detergent

10 Unexpected Uses for Laundry Detergent

Paul Michael — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 13:00:29 +0000

Most of us buy laundry detergent to do one thing, and one thing only. But can it do more than clean your clothes? Should it be working harder for us? The answer is yes, yes it can, and it should. And if you read this, it will.

Here are 10 rather unexpected uses for both the liquid and powdered laundry detergents that we all have in our homes. Use them wisely.

1. Whiten Yellowed Pillows

No matter how many times we wash white pillows, they seem to turn that weird off-white, yellow color. Sure, a good pillowcase can cover it, but we know the truth. If you want to make your pillows look as good as new, follow Jillee's advice: Mix one cup of laundry detergent (liquid or powdered) with one cup of powdered dishwasher soap, one cup of bleach, and ½ cup of borax. The results are stunning.

2. Clean Up Oil Spills

You can purchase products specifically designed to clean up oil spills at home. Some can cost a significant amount of money, such as Ultratech's Ultra-Oil stain remover. However, if you have powdered laundry detergent handy, it can do an excellent job. As WikiHow demonstrates, you simply pour some of the powdered detergent on the stain, followed by a little water. After leaving it overnight, come back and spray the mixture off. The oil spill should be gone, or at the very least, be almost invisible.

3. Make Your Own "Goop"

Mechanics, and people who work with a lot of engines and other dirty products, will know the value of products like Goop and Gojo. They are industrial-strength hand cleaners, designed to cut through grease and grime quickly, whilst leaving your hands soft and without irritation. These are great products to have around if you work with engines and oil often, but for the occasional hand cleaning, mix just one teaspoon of liquid laundry detergent with one teaspoon of vegetable oil and rub vigorously. Then, clean with regular hand soap. The oil should be history.

4. Degrease Your Stove

In a spray bottle, mix together liquid laundry detergent with bleach and water. It makes an awesome stove degreaser, especially for those ceramic hobs that catch all the grease splatters. Now, if you're worried about mixing bleach with anything, you're right to be concerned. It's very dangerous to mix bleach with other household chemicals…with one exception. Rick Sachleben of the American Chemical Society assures us it's safe; "Laundry detergent is formulated to be safely mixed with bleach." So, don't worry, it's perfectly safe, and effective.

5. Make a Good All-Purpose Cleaner

Take a five-gallon jug of warm water and add just ¼ cup of laundry detergent (either liquid or powdered) to it. You now have a large supply of general-purpose household cleaner that is safe to use on sinks, toilets, walls (especially the kids rooms), fire surrounds, countertops, and anything else that needs a good clean. It is much less harsh than other chemical cleaners, and best of all, it doesn't smell.

6. Kill Moss and Weeds

In a previous post, vinegar showed its versatility as a weed killer. Now, it's the turn of powdered laundry detergent. Bring a cup or two of the powder into the yard, and sprinkle it liberally over any moss and weeds that are making your landscaping unsightly. Then, let it go to work. Over the next three to four days, you should see the offending vegetation go from green to brown. Once it has died off, brush it away and then thoroughly rinse the area.

7. Clear a Blocked Drain

There's no denying that drain-cleaning products are great at getting those blockages to dissolve, but we don't always have them on hand. If you have a blockage that needs clearing fast, pour ¼ cup of liquid laundry detergent down the drain, and let it go to work for a few minutes. Then, pour boiling water down the drain. The detergent should have helped loosen up the offending material, and the hot water blasts it free.

8. Clean Toys Safely

Kids can quickly turn a beautiful new toy into a filthy, grimy mess. The trouble is, we're often wary about using harsh chemicals on these toys because they are in close contact with the kids' skin, and sometimes mouths. Instead of using harsh, and sometimes dangerous, chemicals, turn to laundry detergent. You can either use some of the all-purpose spray you made earlier, or do a bunch at once by filling the bathtub with warm water and adding a half-cup of liquid laundry detergent. Let them soak, then rinse and dry. They'll be clean, and safe.

9. Spruce Up the Deck

We often forget how much punishment our decks can take, especially in tough weather. All those dirty shoes and boots, plus the other elements, make decks go from brown to grey in no time. Laundry detergent can help. Tipnut tells us to mix one cup of powdered laundry detergent with ¾ cup of oxygen bleach, and add it to one gallon of warm water. Use a deck brush to scrub the surface, leave for five to 10 minutes, then scrub again. When you rinse it off, the color should be back, and the deck will be looking better than ever.

