Laundry Stain Tips

How many times have we wasted money and resources because we cannot remove stains from our clothes.

Here is a basic laundry stain guide from Tip nut.com

Laundry Stain Treatments: Tip Sheet

http://tipnut.com/laundry-stains/
*Each point is a separate treatment, choose one method. Test a small hidden area first to make sure garment color or fibers won’t be damaged.

Blood Stain Removal
Apply hydrogen peroxide to the stain, cover with salt, then sit for several minutes. You should see the blood draw up from the garment. Remove salt once stain has lifted and launder as usual. Test a small, hidden area first to make sure the color won’t be bleached.
Try rinsing the stain area in cool water then sprinkle on meat tenderizer. Sit for a few minutes then launder as usual.
You could also use hydrogen peroxide plain, apply to area, sit for a few minutes then launder in cool water (first test a small hidden area to make sure the garment color won’t be bleached).
Make a batch of cold, salty water and soak garment overnight. General guideline is 1 TBS salt per 2 1/2 cups of water. Launder as usual.

Chocolate Stain Removal
Mix 4 TBS borax with 2 1/2 cups of warm water, soak garment in solution. After soaking, place stained area under cool running water, if stain doesn’t disappear, rub with a bar of laundry soap. Launder as usual.

Coffee Stain Removal
Same as chocolate stains, see above.

Grass Stain Removal
Before washing items with grass stains, try dabbing a generous amount of vinegar into the stain first. Launder as usual. This should help lift the stain right out.
Wet stain with water and cover with sugar. Leave for at least 1 hour then launder as usual.

Ink Stains
See 10 Ink Stain Removers – Laundry Tips

Lipstick Stains
Saturate a clean white cloth with household winger, rub lipstick stain lightly until it is removed.

Mildew Stains
Squeeze fresh lemon juice on the spots then sprinkle with salt. Let dry in the sun. Launder as usual. Try this treatment for old stains, great for those vintage linens!

Mustard Stains
Mix 1 TBS laundry detergent with 1/4 cup warm water. Soak stain overnight and launder as usual.
Apply a few drops of liquid dish detergent to stain, gently rub into stain and soak overnight, launder as usual.

Perspiration Stains
Mix a solution of water and vinegar (60/40) then sponge onto stain areas. Launder as usual.
Mix a solution of 1 quart warm water with 4 TBS table salt, soak garment. Wash as usual.
Ring Around The Collar
Try rubbing toothpaste along the stain before tossing in the washing machine. Careful on items that aren’t white, the toothpaste could cause discoloration.
Use 3 parts baking soda to 2 parts vinegar to make a paste, rub into stain and allow to set for 60 minutes, launder as usual (found on 10 Laundry Boosters Using Vinegar).
You could also dab toothpaste on white items that have hard to remove stains–it just might do the trick!

Rust Spots On Cloth Items
Try treating the stains with a 50/50 mixture of lemon juice and water. Let sit for about 30 minutes before washing.
Rub powdered Cream of Tartar into stain, then wash in hot soapy water. You can also boil garment in water mixed with Cream of Tartar (4 tsp Cream of Tartar per pint of water).
Rust stains on laundry can happen if your washing machine or dryer has a part that’s rusted. It can also be caused by hard water or if the clothing was accidentally washed with something metal that rusted in the wash.
Did you know: Chlorine bleach will make the rust stains harder to remove or even permanent?

Wine Stains
Mix 1 1/4 cups of water and 2 tsp borax, apply over stain. Soak for 15 minutes, launder as usual.

Homemade Laundry- Pre-Treatment

Homemade Laundry Stain Pretreater Recipes

http://tipnut.com/homemade-laundry-stain-remover-recipes/

Frugal Laundry Soap – Pretreater
Save pieces and leftover slivers of bar soaps and collect in a jar. Those little hotel soaps are ideal for this too (cut them down to small pieces).
When jar is filled half way with soap chunks, add boiling water. Mix soap bits and water until soap is melted.
Once cooled this will make a soap jelly. Use to pretreat laundry.

*Handy to gob onto stained items and toss back into the dirty laundry bag for pieces that you can’t wash right away.

Quick Tip: I’ve also used just straight liquid dish detergent successfully. Squirt a bit onto stain, rub in gently with your fingers, then toss the garment in the laundry pile to be washed later. This is an especially easy one since you can apply the soap as soon as you notice the stain and leave the garment sit until laundry day.

Homemade Laundry Stain Removers
Recipe #1
1 cup hot water

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide
Directions:
Mix ingredients then store in spray bottles. Spot treat stains then soak overnight.

Recipe #2
2 quarts water

1/2 cup ammonia

2 TBS laundry detergent
Directions:
Mix ingredients then store in spray bottles. Spot treat stains then soak overnight.
Do not use with bleach.

Homemade Laundry Soap

Lets go back to basics to get our year supply of Laundry soap.

For the price of a large Costco package of laundry soap, you can make a year supply worth (depending on your family size) for the same cost. None of these recipes are difficult. Give it a try. Use the money you save on not buying gallon after gallon of premade laundry soaps to purchase items for your three month supply of food and water! Additionally, laundry soap is one of the most toxic items that we have in our home. Our bodies easily absorb the toxins left on our clothes. The average child has reached thier life time average of toxins by the age of four- years- old. No wonder we have problems as we get older. Our ancestors did not have the loaver load of toxins that we do in our age, because they made practically everything they used or ate. Think about it!

