Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with laundry

Help me remove a stain.

lunit — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:10:30 -0800

Stain Removal Filter: Help me get a rust stain out of a bathing suit! I put my white printed bathing suit (women's, 90% nylon 10% lycra) in the washer and it came out with yellow, I assume rust, stains. Help me get them out without discoloring the (black) print!

Ancient L'oreal-Sublime-Glow Secret.

AthenaPolias — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:58:41 -0800

help! I adore gradual self-tanning lotion, but it's turning my laundry yellow! I've been using gradual self tanners on and off since last Christmas. I love having a hint of a tan, especially now that summer's around, without worrying about sun damage - but my whites are turning yellow. Actually, with long-term exposure, they're turning almost brown, making it look like I have some of the world's worst personal hygiene. This is particularly upsetting on my white bra straps (who really sees the inside of the cups but me?) - they stick out from under tank tops at times and expose what looks like really rotten skin residue. Blech. Plus, it's ruining some relatively nice lingerie.

I've scrubbed, etc., but haven't been able to get this stain out. Is there anything I can use to eradicate the color from fabric? Otherwise, not wearing white all summer might be a little tricky...

Laundry Cost Analyst

QueerAngel28 — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:06:55 -0800

Please help me find a way to easily figure out a cost analyst for a specialty linen business... I am starting a specialty linen laundry, but I am stuck on trying to find out what my total cost per pound cleaned is. My math came out to $0.41 cents per LB, which was done with nothing but a pen and paper, using rates from City Utilities, & the information of the machines. I am looking for a program that has fields to fill in, i.e.-idiot proof. (in case I forgot something), that will tell me the total cost per LB. Freeware-Shareware is preferred, since this program will hopefully only be used once, but if a program is rated high enough-I'd give them $$$. This is also my first question-please be nice, and appreciate it hive-mind.

The ineffable scent of sunbeams and happiness

Shepherd — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:37:18 -0800

Line laundry smells awesome and rack laundry... doesn't. Why? Details, if desired: I don't scent my house, and there are always windows open, so "inside" smells to me like "outside" most of the time. I use the same detergent and (rarely) fabric softener regardless of where the laundry is going to hang. I live in a smallish city with minimal air pollution compared to major urban centres (but I think this outdoor/indoor laundry-smell thing is universal regardless, unless you live next to a hog rendering plant or similar).

communal apartment laundries...making you hate laundry even more since 2008

sararah — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:34:19 -0800

The communal washing machines in my apartment building are worthless. They don't remove any sort of stain or spill, regardless of solubility or severity. When I remove the wet clothes from the washer, nasty stripes and splotches of lint cover my clothes (especially obvious on darks). Is there a specific complaint I can make to my landlord, or should I just give up and go to a laundromat? I can't believe I have to pay $1 per wash for these totally worthless machines. I use liquid Tide Coldwater (and wash in cold, always) and currently it is the "old" Tide that is not super concentrated, so I would say I use about 1/3-1/2 cup per wash. I try not to overload the washers, and I usually fill the tub partially before loading. Based on the results below, is there a specific complaint I can make to my landlord? I don't just want to call and say "the washers suck, fix them..." I feel my unresponsive property management might be a little more on the ball if they knew what the problem was. (And no, I don't think I'll be trying to do all my laundry in the bathtub)

Some examples of the laundry awesomeness:

-Just last the other night I attempted to wash a pair of khaki pants with small splotches of whipping cream on them. I poured a little detergent on them and rubbed the pants together near the spots in an attempt to pre-treat...not only did the spots not come out completely, today in the sunshine I noticed a huge spot that was lighter in color where the detergent did not completely rinse out.

-My mom tossed a few of my clothes in the wash when I was home visiting, and had to wash them twice because they had so much soap residue left in them.

-I pretreated a stain with some Stain Stick (the deodorant-like gelly stuff) and the frickin' Stain Stick didn't even wash out. I had to rinse out the garment in the sink.

-Since I line dry ~3/4 of my clothes the white lint crap stays stuck to my shirt and is especially nasty on dark shirts.

-Stupid crazy bizatches that live downstairs complain when I remove their laundry because they left the washer unattended for an hour while they had an "important phone call" and felt the need to be all dramatic and scream and me about it and proceed to re-wash their husband's clothes. (Well, that's probably out of the scope of this question, but it just adds to my LAUNDRY ANGST)

Needless to say, I was quite depressed this weekend when visiting a married friend's new house and seeing her brand spankin' new LG front loading machines....forget the yard, I just want a washer that works!!

You spin my laundry right round baby, right round, like a record baby.

orange swan — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:09:53 -0800

I want a rotary clothesline for my back yard. But the area in which I want to put it has concrete laid down already, so I'd like the clothesline to be freestanding rather than slotted into concrete as such clothesline usually are. Where can I find a freestanding rotary clothesline? I need to be able to either buy it in Toronto or have it shipped there.

