Just use a whole container of liquid detergent in each machine you load.

Bring a camera and take pictures.

Post them for us.

'Cuz your laundry will be so clean.

Thanks!
;-)

No thanks, shane. This is a small town. If I flood the laundromat, I'll never be welcomed "downtown" again.

Yes, this is probably the dumbest question ever. I'm only looking for any tips anyone might have.

I really think adding a scoop of OxyClean to my laundry does wonders. My laundry smells fresher, or really, it doesn't have any smell at all after it's cleaned when I add OxyClean.

Oh, and it's supposed to get stains out, too, although that's been less of an issue for me so I haven't really noticed if it's done that.

Don't use cheap laundry detergent. Cheap laundry detergent sucks.

Don't overload

Use the hottest water possible for the fabric content. Hot water cleans better. Check care labels first.

I know you don't want to, but I would pre-treat with a stain remover and possibly presoak heavily stained items.

Separate darks from lights. This is what causes clothes to become dingy. Too much detergent can cause clothes to become dingy also.

Wash whites alone and in hot water with a cup of bleach and detergent.

I use 20 Mule Team Borax sometimes. It's used as a laundry detergent booster among other things. It's meant to get rid of dinginess.

I second the OxyClean. The stuff seems to take just about anything out.

As LoriFlA says, absolutely don't overload. The water needs room to dance.

I wash towels and sheets in hot or warm water with a cold rinse; The Fella washes everything in cold. I can faintly smell the difference.

At least every few washings, I'll put in some bleach with the towels and sheets, white or otherwise. If your washer doesn't have a bleach dispenser, put it in the washer as it's filling with water, and let it agitate before adding laundry.

I remove clothing from the drier while it's still slightly damp and let it air dry. I think the drier more than anything else eats up clothing.

Yes, this is probably the dumbest question ever. I'm only looking for any tips anyone might have.

Not at all! Just kidding. I wasn't snarking. Go here for all your snarking pile-on needs.

I'm not much of a laundry guy myself (unless you want tips on chatting with nice single women at the laundromat, which for some reason used to happen to me back in the day, or if you need encouragement to enjoy some guilt-free downtime reading a good book because you don't have a laptop--laundromats are GREAT for all of the above)... but I might steal any advice given you on ring-around-the-collar. Like, is it just me or does r-a-t-c appear magically several months after washing, and usually the morning you finally pull your white shirt out of the closet for a job interview?

And is Oxiclean really that magic? Is it good for pet smells?

≡ Click to see image ≡

Do you hate Billy Mays as much as I do? Wanna form a NOT-fan club? (Mays on YouTube in slo-mo.)

Yes. I do what Elsa does with (pale) colored sheets and towels. I add bleach in the bleach dispenser. There are some colored fabrics you can use chlorine bleach with.

I also meant to say mixing light and dark colored fabrics causes dinginess, but I'm guessing you know what I meant.


Queen of Clean laundry tips: From this page: DIY Network.

Q: How can I check to see if a color is going to run?

A: Put a drop of water on an inconspicuous spot and blot with a white cotton ball. If the cotton ball is still white, go ahead and throw the piece in the laundry. If there's color on the cotton ball, however, wash separately.

Q: I like to use bleach, but I’ve read that it can damage clothes. Is that true?

A: If you use more bleach than is called for, it can damage fabrics, weaken the fabric fibers and cause them to disintegrate. Never use it on silk, wool, spandex, acetate, dry-clean-only clothes and anything flame-resistant.

Q: I have two questions: First, what do you recommend, powder or liquid detergent. And second, is it really necessary to use a fabric softener? What are the benefits?

A: Let’s start with the detergent: You should avoid detergents that contain fragrances, added bleach or added softeners. And remember that more is not better; you can tell when you’ve put too much in the washer. I’ve tested a number of detergents -- some work well on whites, others on stains. (My personal preference is Purex.) I like liquid detergent; I measure it in the cap and then use it to pre-spot the laundry.

Now let’s talk about fabric softeners: Softener can be added to the washer, and the sheets can be added to the dryer. You asked about benefits. Well, it can make clothes softer and cut down on static cling. Clothes won’t be as wrinkled, either. If you prefer liquid softener, add it to the automatic dispenser. Be sure to measure it so spots on clothes will be eliminated. As for dryer sheets, they cause build-up on towels, so use them only once every two to three washings.

Fabric-softener spots are little blue spots or grease marks (the blue spots are caused by liquid, the grease by sheets). To remove the blue spots, wet clothes and rub with dishwashing liquid, then rewash. Do not use laundry detergent. To eliminate dryer-sheet spots, rub with a wet bar of soap such as Dove, then re-launder.