This is the recipe that my younger sister uses-http://www.duggarfamily.com/recipes.html

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value
4 Cups hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 Cup Washing Soda

½ Cup Borax
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Powdered Laundry Detergent- Top load machine
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 Cup Washing Soda

½ Cup Borax
-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)


Inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipes
Recipe #11

Cup White Vinegar

Add vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great. Removes residue and odors. Also helps to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too.
Recipe #2
1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener

4 Inexpensive sponges, cut in half
Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet.

More Recipes-

http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/

10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes

Tipnut's Homemade Laundry Detergent

Here is a nice stack of different homemade laundry detergent recipes I’ve collected over the years. Do they work? Yes, I’ve had good luck with them.
At the time I was using homemade detergent, we had a relative who was in trade school living with us. Every day he was mechanic grease from head to toe–the clothes cleaned up nice!
Making your own laundry detergent is a discipline and it’s not for everyone, but it definitely saves money–sometimes just costing pennies a load!

First Some Tips:
For the bar soaps required in the recipes, you could try Fels-Naptha, Ivory soap, Sunlight bar soap, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile, and Zote. Don’t use heavily perfumed soaps.
Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found in the laundry and cleaning aisles.
Some people with really hard water or well water may have to adjust the recipes if the clothes look dingy.
Although several of the recipes have the same ingredients, the measurements are different–some contain a higher soap to water ratio. Test and see which works best for your laundry needs.
You can make huge pails of this at once, or smaller quantities. Also if you can get your hands on a few empty liquid laundry detergent bottles they work great for storing the detergent. Just make a big batch and pour in bottles, cap then use as needed–shake before use.
Some of the recipes call for large amounts of water. Check with a local restaurant to see if they have any empty large pails from deep fryer oil–that’s how many restaurants buy the oil. See if you can have one or two of the pails after they’ve emptied it–just wash them out really well before using. They’re big, heavy plastic and very sturdy when stirring the soap and hot water.

10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes
Recipe #1
1 quart Water (boiling)

2 cups Bar soap (grated)2 cups Borax

2 cups Washing Soda
Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel).

Recipe #2
Hot water

1 cup Washing Soda

1/2 cup Borax

1 Soap bar
Grate the bar soap and add to a large saucepan with hot water. Stir over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
Fill a 10 gallon pail half full of hot water. Add the melted soap, Borax and Washing soda, stir well until all powder is dissolved. Top the pail up with more hot water.
Use 1 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel).

Recipe #3
Hot water

1/2 cup Washing Soda

1/2 cup Borax

1/3 bar Soap (grated)
In a large pot, heat 3 pints of water. Add the grated bar soap and stir until melted. Then add the washing soda and borax. Stir until powder is dissolved, then remove from heat.
In a 2 gallon clean pail, pour 1 quart of hot water and add the heated soap mixture. Top pail with cold water and stir well.
Use 1/2 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel).

Powdered Laundry Detergent – Recipe #4
2 cups Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated – you could also try the other bar soaps listed at the top)1 cup Washing Soda1 cup Borax
Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.
Use 2 tablespoons per full load.

Recipe #5
Hot water

1 bar (4.5 oz) Ivory Soap – grated

1 cup Washing Soda
In a large saucepan add grated soap and enough hot water to cover. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until soap is melted.
Fill a large pail with 2.5 gallons of hot water, add hot soap mixture. Stir until well mixed.
Then add the washing soda, again stirring until well mixed.
Set aside to cool.
Use 1/2 cup per full load, stirring well before each use (will gel)

Recipe #6
2.5 gallons Water (hot)

1 Bar soap (grated)

3/4 cup Washing Soda3/4 cup Borax

2 TBS Glycerin
Melt bar soap over medium-low heat topped with water, stir until soap is melted.
In a large pail, pour 2.5 gallons of hot water, add melted soap mixture, washing soda, borax and glycerin. Mix well.
Use 1/2 cup per full load.

Recipe #7
2 cups Bar soap (grated)

2 cups Washing Soda

2 – 2.5 gallons hot water
Melt grated soap in saucepan with water to cover. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until soap is dissolved.
Pour hot water in large pail, add hot soap and washing soda. Stir very well.
Use 1 cup per full load.

Recipe #8
2 gallons Water (hot)

1 bar Soap (grated)

2 cups Baking soda (yes baking soda this time–not washing soda)
Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted.
In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted soap, stir well.
Then add the baking soda, stir well again.
Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load.
Powdered Laundry Detergent – Recipe #9
12 cups Borax8 cups Baking Soda8 cups Washing Soda8 cups Bar soap (grated)
Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

Recipe #10 – (Powdered)
1 cup Vinegar (white)

1 cup Baking Soda

1 cup Washing Soda

1/4 cup liquid castile soap
Mix well and store in sealed container.
I find it easiest to pour the liquid soap into the bowl first, stirred in the washing soda, then baking soda, then added the vinegar in small batches at a time (the recipe foams up at first). The mixture is a thick paste at first that will break down into a heavy powdered detergent, just keep stirring. There may be some hard lumps, try to break them down when stirring (it really helps to make sure the baking soda isn’t clumpy when first adding). I used 1/2 cup per full load with great results.

Liquid Detergents Note
Soap will be lumpy, goopy and gel-like. This is normal. Just give it a good stir before using. Make sure soap is covered with a lid when not in use. You could also pour the homemade soap in old (and cleaned) laundry detergent bottles and shake well before each use.
*If you can’t find Fels-Naptha locally, you can buy it online (check Amazon).

Optional
You can add between 10 to 15 drops of essential oil (per 2 gallons) to your homemade laundry detergent. Add once the soap has cooled to room temperature. Stir well and cover.
Essential oil ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil