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How to Clean Kitchen Laundry in a Public Laundromat

March 11, 2013 By 4 Comments

Dear Home-Ec 101,

I love your website, your tips have been extremely helpful to me. I have a question, though, whose answer I couldn’t find in your archives.Maybe you can help me out?

I don’t have a washer at home so I take most of my laundry to a laundromat. I’ve been washing my dishcloths in a bucket with regular laundry detergent and dish washing liquid for stains. But when it comes to bigger items like aprons and table cloths… I’m embarrassed to say, I’ve been buying new ones because it just feels strange to wash them on a public laundromat, even if I wash them separately from my clothes.

If I don’t have a washer, how should I wash kitchen things?

Thanks a lot,
Clueless Germaphobe

Heather says:

If you had your own washing machine and knew what exactly was being washed and when I’d suggest you take a deep breath and not worry. You can always disinfect your own washing machine after doing something awful like cleaning up after a toilet overflow or dealing with toddlers and potty training accidents. Let’s face it, not everyone out there is considerate and when it comes to food safety, go ahead and let your germaphobe tendencies run free.

The following information is from the New Mexico State University Agricultural Extension:

Use a disinfectant when washing at a laundromat. Illness from another family can be passed on if the washing machine is not disinfected before it is used. Wipe off the surface of the machine with a disinfectant, then add disinfectant to the wash cycle. Follow the directions on the disinfectant’s label.

We’ve talked, in the past about how to use chlorine bleach safely.

First of all, in your situation it makes more sense, both from an economical and food safety sense to use paper towels for any clean up involving the preparation of raw meat and grease.

Next, you most need to remember when laundering your kitchen dishtowels, aprons, and dish cloths in a public laundromat is to not overload the machines. Your wash cloths and towels need enough room to move freely and enough water for the the dirt and germs to be suspended in the wash water so they do not end up re-deposited on the clothing.

Use the dryer on the hottest setting possible. Most bacteria can’t survive the heat of a dryer.

Don’t use the same laundry basket you used to bring the icky dishcloths and towels in -use a laundry bag that also gets washed- to transport the clean laundry home. OR simply give it a good wipe down with a sanitizing solution while you wait for your clothing to dry.

So here’s the short and sweet answer:

  • Use chlorine bleach – not the fancy scented kind, the traditional, plain sanitizing sodium hypochlorite version in your wash water -this is why I highly recommend buying cheap bar towel style dish cloths and towels.
  • Disinfect the surfaces of the machine and the folding table. Pretty much assume someone has used it as a changing table without cleaning it.
  • Use the largest load setting possible and don’t overload the machine. Use an appropriate amount of detergent.
  • Use the hottest setting of a dryer.

 

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

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How to Quickly Fold a T-Shirt

October 8, 2012 By 17 Comments

Heather says:

Folding laundry is a giant pain in the rear, but it’s something that everyone (except those that pay for laundry service) has to do. I’ve taught all three of my children (currently 9, 7, and 5) how to quickly fold a t-shirt. If they can manage this simple shirt folding technique, you can, too.

One of the awesome (or heinous) truths of this how to, is that you’ll probably never run out of chances to practice quickly folding your shirts. And, if you’re a little OCD like me and feel guilty for unfolding a shirt when out shopping, you can quickly fix the mess you made while checking to see if the shirt was long enough.

I always get nervous when demonstrating anything, even something as simple as folding a shirt. One of my co-workers at the pub likes to hover over my shoulder when I’m trying to ring in an order just to aggravate me.  You’ll get it down in no time, generally each shirt only takes a few seconds once you understand the technique.

Oh and notice, the kids are 9, 7, and 5? That explains the shrieking in the background. They were told to go upstairs for all of 40 seconds. . . Sigh.

Is this how you fold your t-shirts?

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Removing Fabric Softener from Baby Clothes

August 27, 2012 By 2 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

OK, Heather, help me out here! I’m about to have a baby, and while I’m loving all the hand-me-downs we’ve gotten, but I’m at my wit’s end tryng to get the stench of fabric softener out of them. :( I have really severe skin allergies, and all the laundry soap I use is non-scented, and I use vinegar for softener. I’m pretty sure that all the allergy-causing chemicals are out of them, because I can handle them just fine, but they still SMELL like fabric softener and fabric softener smells gross to me.

Signed,

Heather says:

Part of the problem may actually be that you are still pregnant.

Pregnant women are often much more sensitive to odors than non-preggos. Seriously, if you think about it, it makes evolutionary sense. If you’re more sensitive to the smell of bad meat, you’re not going to eat it and put the baby at risk. Isn’t biology marvelous? When I was pregnant, I couldn’t handle the smell of cooking poultry. Heck, thinking about it can STILL make my stomach flip and I haven’t been in that condition in 5 years.

That said, since you’ve already gone the acidic route, it’s time to go the basic route. Yep, we’re back to chemistry in the laundry room. Give the clothing another wash, but this time with Borax. Adding borax to the wash water will raise the pH and improve the solubility of some of those molecules clinging to the baby clothes. Additionally, wash the clothing in the hottest water tolerated by the fabric.

If you can, allow the clothing to dry outside, unless the pollen count is really high or you’re not allowed to have a clothesline. The sunlight and fresh air will do wonders, too. Or hang the clothing outside in the fresh air for a few hours and THEN wash with borax before drying in the dryer. The order is up to you.

Good luck and congratulations!

Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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Getting Rid of Mildew Odor in Towels

August 3, 2012 By 7 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

I’m not always great about making sure my towels get dried the same day they are washed. This leads to them smelling like mildew. Will the smell go away? Can I do anything to make it go away? Or did I just ruin all my towels?

Signed,
Mildewed in Minneapolis

Heather says:

*READER WARNING* I don’t think I’ve stopped sneezing because of my allergies since my eyes popped open this morning. I have a kleenex shoved up my nose (hawt! I know) so I can type without getting anything disgusting on the keyboard, and having to write a post on that is not on my list of things I want to do. . . ever. All that is to say I’m in a fairly REALLY foul mood and if I accidentally over-snark, I’m sorry.

Your mildewed towels are not ruined. In fact, towels with mildew odor are a frequent topic here on Home-Ec101.com, so don’t feel too alone in your habit of not drying the towels.

First of all, preventing mildew in towels by drying them promptly and thoroughly is the best tactic; but seeing as how it’s too late for that, we’ll work on remedying the mildew situation.

Check out this post on stripping detergent and fabric softener from your towels. You see, mildew can get trapped by the sticky residue left behind by using too much detergent, or ANY fabric softener. (You do know that using fabric softener on towels reduces their absorbency, right). If you consistently have a problem with detergent build up, go ahead and read this post on whether or not to wash clothes in cold water.

If there are mildew stains, use oxygen bleach or sunlight to get rid of the mildew spots.  Just be aware that strong sunlight and the overuse of oxygen bleach (or lemon juice or vinegar) can all weaken the cotton fibers in your towels. They can also fade the dye, if your towels are dark colored. Remember weak fibers = more lint; and who needs lint in their laundry? No one, that’s who! Have a problem with lint? Read How to Reduce Lint in the Laundry Room.

Finally, if you consistently leave your laundry in the washer, and you have a front loader; then you may need to read how to get rid of mildew in a front loading washer.

These tips should help you both prevent and solve your mildewed towel problems.

Good luck!

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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How to Remove Poison Ivy from Clothing

June 18, 2012 By 1 Comment

Dear Home Ec 101,

After doing yard work this weekend, my dear husband has poison ivy. What is the best way to launder his clothes and keep the resin from spreading through the laundry?

Signed,
Trying to Contain the Irritant

Heather says:

You’re in luck!  Removing poison ivy from clothing isn’t that difficult, you just need to remember that the irritant in poison ivy is a resin called urushiol.

Try to keep all items that have come into contact with poison ivy separate from other items. Poison ivy is quite easy to spread from one item to another. If you can’t wash the clothing immediately, store it in a plastic garbage bag until you have time to deal with it.

To decontaminate clothing that has come into contact with poison ivy, all you need to do is wash the clothing in the hottest water possible, with your favorite detergent, for the longest cycle, and, if possible, on the largest load setting.

Why?

It’s all about laundry chemistry, my friends.

Urushiol is oily and not easily water soluble – yes, yes we’re back to the old oil and water don’t mix concept.

There needs to be enough detergent in your wash water to surround the molecules / globules of urushiol and bring it into solution (that’s your washwater). Remember effective laundering happens with the right combination of thermal energy, physical energy, and chemical energy1. The thermal energy is provided by the heat of the water, the physical energy is the agitation created by your washing machine, and the chemical energy is provided by the detergent. Using the largest load setting may sound wasteful, but you must remember that even with detergent, oils aren’t very soluble and having lots of solution -the wash water- is the most efficient way to remove as much urushiol as possible.

It’s more resource conscious to wash one large load than to run the same clothing through the entire wash cycle several times. 

The longest cycle helps give the detergent time to work and ensuring there is plenty of rinse water will help prevent the oily urushiol molecules from redepositing on your clothing in the rinse cycle.

See, it’s not that difficult to remove poison ivy from contaminated clothing.

Good luck!

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

1You know how when you look at a word too long it begins to looks weird? That.

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Can I Wash Clothes in Cold Water?

May 17, 2012 By 13 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

Lately I’ve been hearing about using cold water when doing laundry, in order to save energy. I have always washed everything in warm water. Can my socks, my toddlers clothes, and my husbands workout clothes really get clean using cold water?

Signed,

Tepid in Topeka

Heather says:

When I first launched this site, I had no clue how often my chemistry background would be used.

I cannot give you a simple yes or no answer to this question. I know “Can I use cold water to do laundry” sounds like a simple question, but there are many factors at play. How cold is the water in your area? The cold water in Minnesota is much colder than the water in South Carolina. How hard is your water? How dirty are your clothes? What kind of detergent do you use?

Your clothes washer uses three forms of energy to remove dirt from your laundry. Chemical, physical, and thermal energy all work together to bring the dirt on your clothing into solution (the wash water) where it can be rinsed away.

Chemical energy is provided by the water and the soap of your choice. If your water is hard, it already has a lot of minerals in solution and your detergent won’t be as effective.

Physical energy is provided by the movement of the water through and past the fibers of your clothing. With physical energy you don’t necessarily need the particles to be dissolved, sometimes the dirt is just rinsed away (it would settle out of the water if the water were not being swished around)

Finally, thermal energy comes from the temperature of the water in your machine. Particles (soap, dirt etc) are more soluble at higher temperatures. Soluble simply means that the particles can go into solution (in this case, your wash water). If your cold water is particularly cold (around 40°F) your detergent may not even fully dissolve. If your detergent isn’t even in solution, do you think that dirt is going to join it?

All of that basic chemistry will help you as you experiment to find the balance of energy that is good for your wallet (and the environment) and still has the ability to get your clothing clean.

And on a side note, remember that cold water is best for protein type stains (think body fluids and blood) as the stain undergoes a chemical change when heated and is more difficult to remove.

Apparently I’m feeling quite parenthetical today, but I hope it was helpful.

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

 

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How to Wash Comforters

April 24, 2012 By 7 Comments

Dear Home-Ec 101,

I don’t know if you have any advice that you can give me for this, but I went to go wash my daughters comforter and the washing instructions start out with “Front Load Washer only” – I’ve never seen this before, and I only have a top load washer. I don’t want to ruin the comforter, but I really need to wash it…do you (or any of your followers perhaps) have any advice? Can I wash it in my top load washer without ruining it? Thank you SO much!

Signed,
In Need of CLEAN Comfort

Heather says:

The warning to wash in a front load washer is more about protecting your machine than actually protecting the comforter. A comforter can hold a LOT of water which can cause excess strain on the motor and either shorten or end the life span of your top-loading washer. Naturally this won’t be true for all top loading washers, it’s going to be based on the capacity and the strength of the motor. However a washing machine is a significant investment and I’m not about to tell you to load test your appliance to save 5 or 6 dollars.

Your best bet is to head to the laundromat and wash your comforter -according to the manufacturer’s directions, naturally- in a large-capacity front loading washing machine. Yes, it will take you a little bit of time and cost you a few bucks, but it’s still significantly cheaper than a washing machine repair bill.

As a bonus many laundromats have water extractors. You can toss your comforter in there where it will be spun at a higher rpm than even the front loading washer, removing a significant amount of water and reducing the amount of time needed in the dryer (dryers are typically the appliance that cause the most damage to fabric).

Don’t forget to check the drum of the dryer before drying your daughter’s clean comforter. It would really stink to end up with lipstick or chapstick stains all over your clean blanket.

Best of luck!

Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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Lipstick in the Laundry

April 2, 2012 By 5 Comments

Heather says:

Sometimes the questions come in via Twitter. Today’s query:

@TheMorrisBunch: help!! I took clothes out of the wash and found red lipstick in the dryer and all over my clothes.

First of all, yuck. I don’t envy your situation in the least, finding lipstick stains in the laundry is a great big hassle.

To get the lipstick out of the dryer you’ll want to use a solvent like WD-40 or GooGone to clean out the drum of the dryer. If you have a gas dryer, it’s very important to apply the solvent to a rag rather than spraying a potentially flammable substance into your dryer. We try to use common sense here at Home-Ec 101. We don’t always manage it, but we do try.

Use a flashlight and be careful to make sure you get every bit of lipstick out of the dryer or your next steps could be undone by your laundry’s next trip through the dryer.

Lipstick stains are often difficult to remove because they are essentially a stain we purposely apply to our lips, so I’m sure you understand that a product designed to stain is going to be difficult to remove. Not every stain is removable.

To remove lipstick from clothing, you want to treat the stain as both a dye stain and a grease stain. These directions are for washable fabrics, since the disaster happened in the dryer, I’m assuming all of the fabrics in question are washable. (CRAZY, I know)

First treat the dye stain with either a laundry pre-treatment spray or a dry cleaning spotter (like you find in the home dry cleaning kits). If you use laundry pre-treatment, rinse with cool water and ensure no dye remains. If you use the dry cleaning spotter blot and allow to fully evaporate.

If dye still remains it may be time to step up to the big guns and try paint thinner. Only apply it directly to the stain and test for colorfastness first -If the clothing is a lost cause, how much does this really matter?

Only when all of the dye is gone do you get to move on to the next step.

Now treat the grease stain by rubbing detergent directly onto the fabric from the reverse side of the stain. Give the detergent time to work (half hour at least, unless it contains bleach) and then launder in the hottest water tolerated by the fabric.

I don’t envy the tediousness of treating an entire load of laundry. If it wasn’t your lipstick, I highly suggest getting the offender in on the chore.

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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Will Silk Continue to Shrink After Washing?

February 6, 2012 By 5 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

I washed, but did not dry, my 4 year-old’s dress that says it’s dry clean only – who makes dry clean only clothes for 4-year-olds, anyway? I didn’t even think to check. It is 100% silk. It shrank quite a bit and while it was still wet I was able to stretch it back out a little (but not all the way).

The polyester lining of the dress now is longer than the dress. (It actually is cute that way, so we will probably still be able to use it even if I have caused irreparable damage to the dress)

Anyway, is there any way to fix it, or do I need to bust out the sewing machine and shorten the lining?

Also, now that I’ve washed it, will more damage be done if I wash it again, or should I take it to the dry cleaners in the future, in which case, it will probably never be worn again.

Signed,
Shrunken in Shreveport

Heather says:

Silk can be made into different fabrics depending on how it is woven. These different weaves have slightly different properties.

Chiffon, China Silk or habutai, habotai, pongee, Crepe de Chine,  Charmeuse -traditional silk-, Jacquard, Duoppioni, Noil, Raw silk, Tussah, and Shantung

I’m betting your daughter’s dress is silk chiffon or charmeuse. From researching and you fabric junkies can feel free to correct me, these fabrics will shrink about 8%. It’s possible that gentle pressing (use a cloth between your iron and the fabric on the lowest steam setting) to reverse some of the shrinkage.

It seems as though this is a common complaint with lined silk dresses for kids, either the lining shrinks or the silk does which is why these outfits are labelled dry clean only. I’m pretty sure that you’ve done all the damage you’re going to do to the dress. If the lining is cute, as you said, just let your child wear it a few more times, and then wash it again before you decide whether or not to go to the trouble of shortening the lining.