Coffee stain on white! Argh!

mooza — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:16:55 -0800

I have this white/cream dress made out of a viscose lace. I just discovered a faint stain of what I think is coffee or tea or something. I tried to take a pic of it to post as a reference but it didn't come up. Any tips on how I can possibly get rid of it?

My socks!

Brachiosaurus — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:11:01 -0800

Why did someone steal my socks? So there's this question. I'm in a similar situation. I live in a big building, probably about 50 apartments. I was home during the day today, a Wednesday, unusual for me, and I was doing some laundry. It seems that most, but not all, of the people in my building are on a nine-to-five schedule and it's pretty deserted in the early afternoons. I did one load of laundry in the communal facilities. I moved the clothes from the washer to the dryer in a timely manner and I even went to check on my clothes halfway through the drying cycle. There are about ten each of washers and dryers. At the time that I checked, everything was okay- the socks were there- I remember some falling out that I had to put back in- when I opened the door. Then when I brought my clothes upstairs I noticed that all of my socks were gone. (my socks!) I was also missing an undershirt. There is a security camera that looks at the entrance to the building. And the manager's office looks out into the lobby. There isn't however, a security camera in the laundry room. These were four pairs of nice (10$ each pair) socks, and the undershirt was a women's tank top from American Apparel, also not inexpensive. All of these garments were fairly new. I've only been living in this building for about three weeks. I immediately talked to the manager about this and she says it's never happened before.

Is it unreasonable for me to expect the building to compensate me for the missing clothes? About 60$. Sitting down there to watch my clothes wash is not practical (I've done this in other places I've lived) because the garbage is also kept nearby. (Garbage from 100+ people doesn't smell all that great).

Is this something that I could use to get out of my lease? I had no intention of moving beforehand- but laundry in the building was a reason I chose this place. If I had known that I'd have to go to a laundromat I likely would not have moved here.

I've also thought of posting some signs in the lobby. What should I say in these sign? Should I pussyfoot around the issue and say that I "lost" my socks, when it is very obvious that I was robbed? What will this accomplish? Maybe if this has happened before we could get management to put a camera in the laundry room?

Help me find an honest, reliable person to come to my apartment and iron my clothes

AnyGuelmann — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:47:02 -0800

Help me find an honest, reliable person to come to my apartment and iron my clothes. I'm in Manhattan, Upper East. I have a dream:
This nice lady comes to my apartment, sets up the ironing board and irons away everything from t-shirts to bed sheets. She's honest enough that I can leave her alone in the apartment and cheap enough that I can have her every week. And wrinkles are her worst enemy.

Any recommendations? How much do (did) you pay? Worth it? No more wrinkles on your shirts, ever ever?

(Manhattan, Upper East Side.)

Why do T-shirts get shorter and wider?

stuckie — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:16:00 -0800

Why do T-shirts become wider and shorter over time, and not the reverse? And is there any minimal-effort way to avoid this? I am a fairly thin-to-athletic-topped guy who likes his shirts kind of "fitted", and an endlessly frustrated that simply by regular washing, all my favorite shirts eventually seem to do this. And its not just me - going to thrift stores I find that most t-shirts have already succumbed to this phenomenon.

WHY!?! Can one buy particular KINDS of shirts that don't do this? Do I have to cold-wash, flat-dry EVERYTHING I own to keep this from happening? Is there a way to bring (for instance, used) shirts that have already gone this way "back from the dead" without scissors and a sewing machine?

Can you get it for me wholesale? "It" being a good washer and a dryer.

melissa may — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:42:56 -0800

Proud mavens: help me find a new washer and dryer! After getting screwed out the ying-yang on our last purchase I have been carefully researching washer and dryer options, but feel as if I need Ph damn D in appliancology to make the right decision. Here's what I know I want, in order of importance: ENERGY STAR compliance, good value when bought as a pair (meaning both washer and dryer are good machines), and best warranty/service records. Basically, I need help both deciding what to buy and where to buy it. So if you are in love with a particular brand and/or know of an amazing deal, I'd love to know about it. I will bake you some cookies if you save me cash, for real.*

Brands I've already ruled out: Frigidaire, Maytag, and GE. Other than that I am all ears.

(Also, I've seen this thread but since the information is two years old an update would be great.)

*Warning: cookies may suck.

Is there any way to get around hand washing clothes?

invisible ink — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:17:36 -0800

I recently bought a beautiful burgundy sweater coat. Unfortunately, I failed to notice the wash & care instructions, which state "Hand wash cold/separately." How exactly does one go about hand washing a large piece of clothing? The tag says "93% acrylic, 5% polyester, 2% wool." Is there any other way I can get this garment cleaned? Would Woolite be an option? Dry cleaning?

