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It’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted ANYTHING about laundry! I’m going through withdrawals! :-) I’m one of those strange people who likes laundry. And one of the things I like MOST about it…is the sense of accomplishment when something dirty comes out CLEAN. I guess I also like the “challenge” aspect of it as well. Turning dirty, dingy, grimy and stained into white, bright, fresh and clean. Yep, I find that very appealing. :-)
So when I came across this “recipe” for whitening whites in the comments section of a post at Homemade Mamas, I knew I had to try it. And I had the PERFECT test subject! A dingy mattress pad that I have washed time and time again…but never comes out WHITE anymore. For some reason I just KNEW there was a whiteness still lurking under the dinginess…I just needed the right formula to apply to it. This one seemed very promising.
Katie JoMar commented:
- HOT HOT HOT water
- 1 cup of laundry detergent
- 1 cup powdered dish washer detergent
- 1 cup bleach
- 1/2 cup borax
After filling the washing machine with HOT water….I also dumped in a large-sized pot of water I had brought to a boil on the stove. I was looking for HOT HOT HOT water, just like Katie said.
Another thing to remember is to add the above ingredients to as small a load size as possible. You are looking for CONCENTRATED cleaning power, and the more water you have in the tub, the less concentrated it will be. Shoot for BARELY enough water to cover the article.
Let soak for as long as you can stand it! :-) I managed to stay away from it for a couple of hours. Overnight would work too.
This is what the mattress pad looked like before “treatment”. Believe it or not, I’d just BARELY washed it. (Please keep in mind it’s very tricky trying to show before and after photos of mostly WHITE images, but I tried my best!)
Notice how dingy the top side of the mattress pad is compared to the SIDES of the pad. Fairly dramatic difference I’d say.
And here is the same mattress pad after soaking in the whitening solution and EXTRA hot water for around 2 hours. BIG DIFFERENCE!!! The whitening solution actually managed to release the WHITE that was lurking within! And I call that SUCCESS!
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Does this take colour out? I have white school shirts that have a colour emblem and colour around the collar and am looking for something to get them white again with out taking the colour out. Thanks
I would not use this on anything with color.
I’ve used this recipe for years except instead of regular bleach use color safe bleach and it gets those baby spit up stains, etc. out of clothes. Safe for colored clothes this way. I just used to soak it in a bucket overnight. Then washed it.
That’s really smart (to have a bucket to soak in as opposed to using the washing machine). I love that I came across this. My husband wears a white tee under EVERYTHING, and whenever we wander back to Florida from time to time I make sure to have them all for her to do, because she’s a miracle worker. I can’t wait to give this a go. Since we live in California, I don’t get to have mom’s help too much.
Thank you Melanie! My teenagers have white uniform shirts with their school logo on them and I just CAN’T get those shirts back to white. I will have to try this in a bucket (I have a front load machine).
wow that you,i never thought i could bring my whites,back to white.i have well water. i’am a happy camper.
I like the bucket idea too because I have a front loader. There is nothing like a good old top loader with an agitator IMHO. Also I don’t think my septic system would like the bleach so I am going to try it with the color safe…after I see if THAT is safe!
I agree with Glenda’s comment. But, you might be able to use color-safe bleach instead of regular bleach? Just make sure to test first!
My mom has been using this recipe only with Cascade dish washing detergent, Tide and bleach. We put it in the washing machine with the water & run the agitator for 10 minutes before you put the clothes in to soak. For some reason, we think the Cascade counteracts the bleach from draining colour the out. So she washed all of our clothes- all colours if they had impossible stains! The recipe just has to be well mixed before adding the clothes.
Pamela I was wondering if you could tell how much of each you put in so I could try this. Thanks you.
How do you use this in the new HE washing machines?
Excellent question Caren. Also, I’d like to know if it matters if it’s powder or liquid laundry detergent or if it matters.
I don’t think using the front-loaders is an option — The washing machine is just a vessel to hold the solution and let it soak. It has the added benefit of being able to then wash afterwards. Try using a bath tub (I imagine this would work wonders cleaning that, too) or a large bucket or portable washbin. A utility sink might be another option as well.
I was given a very similar recipe, 1 cup bleach, 1 cup Cascade, by a children’s resale shop owner when my children were very small and I used my bathtub. Worked wonders! Removed almost anything, even stains that had been set in. She also stressed hot, hot, hot water.
When My kids were babies I used Liquid Cascade, Liquid Clorox 2 and hot water in a bucket to soak their food (and other) stains. But you have to mix it up b/f you add the clothes b/c the Cascade will remove color. This works like a charm. As a matter of fact I even did this in the bathtub once for a large amout of clothes that needed soaking then just put them in a laundry basket to transfer to the washer.
I have same question as Caren Daniels…is this safe for HE washing machines?
WHAT IF I HAVE A FRONT LOAD MACHINE I CANT RUN THE WATER, MIX THE DETERGENT AND THEN ADD CLOTHES AND IF I USE STEAM WASH IS THAT HOT ENOUGH?
Christina, just use a bucket as others have suggested.
Christina, the steam wash is for use without detergent. It is like dry-cleaning. : )
The steam cycle that you are refering too “like dry cleaning” is actually in a DRYER. Washing machines can have a steam boost cycle that can be used as well, but it is part of a regular cycle with detergent and water. (a “dry cleaning” cycle wouldn’t use water either therefore it wouldn’t make sense in a washer).
Christina, I would use as a soak in a bathtub or bucket. The amount of detergent and dishwasher soap would be way too much for a front load washing machine. I am afraid that you might end up with bubbles exploding out the door like you see on tv.
I have a front loader that is an all in one washing machine/dryer that has a hot steam /dry cleaning option… my MIL calls it the “freshen” cycle. ;)
But definitely use the bucket soak method. If you have young kids please soak in something with a lid or make sure they can’t get to the container. I use a Rubbermaid container with a lid that is nearly impossible to remove to soak my cloth diapers.
I’m really looking forward to trying out some of these recipes to see what works the best. Thanks Jillee for posting and everyone for your comments.
My front load washer DOES have a separate steam cycle. It utilizes steam by way of having a built in heater to boost the water temperature to steam level~ a fabulous option that I frequently use.
The dryer also has a steam fresh cycle too. Love my washer and dryer!
Lill, what kind of washer and dryer do you have?
FYI – The steam feature in my new front-loading HE Maytag washer isn’t for dry cleaning, it is for stain removal during wash cycle. I use it for colored clothes and (separate loads) whites. In both cases I do use detergent and/or bleach (color safe or Clorox). It’s my favorite aspect of my new washer. It really works!
i’ve always read that you cannot mix bleach with other chemicals without causing caustic fumes. does this NOT happen here?
You can’t mix bleach with ammonia, but the combinations suggested above will be fine.
Use ammonia, dilute 1 part ammonia to 3 parts water… place something in between the shirt like paper towels to catch the stain and keep it from spreading, spray on the solution and blot with more paper towels, you may have to do this over and over again, changing to new towels once they have soaked up the color but it works, this is how I got the explosion of black ink off my husbands white coat after his pen exploded, remember to do this in a well ventilated area and never ever ever use bleach or hot water on a paint or ink stain for this will make it almost permanent…
Hairspray also works well for getting out ink.
Please tell how you use the hairspray. What is your process?
you just spray it on and throw it in the washer. Ive been a nurse for many years and this works great on ink stains!! I believe i read somewhere you have to use aerosol hairspray… so thats what ive always used.. works great
Yep I use the hairspray. It works wonders just spray it on and wash. I usually let it soak in for a few second or a min. Before I put the clothes in the washer.
Rubbing alcohol works just as well as hairspray…which are essentially made of the same.
hairspray also works great for permanent marker on skin. We have to write swim meet info on my daughter’s arm and the can hairspray takes it off with ease
Hair spray will also keep any spilled hair dye from becoming a permanent stain. Learned this in Beauty School. Spray the drip with hairspray and launder when you get home. We wore white polyester uniforms, and never had a hair dye stain that set.
I haven’t seen it here but I may be repeating but aerosol hair spray works well on grass stains on athletic clothes: knees on football pants especially. We just bought the cheapest we could find!
Love you all, lol! I have been using aerosol hairspray on ink stains for years – skin, clothing, even walls, and the first time my husband saw me do it he said I’d just seal in the stain with the sticky hair spray. I laughed hard at that one! Then he saw that it works and now he thinks I’m some kind of miracle worker-wait until he sees how white his whites will be after I try this “miracle laundry whitener” hahahaha
Glad to know other people are well aware of this hairspray miracle, lol… not that it’s particularly good for the air-ways, but it works!
If you use the hairspray make sure it is old fashioned in an aerosol can type.
You can use straight isopropyl alcohol (one of the main things in the old hairspray that made it work). May want to let it soak on longer dried out stains. Husband is forever staining his shirts with his pens so I see this one a lot!
I have been spraying hairspray on clothes stains for years now. I have used aersol as well as the spray (which ever one I happen to have on hand) and IMO they both work fine
Does not have to be aerosol. I am a hairstylist, and we get permanent hair dye out of our clothes. We spray the hairspray until the spot is quite wet, then let it sit and wash when we get home.
Rubbing Alcohol also works for getting out pen ink stains. Felt pens, Sharpies, Ball Point… anything. I have been doing this since I was a kid.
Milk works on ink stains too.
You might want to include in your post, NEVER EVER EVER mix bleach and ammonia. It releases noxious fumes that will knock you out or retard your breathing.
Amistree is right to use all caps to warn against using ammonia and bleach together. It can KILL you. I have a good friend who almost died from the fumes and still has lung damage from it. Be careful.
A high school friend of mine just passed away on Christmas Day just this past Christmas, 2012, from cleaning her bathroom with bleach & ammonia…Seriously, this is not something to mess with! It burnt her lungs & her esophagus beyond repair…A terrible way & time to die!
a friend of mine once used them to clean her toilet, and said she woke up on the floor outside the bathroom.
Also, Never use ammonia in combination with bleach. The combination creates instantly deadly fumes!
Totally OFF subject, but I don’t see other people with my daughter’s name (Tegan & spelled the same) too often, so I just wanted to say “HI!” :-)
very OFF subject, you couldn’t save that for yourself…
Wow, Amisstree…that was so rude!
I’m with Amanda, very rude Amisstree… you could have saved that for yourself…
Im with you both on this one.. Amisstree, Very Very Rude!!!!! Melissa i think thats pretty cool!! as you can see i have a very unique name myself!! and its Rare to None that i see someone with my name!! Im like you, i would have done the same thing!!!
My son’s name is Teague. I’ve known a few Tegan’s :)
Wow, rude! Holy cow. I thought her comment was cute. No one here ever said to mix bleach and ammonia but it sure took a thread. Good grief. Melissa, THANK you for throwing the name of your daughter in, broke up the bleach/ammonia thread (there was no need for it – not in the recipe!) I love your daughter’s name Melissa.
OMG – I can’t believe how RUDE and UNCALLED for that comment from Amisstree is…Holy Toledo! I didn’t feel that Melissa was complaining about someone else “stealing” or “using” her daughter’s name! Good grief – she was just commenting on how rare it is to see that name and that spelling so she wanted to say “hi”. Certainly no crime in that. Too bad rudeness isn’t a crime.
What are you, the Off-Topic SS?
I wonder, if you left out the bleach if it would still work? Make it safe for colors or maybe exchange the bleach for like Clorox 2? Hmm something to maybe try on something not to important! may have to try it myself, I have a couple things like that to! My husbands Hoodies! lol
Ironout will also whiten but dont know what it does to colored emblem.
I have used Ironout as well. I have found it changes the color of some items. Reds look orange and blues go grey. Works well on whites though.
I have a front loader washer how would this work for this .
Did you use the dishwasher detergent shown in the picture or your own homemade stuff? Thanks for this recipe! I’m excited to try it!
Christine….I bought this cheap brand to use just for this because I no longer PRE-MIX my dishwasher detergent/soap.
I’ve been using this for awhile now and I’m super happy with it:
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/homemade-dishwasher-soap-not-detergent.html
I once treated a t-shirt stain that had gone through a couple washes, with liquid dish washer liquid.I put it on the stain and let it set over nite, washed next day and stain was gone! Left a large hole where stain was .I laughed my son did not.
Couldn’t stop laughing when I read this!! I guess I won’t be trying that method! :)
LOL that is a very good lesson to learn …on someone else’s shirt! hahahaha
That is to funny! WHy didnt he think it was funny?! Hmmm Sounds like something I would do! It really ate a hole in the shirt?! WOW!
How could I use this on a whole load? Like on socks from 3 messy boys. Could I just double or triple the ingredients, or should I wash several loads?
Kate….I think this would work for a whole load just fine.
I have a front loader, so I’m not entirely sure how that I can do this. I would also love to be able to do a full load of boy’s socks! I was even thinking of doing a pre-soak in a big rubbermaid tub and maybe doubling the recipe?
I have used straight dishwasher detergent as a soak before in a washtub and it works great. You would definitely want to run them through the washer afterwards.
I have an HE washer as well. But, if I had a small load like socks, I might consider heating the water in a large stock pot on the stove, then adding the solution along with the socks, and let soak overnight. When you’re finished, just toss them into the HE machine and run a good rinse cycle.
I need HE methods too. Judging from the previous posts, I think a soak in the bath tub or some other vessel then into the machine. I do not see anyway of doing this in a front loader. Looks like premixing the ingredients and soaking is the key here.
I wouldn’t try this in a front loading machine. If you use the laundry soap for HE washer, just cut back on the laundry soap as that is already concentrated. Just use a bucket for the soaking, then transfer into the washing machine. Not as convenient, but you probably are not going to get your water hot enough and the bleach compartment may not hold enough bleach.
I have an HE and would say that if you mix this with a small amount of water (just enough to mix it all up) and them add to detergent chamber slowly, it should all go down and them wash it on sanitary or whatever your hottest level is. You can put it on stain cycle too if you have one for soaking time. I would not use the steam cycle because it is not for use with detergents. : )
Ladies! Let’s use our brains here. The idea is to SOAK the clothes in the solution. Top loaders can be used as a handy alternative to a bucket or tub because there is no transferring the dripping clothes from a sink, bucket, tub, etc. The top loader is upright. You can place water in it before you actually wash the clothes.
As a matter of fact, I ran the clothes through the spin cycle B4 I started a wash cycle. A Front Loader cannot hold a bucket of water plus clothes to soak. You would have to open the door, put a bucket of premixed water & cleaning agents in it and then put clothes in it & mix. THE DOOR WOULD BE OPEN FOR YOU TO DO THIS AS A SOAK IN A FRONT LOADER. That is why it would not work. A SOAK is a SOAK. Get yourself a bucket or tub. Wring them out by hand in your utility sink & then throw them in your front loader. If they make a top loading HE machine that you could spin the solution out of before you actually wash them then that is great; do it. Hope that makes it clear.
Thank you Nancy!! Sometimes I wonder about the human race!
Thanks for the common sense virtual-head-smack Nancy! Added note – if you put this in your HE washer (front load) you will have suds bursting out everywhere (a la I Love Lucy) because the detergent isnt formulated for that use :) Soak it a tub/bucket/sink/stockpot & transfer
I have a frontload HE washer and what I did was use one of those really large tubs that you can get from Walmart/Target with the rope handles and used these same measurements and filled with hot tap water then added a few pots of boiling water. I then transferred it to the washed and washed as normal (hot normal cycle). It worked and I was truly amazed. I have searched long and hard trying to find someway to get rid of those nasty stains. Very happy. Thanks Jillee!
I have used this trick for years but never with borax. I will have to give it a try. My most treasured laundry tip is Lestoil for oil or grease stains. I mean GREASE! Car, tractor, grease you name it as well as oil from food. Just put it in the spot and let sit before laundering. ( check for color fastness of fabric) I had one t-shirt that faded.
Thanks Jill! I’m going to look for that!
I agree–Lestoil is awesome for grease and oil. My husband sometimes works in warehouses and heavy industry facilities (i.e. steel mills) and Lestoil has saved his work clothes.
My dad is a mailman and in the summer time, his sweat and the strap from the mailbag causes a gross dirty stripe on the front of his uniform. Lestoil gets the stain out every time.
My husband works for an oil company so always dirty.. Where can i find lestoil? Will it work in an HE machine?
I had been looking for Lestoil recently and finally found it at Home Depot with the cleaning products!
Lestoil is incredible at removing oil stains and any other stubborn stains…have used it for over 30 years! Hard to find…Fleet Farm has had it..once found it on clearance at Wal-Mart for $1.00 a bottle…I think I bought 6 bottles!
Really tough grease and tar can be pre-treated with GoJo hand cleaner. Just rub it into the stain before washing. I have used it to remove asphalt from commercial carpet. It’s my “go to” solution for any petroleum based stain in carpet and my personal laundry.
I’m curious about using Lestoil. I tried it once to get out oily stains. The stains did lessen after a soak and a wash, but my washing machine and the clothes stunk of Lestoil for days. Even subsequent loads of laundry took on the smell just from being in the same machine (front load). I’m curious if others have run into the same problem, or if maybe I just need to be rinsing better before laundering!
Try using Dawn dish soap. I’ve had great success using it to get out grease and oil even after the item had gone through the dryer.
Dawn dish soap is a miracle worker on grease stains! It even gets out grease stains that have gone through the washer and dryer!
I have had the same experience, Holly! Even if the grease has been set by the dryer, Dawn gets it out. I squirt a bit of Dawn on it, rub it in with an old toothbrush and rewash. Comes out every time!
Your Lestoil tip is right, my mom used to use it but….I can’t stand the smell of Lestoil. Baking soda or OxiClean work great for grease stains too. Apply a stain releasing gel like Shout or Spray & Wash, then apply some OxiClean or baking soda, press concoction into stain, and then apply another dollop of stain releasing gel, let sit overnight, and then launder in the hottest H20 garment can take. I’ve found this to work on white shirts that had old fruit stains in them and had gone through the drier already several times. This recipe took the stains right out.
Does anyone know if this recipe is good for High Efficiency washing machines?
I hate my HE machine does not wash clothes clean at all does anyone else have this problem?
I’m a little confused, my washer will stop going through cycles? Do I leave the lid up? Could I soak in my 5 gal. bucket then wash?
On a side note I’m very sad that none of the commissaries (military grocery stores) have laundry bars so I cannot get fels naptha… is that what it’s called? I’ll have to order online… (I’m in Japan)
Lori….I have to leave the lid up on mine for it to soak. :-)
Fill the washer up with the water and solution. Put your clothes in and then turn off the washer until
soak time is up. Then turn back on and continue washing. You dont have to worry about the different cycles of the washer. That is how I soak things anyway.
Jillee – no no, don’t leave the lid up, all that *hot hot hot* water will go to waste! Put the lid up, unplug the thing, then put the lid back down!
Or, just turn the machine off once it has filled.
Try Ivory bar soap, it is a thousand times better! Just wet the stain, rub the bar of soap on it, give it a little scrub and let it set for about 15 minutes and throw it in the wash.
Lori, try Lehmans.com or Walmart.com
I’m going to try this on my ugly dirty socks!
From your picture it looks like you used your homemade laundry detergent that’s made from Dawn (I’m just guessing here, because it looks blue). I thought you weren’t supposed to mix Dawn with bleach?
NOT true about mixing the washing detergent containing Dawn with bleach. I do it all the time, and there are no fumes at all. I’d be dead by now if there were.
That’s Joy — never ever mix Joy and bleach.
DO NOT MIX bleach and ammonia
How would you use this in a front-loading machine?
I wouldn’t try this in your front load washer/HE washer. I have one also. What I would do is soak your items in a laundry tub or kitchen sink, still using the hot, hot, hot water. Remember the less water you use the better the outcome. Use the same ingredients. Then be sure to rinse everything thoroughly and transfer to your front load washer and wash a normal load, washing in hot water. I have some dingy towels that this method should work well on.
Linda
When my twin sons were in Little League, they got terrible grass stains in the knees and butts of their uniforms. I don’t remember who told me (it’s been awhile, they’re 36 now), but someone suggested a pre-soak, preferable overnight, in a powdered dishwasher soap/water mix. I always just got the cheapest one. The I just put it on spin and then washed like a regular load. It was amazing! All the stains were gone. I’ve found that the commercial stuff has a form of bleach in it, so I never had to add any. Sparkly-white uniforms. So nice! 8-)
xo Linda (so glad I found your blog. I send a lot of your posts to my daughter, the new independent-living, drowning-in-school-debt, post graduate student)
This is a great tip! I am a fanatic about laundry and getting things white too. I have done a mixture of equal parts dishwasher detergent, borax and washing soda that works great too. If you have a really dingy item use 1 cup of each and then 1/2 cup of each about once a month to maintain the whiteness.
Have you tried if it works for the yellow stains of deodorant? If yes you just become my guru.
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it on that…..yet. But here is my yellow armpit stains fighter!
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2011/11/goodbye-to-yellow-armpit-stains.html
:-)
Vinegar works great to remove yellow underarm stains as a pre-treat solution.
Hey, I was wondering which of your homemade laundry detergents is picured. The others I’ve seen are yellow. Thanks!
Kim….as much as I love the cooked soap with Fels Naptha….lately I have been making the No-Grate kind I posted about here because it is SO FAST to whip up! Time is pretty precious lately! ;-)
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/no-grate-homemade-laundry-soap.html
Do you HAVE to use powdered dish detergent? The liquid/gel stuff won’t work?
I think the liquid/gel type would be just fine.
Definitely! Gonna put this in my arsenal! I had totally forgotten about using powdered dishwashing detergent for white! Thanks for the reminder!
PS–I like your Shout prewash, but it keeps clogging my sprayer up. I shake it well, but it seems to dry in the sprayer top and won’t spray anymore. What type of sprayer do you use? Have you had this problem?
I put my home made Shout into an empty liquid hand soap container you know the squirt kind works much better because i had the same problem but this works. Sheila
Sheila….so smart!! I’m going to have to do an update to the post with this idea! I have the same problem sometimes…but then I run it under hot water and it works just fine. This makes a lot of sense!
Thanks! That is a great idea! I am going to try that! Thanks again!
I use an empty dishwashing soap container. It provides great accuracy and doesn’t clog up at all. :)
This stuff works so good that when my sons played football in WHITE pants no less. They complained that their uniforms were the cleanest of all the players. One of them asked me not to get his so clean. I so hate grimy clothing. lol I learned about this working in the Thrift Shop. 25 yrs ago. I washed many many loads of baby clothing with stains and most come out spotless. Make sure you check for colorfastness. Some are and some aren’t. My rule is “If it’s already ruined what more can I hurt it” and I throw in the solution. I love my front load washer but sorry to say it won’t soak. Laundry tub and rubber gloves.
Thanks for sharing, I have a white bra that has become that dingy, dirty dishwater color and I’ve been desperately trying to turn back into a bright white! I’m going to give this a try :)
Is it a cAp or cUp of laundry soap?
C A P :-) But a cup probably would be fine too! lol
Ugh, our whites are so dingy! Could you use color-safe bleach instead of regular bleach? Or what about powdered biokleen bleach alternative? I wonder if that would work?
Hey seen you on blogs of note just thought i check you out :D nice blog :P
thanks for stopping by stephen. :-)
im ashamed to say i have been following you for a few weeks now and LOVE your blog but havent commented. i get your posts in emails so i get lazy and dont want to click thru to comment. lol
i am really sensitive to laundry detergents and have to use dye and perfume free. i havent used borax in so long im not sure if it would cause problems or not??? also we have well water that turns out whites icky/dingy, but i am hesistant to use bleach as i was told it breaks down the fabric and it doesnt last as long. is there an alternative?
have you seen the recipe for oxyclean using baking soda and hydrogen peroxide? do you know if it works well?
thanks!!
I live in the country with well water. If I use bleach I have the same problem. Substitute 1 cup of white vinegar for the bleach amd use the rest of the ingrdients listed and you will be amazed at the result! good luck!
Ooh ooh ooh! Can’t wait to substitute the bleach with vinegar! I’m not a bleach “hater”, just trying to move away from it. And thanks to Jill, I’m armed with a HUGE gallon of vinegar and the biggest box of baking soda to clean with :)
So what is the exact recipe using vinegar and baking soda?
I love how dish detergents work so well with clothes. I always add dish soap when I wash my one year old’s clothes. I always gets all the little food stains out, but it makes sense, it’s designed to cut grease and food. And it does a much better job that detergent alone!
For those of you who cannot soak in your washer, I have created my own soak bucket. I use a large bucket and lid for Home Depot, I cut a hole in the lid and use a (new) plunger to mix my laundry. It works great, got the idea from my by scout son, they use these at camp if necessary!
I use the camp method of laundry for soaking my cloths. use a large lidded bucket from Home Depot and cut a small round hole in the lid. Use a toilet plunger (new) for miking and keeping the cloths below the water level.
I know it’s not homemade, but Rockin Green Diaper Soap will get whites white again, and regular use will prevent build-up from other soaps (things that have ingredients that are supposed to “whighten and brighten clothing.”) It’s hypoallergenic, has an unscented version for those who are VERY sensitive, and comes in three types: soft rock (for soft water), classic rock, and hard rock (places with hard water.) I cloth diaper and have *never* had a stain that won’t come out with a soak.
liz, where would someone buy rockin green diaper soap?
Hi Susan,
I googled rockin green diaper soap and found it! You can get it at rockingreensoap.com or amazon.com!
sade, well der, why didnt i think of that?
thank you ever so much
i am enjoying reading all the comments on this post
Does this work with hard water?
My grandson is a freshman catcher on the varsity high school team and his uniform is always very dirty, could I use the dish detergent minus the liquid bleach on his uniform . His uniform has a thin maroon strip down each leg. Will this method bleach out the strip?
Zote comes in a box of flakes now. Saw the at Walmart.
Also, my kid works at a restaurant and wears white long sleeved shirts. The get filthy, especially the cuffs. I sprayed them an washed twice. Still dirty and stained. So I poured CLOROX ULTIMATE CARE BLEACH on the cuffs followed by BORAX. Using gloves and a mask I did a little hand scrub and watched the stains disappear. Washed as usual. Voila
Jillee, I make my own dishwasher detergent and was wondering if this would work using it. The recipe for it is
2 parts washing soda
2 parts borax
1 part citric acid
1 part coarse sea salt
My mattress pad is in the same state, dingy and dull looking.
I use the powdered form of your laundry detergent recipe, which I love. How much of it do you use instead of commercial laundry detergent?
In your recipe you say to use HOT HOT HOT water. Most people don’t realize that HOT water deactivates bleach. You probably need the HOT water to dissolve the dishwasher detergent and borax, and HOT water also helps clean whites, but when you add the bleach, it will just dissipate. The recommended water temperature for bleach addition (according to the Clorox website) is 75 degrees, which would be cool. I wonder how well it would work if you let the laundry detergent/dishwasher detergent/borax solution cool, THEN add the bleach and the clothes?
Tracy – I saw your comment after I’d tried this method with hot, hot water and wasn’t satisfied with the results – some things were still kind of dingy. So, I’ve since tried this a few times with cold or warm water instead, then a hot “rinse” sometimes – I am MUCH more satisfied with the results!
How would this work on high efficiency front loader washing machines?
Think I’ll try this on a load of undershirts and white socks. They need a good ol’ brightening.
And were soaking….can’t wait to see the results.
It’s great that you got this concoction to work- stuff you buy in the shops always sounda good on the label but rarely does the trick. Just be careful mixing different chemical products together – you could end up with some toxic gases or even an explosion!
Wow! This really works! Now I’m sad the my husband recently got rid of most of his dingy white tee-shirts, specifically because they were dingy. But between him and my son, I wrangled up 6 of them today and gave this a try. 5 out of 6 are like-new white again, and the 6th probably would be with another treatment. And it didn’t harm or fade the graphics on the shirts at all.
Thanks again, Jillee!
I seem to recall reading about soaking clothes in a dishwasher detergent solution as a last ditch stain remover (Tightwad Gazette, I think.) However, if I remember correctly, they did say that something in the dishwasher detergent breaks down the clothing fibers, which is why it is so effective, but the fabric may wear out faster. I just thought I’d mention that, as it may not be the best solution for frequent use or certain items. That being said, I plan to use it on some dingy white laundry as soon as possible!
I love your laundry tips! Going to try this tonight on my hubby’s fire station undershirts. I hope it works on them as well as it did on your mattress pad. Wish me luck!
My friend just tipped me off to your site-it is great!! I make my own laundry detergent but hate how dingy the whites look-can’t wait to try this.
Also, I have a blog-The Loose Screw-and would love to share some of your great recipes. Would you mind if I did, as long as I gave credit to you and a link to your blog?
Thanks!
I was also wondering how this works on a front loader? And I dont have borax, should I go get some before I do this or do it with all but the borax? Is it that important?
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Hi Jill. Love your tips.
When my son played sports @15 years ago, I was faced with all the grass stains, mud etc. I began soaking his uniforms, and eventually other whites in a 5 gallon bucket. I used 1 cup Cheer, 1 cup cascade, and 1 cup Clorox (or Clorox 2 for colors). Sometimes the soak was a couple hours, other times over night; then emptied the bucket and washed as normal. If I had a few difficult stains remaining, I would add denture tablets to the washer. I usually put 6-8 tablets in a load. I figured that if it would get blueberry stains off of dentures, it should work on grass stains. And the whites smelled minty fresh!
How do I get a yellow peroxide stain out of white cotton?
Cannot find Borax in Canada, can i use something else?
Hey Nancy, you should be able to find Borax in the laundry section of many stores in Canada. I live in Canada and have been buying Borax for years. Try Walmart. :)
Nancy try at your local walmart or Canadian Tire that’s where I pick mine up.
I really hope this works on the old yellow (oxidized?) stains I have. Think they are from grease. Too many white items ruined! Unfortunately, homemade oxyclean didn’t work :-(
Have you ever tried liquid dishwasher detergent?
I’ve been trying this method over and over again, lol. Any white in the house that looks dingy, I try this recipe. The water has to be BOILING HOT in order for it to work. You have to stop the washer half-way through its filling cycle because she is right about the more concentrated it is, the better it works. I use the end of my broom stick to mix it together (just like the old days), you have to let is sit for 2 hours like she said. I hate waiting…but it works!
Would this work in a front load washer?
If you have a septic field you should not use the powdered detergent… they tend to plug the system over time. Powder products tend to re-clump when they go down the drain and solidify to plug the lines.
Nonnie…
Otherwise something I will have to try using liquid products. THANKS
Wow even your walls got whiter! How cool is that!