This question was submitted by Tammy;
A pen got into the dryer how do I remove the ink?

Conveniently one of Forum experts had the same thing happen to him not very long ago.

Tools & Techniques:
Clean dry cleaning rags, multi use solvent.

1. First do NOT run the dryer anymore heat absolutely sets ink stains.
2. Using a clean dry cleaning rag wipe as much ink off as possible. If you catch before the heat has set this then you have a chance.
3. In my case there was an extreme amount of ink and I wiped what I could. Next I got progressively more aggressive with my cleaning compounds. I started by using a large towel and poured a mixture of warm water and dish soap on the towel and placed in the drum in an attempt to have some of the ink soak into the towel since there was so much ink. I had marginal success with that, but I was able to get some off and especially where there was a large amount of ink.
4. Then I used a multiuse solvent designed to break down gum, glue, ink etc. (solvents are flammable use caution be sure the dryer is cool, be sure there is very good ventilation when working). Pouring the solvent on my clean dry white cleaning rags I slowly worked on my dryer drum using allot of cleaning rags I was able to remove allot of the ink.
5. The problem I was having was ink under the agitators (usually plastic). The ink on the plastic came off well with the solvent, but ink had pooled under the agitators. I poured a general purpose cleaner along the edge and a fair bit of ink came out. I did not pour the solvent since I did not want to much flammable material to be used.
6. The key was I took my time and used allot of rags always pouring the solvent on them and removing as much ink as possible.
7. Now I had so much ink that I eventually used paint thinner to remove more ink. Now paint thinner is also very flammable so I used with caution. I did not nor would I recommend running the dryer for at least 24 hours, waiting for all the vapour to dissipate first. This is why I did not pour the solvent directly into the drum.
8. Now all this took some time and effort and after it was all done I did not even get 100% of the ink removed only about 70% so I was a little frustrated. After about 24 hours I ran the dryer only on air fluff to be sure there was no vapour. And I washed and dried some work clothes to absorb any ink that may not have come off.
9. It has been a couple months now and it looks like a little more ink has come off but I have seen absolutely no ink on any clothes. To summarize be patient and realize that it probably will not be perfect and you will have to live with some ink stains on your dryer drum but overall it will have no impact on your dryers performance. I will NEVER again forget to remove my pens from my pocket (I hope…) this was one tough job. Good Luck

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