What about the mone? Launder it.

bingo — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 07:13:08 -0800

Must I really wash my sweat-resistant 'technical' athletic clothing in cold water and then line dry as instructed on the label? If I put it in with the rest of my stuff that gets washed warm and machine-dried, will I ruin it?

Help me save my shirts from being sliced up and made into rag rugs!

Stewriffic — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 06:05:41 -0800

How have you successfully removed old grease stains from shirts using common household items, rather than specialty products I'd have to go out and purchase? I've got a ton of solid colored t-shirt type shirts that I no longer wear because I dripped food on my chest and the spots didn't come out in the wash. I don't want to trash/recycle them, but I'm very self-conscious of the darker spots the grease left behind.

The kicker is that they've all been through the wash and dryer at least a few times. Some I've caught before doing laundry and pretreated with dishsoap (think Dawn, not Cascade) or commercial laundry pre-treaters, but that didn't work.

Description of shirts: cotton and/or cotton knit in a variety of colors, including both pastels and darks/brights.

I'm looking for a way to try to once and for all get rid of these stains, using something I'm likely to already have at home and that won't ruin my clothes or washer.

Have any of you done this successfully? How? I have a few shirts I'm willing to experiment with (i.e. potentially ruin), if anyone comes up with a particularly creative solution.

I don't want to go out and buy a specialty product, but I will if that's the only solution. Thanks!

How do I stop losing my shirts?

blackjack514 — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:08:50 -0800

I've come to realize that I am not paying as much attention to detail as I should when I drop off shirts at my dry cleaners. It seems like I end up losing 3 or 4 shirts a year to the ebb and flow of having my shirts laundered. Is this truly because of my lack of attention or do others have the same problem? How common it is for shirts to be lost at the dry cleaners? Beyond a greater attention to the checkin and checkout of shirts, does anybody have any advice on stemming the tide of lost shirts?

Reccomend A LI Laundromat

Brian Puccio — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 07:27:42 -0800

Looking for a central Long Island (Nassau County) drop off/pick up laudromat. Not looking exactly for cheap (though that's nice) but value. Tired of wasting hours waiting for machines to finish. Also, the local one by me doesn't offer a drop off service, so I'm not sure how it works. I assume they charge by weight/bags dropped off? Just drop it off in a bag and pick it up in a bag a day later?

Cheapskate Laundry?

thisjax — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:44:14 -0800

Can I do laundry with just ammonia alone? I'm a broke student and am interested in using the spare bottle of ammonia to cut my laundry costs. However, the bottle's directions for laundry use are a little unclear, as is Google, as to whether or not it's a detergent substitute or just a laundry additive. Can anyone help me out?

Funky (smelling) fibers.

the luke parker fiasco — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:34:44 -0800

How do I de-stink the armpits of my sweaters? I tend to wear sweaters frequently in between washings. Recently I've been wearing a couple of heavier-weight sweaters pretty often, in and out of significant temperature changes. This, combined with prolonged use, has caused the armpits of a couple of these sweaters to remain stinky, even after washing.

Any tips or tricks to dissolve the funk? I've seen this thread, but as all the sweaters in question are black, and a myriad of fibers (one is acrylic/cotton, one acrylic/mohair/nylon, one acrylic/nylon/wool), I want to use something that won't bleach, fade, shrink, or otherwise damage the fibers. I assume vinegar would be safe, but other remedies like peroxide are a bit more questionable.

Also, I don't have access to Febreze, Oxy Clean, or any other spiffy US-oriented cleaning agents, so simpler remedies appreciated.

Fading Sheets

Lylo — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:05:51 -0800

why are my blue sheets fading to grey? I have very expensive Barbara Barry bed linnens. I wash the sheets and pillow cases weely in cold water with a mild detergent and fabric softener and dry in "medium" dryer. The blue color is getting lighter and lighter, greyer and greyer, no longer matching the blue on the duvet cover (which I wash less frequently) or on the matching silk throw. I have searached previous ask metfi's and no, I am not using any acne medicine. Is it the fabric softener? There is a sticker on my washer that claims "downy fabric softener preserves colors from fading". I was previously using "cold water tide" but have switched to "deft", if that's the cuprit, it's too late to tell, but please help me figure this out to save the next sheets I buy to replace these.

How do I wash this sweater?

penciltopper — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:58:05 -0800

Grownup has never washed a nice sweater. Help. OK, so I got a couple of nice merino & cashmere sweaters for Xmas. Maybe as a hint that the wool/woolblend sweaters I owned were no longer socially acceptable, having been worn for years & never been washed. (blush)

I poked around a bit on the boards, and there are lots of things mentioned for sweaterwashing, then contradicted, then ???

So I need some votes:

1) Drycleaners, espcially with the cashmere
2) Dryel at the laundromat
3) Wash 'em in the sink, then spread out to dry
3a) with woolite
3b) woolite is death, buy special goo at the yarn store
4) write in candidate here

I have another sweater question while i'm at it.
All my sweaters, cotton, wool, whatever, make me look like I've got a "muffin top". (Chest fits, waist at hem/ribbing fits - but they bag out above the waist so that it looks like I'm trying to smuggle a bicycle tire underneath.)
I don't actually have a muffin top, and if I tug the hem down, everything is fine for a few minutes until it rides up and I'm back to dumpy again.
What am I doing wrong here?

I need to clean a lot really fast, where is Heloise when you need her?

stormygrey — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 19:28:56 -0800

My dogs destroyed the house while I was shopping, how long do I have for damage control? Football filter of all things. I was out shopping and my newly handy boyfriend left a couple of cans of stain opened on the kitchen counter. Our dogs managed to knock over two cans of wood stain and their are little foot prints all over the sheets, the laundry, the couch, the floor, etc.

He is at the Clemson/Auburn game and it looks like the Fourth Quarter just started. There is officially 14:18 on the clock. How long does an average quarter like this take?

Bonus question: How does one get wood stain out of laundry?

An itch to find a laundry solution

zadcat — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 15:44:25 -0800

Laundry hacking for someone whose skin is hypersensitive to detergent residue. My good friend B. has to spend an unconscionable amount of time doing his laundry because if there's any detergent residue at all in his clothes, it makes him itch horribly. He's tried unscented products – things like Ecover detergent – and it's made no appreciable difference so far.

He says: "Laundry takes forever. i think i ran my first load thru 4 soap cycles and 5 rinses plus a soak in hot water in the tub. In order to run hot rinses, for instance, i have to run a regular hot/cold wash (the only cycle with hot water) without soap, and cut it off after the hot wash cycle before it runs the cold rinse. So i have to program an alarm (my cel) and go and stop the machine manually."

The machine is a recent one and I suspect has been pre-programmed both to skimp on hot water and save on water generally. All very environmentally friendly I'm sure, but water isn't even metered here, and in any case what B. has to do probably uses more water than he strictly needs.

So two questions:

1. Are there any products that are sufficiently different from standard detergent, but get clothes reasonably clean, that he could try? I've just bought him some Himalayan soap nuts, so that's one thing he'll take for a spin. Anything else around?
2. I've googled for "washing machine hacking" but come up dry. Clearly somebody should know how to reprogram the machine's brain to allow for more hot water, longer rinse cycles, or some other combination that would get the detergent completely out of his clothes. Any leads on this (I know it's lame, but I can't tell you the brand or model) would be helpful.

Creative ways to give coins as a gift

acoutu — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:25:06 -0800

What are some creative ways to give rolled coins as a gift? I'm planning to give my grandma rolled coins as a gift. She now lives in an apartment with coin-op laundry. She finds it troublesome and expensive to scrape together coins. I'd like to give her rolled coins as a gift. What are some inventive ways to present the money? It's okay if the solution involves some unrolled coins, too, but I don't want this to be messy for her. Bonus points for a solution that helps her store or sort the coins. It's also okay to involve other items, although I don't want to spend too much on anything else.

Her interests include TV, reading and crocheting. She's in her 80s and has a good sense of humour. She is overwhelmed with gifts of soap and bath stuff and she'd probably crack up if the rolled coin gift somehow looked like it was going to be more (dreaded) bath items. She's got six kids and 13 grandkids (and about a dozen great-grandkids), most of whom are of modest means, so you can imagine how many gifts of bubble bath and what-not she gets. Thanks.

Not clean, not yet dirty

bookish — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:33:45 -0800

I don't normally wash my clothes after each wearing. I'm lazy/cheap and I hate wastefulness. But I also don't like to fold them up and put them back in the drawer, because even a little smell or dust will negatively effect the surrounding clean clothes. Both my boyfriend and I do this, and we do not have a good place to put these limbo clothes in our apartment. Where/how do we store our not clean, not dirty clothes?

Why is my shirt all bumpy?

saeculorum — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:25:47 -0800

I have a short sleeve shirt that consistently comes out of the drier "bumpy" all over. There is a very repetitive pattern on the shirt like a checkerboard. The pattern alternates bumps and depressions. I can easily get the bumps out by ironing the shirt, but I'm lazy and would much rather just dry the shirt. Is there anything I can do to avoid the pattern? Or, should I just give up and relegate the shirt to my "do not wear because it's too hard to clean" bin? The shirt is 81% polynosic rayon and 19% polyester.