10. Banish Soap Scum

Do you have those pesky soap scum marks around your bathtub, or in the sink? Don't waste time stinking up the bathroom with harsh bleach products. Instead, make yourself a scum fighter with a mixture of powdered laundry detergent and water. You don't need to add much liquid; just enough to work the powder into a spreadable thick paste. Apply it to the soap scum using firm pressure, either in circles or back and forth, then sit back and let it go to work. Then, 20 minutes later, rinse it away with hot water. The scum should be no more.

How do you put laundry detergent to work around your house?

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This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

11 Laundry Mistakes You Didn't Know You Were Making

Mikey Rox — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 13:00:12 +0000

If you hate doing laundry, raise your hand.

I can't see you, of course, but I'm confident that 99% of you reading this post dread laundry day. The sorting, the switching, the waiting, the folding, the unexplained disappearance of an arbitrary item. When will it all end? (See also: 25+ Secrets to Keep Your Clothes Brighter, Whiter, and Lasting Longer)

Well, at least you can make the thankless task a little easier to bear by avoiding these mistakes that are costing you time, money, and a bit of sanity.

1. You're Not Using Laundry Detergents That 'Rinse Clean'

Most of the leading laundry detergents are scented and given names that bring to mind a summer rain or a spring breeze. While they make our clothes smell fresh as a field of fragrant lilacs, it's not exactly getting your clothes "clean." Your clothes are clean in the sense that the dirt and grime has been eliminated, but as a result there's chemical detergent residue left behind.

Michelle C. Smith, an entrepreneur and blogger who specializes in making all-natural personal cleansing products, says, "The biggest laundry mistake people are making is not using a laundry detergent that rinses clean — or has a fragrance, for example. This residue is left on your clothes and then most people put a dryer sheet — full of material that leaves more residue — in the dryer with their clothes because they don't like how their clothes feel."

To solve this problem, try swapping your normal brand with an all-natural, fragrance-free brand — or learn how to make your own laundry detergent with natural ingredients.

2. You're Using Too Much Detergent

Are you a detergent eye-baller like me? What I mean by that is that I pour an amount of detergent into the cup that I think looks right for the load and toss it into the washer. It must stop now.

Mona Weiss, who talks about even more laundry mistakes over at the Eco Nuts blog, says that overdosing on detergent can result in dingy, worn-out clothes over time, along with a worn-out budget.

"If you're using a 'measure to this line' type of detergent, make sure you read the directions and make sure you are measuring to the correct line," she says. "There are also many a lazy laundry-doer that just pours what looks 'about right' directly into the laundry machine and hopes for the best. That's literally pouring money down the drain."

3. You're Overfilling the Machine

Weiss also touches on another laundry mistake that I'm guilty of making — overfilling the machine. It's a no-no: completely counterproductive — and costly.

"If you're all about saving money, then adding a few more clothes to the washer so you don't have to do another load is the worst possible idea," she chides. "It's so inefficient, it's anti-efficient. If your clothes can't rub up against each other during the wash then they're not getting clean, which means you'll have to wash the whole load over again. You may as well do a quick rinse in the sink under the faucet, because that's the level of 'clean' you're going to get. Some top-loading machines have a line to show where the water goes up to — your clothes level should be under that. Not up to the line, under. When in doubt take two things out."

Or 12, in my case.

4. You're Not Checking Your Pockets Thoroughly

How many times have you screamed in horror when you discovered that you left something in your pocket because you were too lazy to do a thorough check?

Somehow a crayon snuck into my dryer once (it wasn't pretty), there's been bubblegum in there, and countless burst pens, of course. All manner of paper gets mangled and destroyed, and sometimes there are items that I no longer recognize, or — better yet — have no idea why they were in my pockets in the first place. I'm lookin' at you, Matchbox car.

5. You're Spending Too Much Time Sorting Baby Clothes by Color

In general, most of us sort our own clothes in light, white, dark, and denim piles — although my method only includes three piles: whites, denim, and everything else that isn't those two things — because we don't want any of the dyes bleeding onto other garments. I'm totally on board with that; many of us spend a lot of money on clothing, and we need to make sure it lasts as long as possible.

Babies, on the other hand, are a different story.