And if you don’t bother to shorten the lining at all? Well your kid is in good company, my four year old’s favorite dress has the exact same problem. There’s no way I’m going to go to all that trouble for something she’ll grow out of in a few short months. I just filed it under live, learn, and remember to read the label.

Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

 

 

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What Causes Spots on Clothing?

January 31, 2012 By 21 Comments

Dear Home-Ec 101,

I saw your email reply to someone who was asking about why they were getting grease like stains on their clothing after washing them.  Your reply said it was from liquid fabric softner.  The problem is I don’t use fabric softner and I get these grease like spots on my clothing quite regularly.  I cannot tell you how many shirts have been ruined from these spots.  I try to get them out by putting stain removers on them and nothing helps so once again I end up tossing out another shirt.  It’s very frustrating.  Is there any suggestions you have for me?  I do use liquid laundry detergent could this be the problem?  If so then how do I prevent it from happening?  Should I all together quit using liquid detergent?  I appreciate your help!

Signed,
Spotted in Spokane


Heather says:

Let me set a scene for you. I’m at a social event -rare enough occurrence for me, but that’s another story- and naturally the topic of “What do you do?” comes up.

I explain that I run a website called Home Ec 101 which teaches life skills to adults. Typically there’s a slight head tilt and a quizzical look. I generally elaborate that it’s sort of an advice column that focuses on food and household problems.

“Like Dear Abby for domestic stuff”

“Exactly that”

At this point people almost always decide that it’s time to play grill Heather on bizarre stain situations. Actual example, “Three months ago my kid ate hot dogs and red kool aid and then threw up on my rug. I can’t get the stain out, what do I do?” I stood there, drink in hand and blinked slowly, complete with the slight head tilt and quizzical look. Was I really being asked about kid vomit at a party? I decided it’s a hazard of the job (I have a friend who is a comedian and people ask him to “be funny” at social events, so I guess I get it).

Possible answers for that one include: Try an enzyme cleaner, rearrange the furniture, replace the carpeting. (Kool-Aid is notoriously evil at staining and stomach acid can bleach some carpeting, so the stain may very well be permanent)

Solving stain issues is a little like playing detective. In today’s reader question, the reader had done some research, trying to figure out why clear stains were showing up on her clothing. She had found my post on how sometimes fabric softener can leave spots on clothing, but she didn’t use fabric softener.

In medicine there is a phrase “Don’t look for zebras when you hear hoof beats” it implies that the most common reason is probably the cause of a symptom.

While fabric softener can cause clear stains on clothing, clear stains on clothing are generally caused by oil or grease.

How do you determine what caused the stain?

Just like in real estate it’s all: Location Location Location!

Spotted and I exchanged several emails and I finally concluded that the stains were isolated to the front of shirts and the lap area of pants.

Unless zebras are loose in the washing machine, these stains are occurring from grease drips and splatters through normal life. A drip here, a spatter there, grease stains occur over time and because they are clear, it’s really hard to notice them until after they are set.

So how do you deal with grease stains?

Pre-treating is the best way to handle grease and oil stains.

Before loading the washer inspect each item of clothing, look for grease spots and if you find them rub a small amount of liquid detergent directly into the spot and allow it soak in for a little while. Spray stain treatments like Shout Advanced and Charlie’s Soap Laundry Pre-Spray both are great for this. Some of you may prefer the gel you rub in. The whole point is to just make sure some detergent is applied directly to the stain.

You may also find it useful to keep something like Shout Wipes or a Tide Stain Pen in your purse or car to treat food stains as they occur.

Wash the garment in the hottest water approved by the manufacturer. (The heat helps make the oil and detergent more water soluble, which helps it wick out of the fabric and into the wash water where it can be rinsed away)

Do not dry the garment until you are sure the grease stain has been completely removed.

If you have an old grease stain, acetone may be used provided it’s safe for the material.

Bobbie sent me a quick note to let me know her mother always used Lestoil and that it also works well for old grease stains, too. (Be sure to test the fabric for colorfastness, first, but you knew that, right?)

So the takeaway?

The best way to prevent difficult stains on your clothing is to treat the stains as soon as possible.

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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