6 Great Laundry Tips

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

25 Jan 2009 06:15 AM

Not sure what to do about keep your corduroy pants from streaking, white powder from appearing on your clothes, the best way to wash a backpack, or getting crayon out of clothing? To get the answers to these dilemmas, read on. Here are six great laundry tips.

If your sofa slipcovers are washable (cotton) only let them dry until they are dam-dry. This will allow the covers to stretch enough to fit over the sofa, making putting them on so much easier.

Turn corduroy pants or even jeans inside out when you wash them to prevent any streaking.

If your clothes suffer from white streaks or powder residue (especially the darks), this is probably because you are using powder detergent that isn't full dissolving. To solve this problem, start the washer filling with warm or hot water, add the detergent and wait until it has dissolved before adding your clothing. Alternatively, you could dissolve the powder in a cup of hot water before adding it to the washer.

To get crayon or other stubborn stains out of clothing, combine Shout, Tide and Cascade in the washer. It really works! Read here for more info: Getting Out Melted Crayon.

Wash a backpack by first zipping all of the zippers and then placing it in a zippered pillowcase. Wash it in the washer in warm water. When the wash is done, remove the backpack and squeeze out the extra water. Nylon backpacks should be air dried, and cotton ones can be dried in a dryer on low.

To stretch out a shrunken sweater, you need to loosen the fibers. Do this by soaking the sweater in water to which you have added 2 tablespoon of hair conditioner for five minutes. Then lay the sweater out on a towel and slowly stretch and shape it. Let it dry.

What is your biggest laundry problem?

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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