Stain Removal

THINGS TO REMEMBER

If you are not sure of the type of fabric involved or it has a special finish such as taffeta or velvet, it is safer to take it to the cleaner or seek professional advice.

Don’t apply heat to an article before treating, as this will set many stains, especially protein based ones.

Always treat a stain as soon as possible – the longer you leave it, the harder it will be to remove.

Before cleaning, where appropriate, brush and shake articles in order to remove any loose dirt.

Soaking in cold water and then washing as normal can remove many stains, especially if treated quickly. NEVER soak woollens, silks, non-fast colours, flame resistant or rubberised fabrics or those with metal buttons or fasteners.

Before tackling any stain, test the fabric for possible reactions and colour fastness by applying the stain remover to a small hidden area and check after 5-10 minutes. If there are any signs of the colour fading or changing do not proceed. Seek professional advice as soon as possible.

Old dry stains can sometimes be removed by softening with glycerine (use diluted, one part to two parts water). Leave on for 10 minutes then soak and wash.

It is probably best to avoid tackling delicate or expensive items.

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Club Soda: Always keep it on Hand

Club soda is the best emergency spotter there is. Keep club soda on hand to clean up spills on carpet and clothing. Remember to react as soon as possible to a spill. If you act fast, a spot shouldn't become a stain. Club soda will remove red wine, coffee, tea, pop (yes even red pop!) Kool-Aid™ and many other spills you can think of. Lift any solids carefully off carpet or clothes and then pour on the club soda, blotting with a white rag until all the color from the spill is removed. Blot carpet easily by folding a rag and standing on it, turning the rag as it absorbs moisture and discoloration from the spill. The carbonation in the club soda brings the offending spill to the surface so you can blot it up. If you spill on your clothes in a restaurant, ask for a little club soda or seltzer and use your napkin to blot the stain until it is removed. I have found that club soda will even work on many old stains, too. Always keep several bottles on hand.

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Spanish version

In case you speak Spanish, please give me a hand with this site. "La casa a un click" is a blog in spanish that I set up recently and It needs polishing up.
I'd appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to fill up the questionaire or send some suggestions.
Thanks for your help and when the new version is ready I'll let you know

Lighten the load: Laundry Systems Analysis

By Cynthia Townley

From Organizedhome.com

Systems analysis. So weighty. So professional. So mysterious. Yet nothing can streamline an organized home like a well-crafted set of household systems. Today, we focus on laundry and clothing systems. What do they do? How do you develop them? What benefits will establishing laundry and clothing systems give to you and your family?

Chances are, you already have these systems in place. After all, a system is just a set of organized items, decisions or actions, designed to work together to achieve a common end. In terms of an organized home, a clothing system, for example, would be a set of related decisions, actions or items, designed to work together to supply family members with an adequate supply of clean, well-fitting and appropriate clothes.

However, there are systems, and there are systems. In a disorganized home, systems springs up unassisted. There's no thought or planning underlying them, so they don't work particularly well. Most of the time, the steps of the system are only instituted when things break down: there are no clean clothes, so someone does the wash. Yes, clothing gets clean, eventually--but there's tremendous waste of time, money, resources and family harmony built into haphazard systems.

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Free Vintage Laundry Bag pattern

From Curbly.com

Go old school with this vintage laundry bag pattern. Besides being a great place to stash your dirty undies, it would be a perfect way to keep diapers at hand in the nursery.

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Cold Water Bleach Conserves Clothes and Energy

From Culinary net

Family Features) - Washing clothes in cold water as a way to save energy and money is a hot topic in households across the country. Simply turning the setting down from hot to cold water when doing your laundry can save up to 14 percent on annual energy bills.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, more than 80 percent of energy used to wash clothes comes from heating water, so switching from hot to cold helps save $.17 a load, or more than $60 a year. With more than 105 million households in the country, that adds up to more than $6 billion in savings.

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Big, bad laundry monster doesn't have to rule your life

By Marla Cilley
For the Deseret Morning News

All of us have to do laundry. Some have only a couple of loads a week, while others have a dozen. It affects us all the same way; we put it off till it gets to be such a big job that we are paralyzed by the thought of it. This week we are going to tackle our laundry monster.

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