To make your own fabric-softener sheets, mist an old washcloth with 1 part liquid fabric softener and 2 parts water, then toss in the dryer. Re-mist for each new load.

Thanks, LoriFLA, and all! I'll have to try the oxyclean. If next week's photo theme is "My Laundry", then I'll post my results.

Like, is it just me or does r-a-t-c appear magically several months after washing, and usually the morning you finally pull your white shirt out of the closet for a job interview?

YES! I think some stains and dirt need time to develop, like invisible ink. That's what pretreating is really good for --- preventative cleaning of areas you just know are getting dirty, even if you can't see it. I've been known to pretreat the seemingly spotless underarms of shirts.

My favorite laundry tip, and one that genuinely wowed an old housemate: if you suspect a new item will bleed --- say, a new red t-shirt --- wash it with a load of all black clothing the first few times.

Some laundry detergents contain bluing or other optical brighteners that make white fabrics appear "whiter" or at least brighter in sunlight, by converting UV rays to visible light through fluorescence. You can add these products yourself, as additives, when doing laundry, for best results. It helps to sort your laundry not only by color, but by fabric type, and to use basic detergents, plus the bleach type and fabric treatment you want (bluing, brighteners, etc.), for the fabric you are dealing with. As an example, cotton treatment products don't work well with polyester fabric. Blend fabric, such as 60/40 cotton/polyester blend broadcloth used in dress shirts, is normally treated for the predominant fiber in the blend, but results will never be quite as predictable as if you're dealing with unblended fibers.

Many fabrics have "life of fiber" treatments applied during manufacture, that can help, or hinder normal cleaning. Mercerized cotton, for example, will typically be found in woven cotton cloth, such as broadcloth shirting, or twill (used in pants), or in denim. Mercerized cotton fiber definitely helps the appearance, life and wear of the fabrics in these garments, but because of mercerization, standard detergents and bleaches will never be as effective on such treated cotton, as they will be on unmercerized cotton fiber. But it's far less likely that underwear, which is generally knitted, will use mercerized fiber. Thus, bleaching will work better on underwear, knit fabric T-shirts, cotton sweaters, and fleecewear, than on broadcloth shirts, even though all such articles may be "100% cotton." On the broadcloth, you may get better results with bluing. As you might expect, there are various treatments for polyester, rayon, nylon, and other synthetics fibers, and yet other different treatments for natural fibers like wool and silk. All such treatments need to be considered in garment cleaning, and can be adversely affected by improper laundry methods.

On top of all the "life of fiber" type treatments that contribute to laundry complications, are fabric level treatments like Sanforize, and garment applied resin treatments, like PermaPress, which is accomplished by spraying various resins, reactants and catalysts to a finished garment, and then baking that garment in a tunnel conveyor oven, thus drying it wrinkle free on forms which can also impart sharp-for-life creases. A PermaPress garment will only retain its best wrinkle free characteristics if it is washed and dried appropriately, and if the resins which give it those properties are not attacked by harsh chemicals, hot water and high drying temperatures. I've personally seen wash tests of Perma Press samples where there was noticeable degradation of the treatment in as little as 20 incorrect wash cycles, for garments that were still quite wrinkle resistant after 100 wash cycles, properly done.

So, that's where sorting your laundry not only by colors/whites, but by fabric type comes into play. You'll simply be able to better match your cleaning chemistry, wash cycles and water temperatures, drying cycles and dryer additives, if you sort better, and do a few additional, but smaller loads of laundry, paying close attention to your fabric and care label instructions.

Do you hate Billy Mays as much as I do? Wanna form a NOT-fan club?
posted by shane 21 October | 20:02

No and no.

I'm an eco-freak when it comes to cleaning products, so won't use bleach in my laundry. I nth the recommendation of Oxy-Clean. My only decent pair of jeans received quite a beating at the last bonfire I attended (sitting on wet muddy grass/logs and walking in an dark uneven field in a state of intoxication can do this, oddly). I soaked them for a day in a bucket with a scoop of oxy clean and cold water, and they came out perfectly clean. I add a scoop to most loads along with an unscented, biodegradable detergent, and have no complaints. For pet smells (like that towel my kitten peed on on the way home from the vet) I'd soak it for a while first. Borax is also good for getting rid of smells and boosting laundry detergent.

Oh--I've also used Oxy-Clean to get red wine and salsa out of light-coloured upholstery and cat vomit out of carpets, all with impressive results.

DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT USE BLEACH IN PUBLIC MACHINES!!!!! I've had too many clothes ruined following people who didn't know what they were doing.

YES! I think some stains and dirt need time to develop, like invisible ink.

Thanks! I thought I was losing my mind... more than usual.