First, any parent will tell you that the laundry from a baby never quits. I've seen some kids go through four outfits in a day, and I'm like, you need to learn how to stop vomiting all over yourself, dude. Second, these are babies we're talking about here — professional mess factories who don't have jobs or anybody to impress — so there's no need to spend anymore of your precious time sorting their bottomless hamper into separate stacks. Save for keeping dark navy and deep red items away from the whites, says Jennifer Porter, a blogger at Satsuma Designs, toss it all in on the "Miracle" cleaning setting and get on with your day.

6. You're Spending Money on Chemical Stain Removers When Home Hacks Work Just as Well

Have a whole arsenal of store-bought stain removers in your laundry room? Props to Kelly Ripa for being a formidable product endorser, but you're wasting your money. You have powerful stain fighters in your home right now that are not only cleaner than their chemical counterparts but work just as well — if not better. Porter recommends that we "avoid harsh stain removal chemicals and instead use baking soda from the orange box in your refrigerator and mix with a bit of water to make a paste. Let paste rest on stain for 20-30 minutes and launder as usual."

7. You're Not Protecting Your Delicates as Well as You Should

Porter and Weiss both recommend placing delicates and other small items into a zippered mesh bag so they enjoy gentler cycles, and so you can reduce the risk of your socks and undies ending up in the Great Garment Abyss.

"Add years of life to bras, save folding time, and beat the dryer sock gremlins when you use a cotton wash bag for lingerie, socks, and baby items (booties, socks, mittens, and more) for laundry cycles," Porter says.

Weiss seconds her sentiment: "There is no black hole and [your garments] don't vanish into thin air. They do, however, get sucked into tiny places like underneath the agitator, under the gasket, or into the dryer vent. Simple solution — put all socks, underwear, lingerie, handkerchiefs, and tiny baby things into zippered mesh bags."

8. You're Not Following the Care Instructions

If your garments are coming out on the other side of a wash and dry ruined, there's something wrong — and it's probably your fault. Not all garments should be treated equally, so it's important to read the care instructions on your clothing before you launder them. It's generally recommended that denim be turned inside out before washing on cold; many cotton items have special instructions; and please, pleeeeease, whatever you do, don't put anything wool in the washer or dryer unless you plan to pass it down to your five-year-old nephew when the cycle has finished.

9. You're Not Adding Vinegar to Your Stinky, Sweaty Workout Gear

Marathon runner Marigrace McKay told me that she adds one cup of vinegar to the washer to take the funk out of her gear, so I did a little digging to verify her claim. She's 100% correct — vinegar acts as a deodorizer to neutralize bad smells — and there are several other practical applications for vinegar in the wash, including protecting clothes from fading, acting as a natural bleaching agent, and combating lint and static clings.

10. You're Wasting About Half the Costly Energy During the Dry Cycle

Want to cut your dryer bill by almost half? It could be possible.

Matt Kilsdonk of HelpfulReviewer.com provides this smart tip to save energy and money: "You can reduce your drying time by half, by simply adding a dry towel to your load of wet laundry," he says. "The surface area of the dry towel helps absorb moisture and speeds up the drying time of the rest of the clothes."

He notes, however, that it's important to take the now wet towel out mid-cycle and air dry it. "Leaving the towel in the full cycle will not reduce the drying time," Kilsdonk explains.

11. You Might Be Taking Mom for Granted (and She'll Get Back at You)

The usefulness of this tip is debatable, but I found it hilarious nonetheless. Kate Kassian, proprietor of Buffalo Girls Mercantile, shared words of wisdom.

"My tip: Never C.O.D. your dirty laundry home to mom. You will never see it again. True story."

Let that sink in for a minute, friends. It gets funnier the more you think about it.

Do you have other laundry mistakes that we should avoid? Let me know in the comments below.

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This article is from Mikey Rox of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

The 5 Best Dishwashing Detergents

Gina Ippolito — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 10:48:03 +0000

Doing the dishes is enough of a chore without having to worry about water spots or stubborn, stuck on food. Dishwashing detergents are not all created equal, and with everyone from organic grocers to dollar stores selling different brands and types of detergents, there are a lot of options to choose from. Recent state laws banning phosphates in detergents have forced companies to change their ingredients, sometimes creating less than optimal results. We here at Wise Bread have taken the guesswork out of doing the dishes, by picking the top five best dishwashing detergents out there.

What Is Dishwashing Detergent?

Dishwashing detergent is a cleaning agent that is used to wash and clean dishes, cutlery, pots and pans, and any other kitchenware used for cooking and eating. It also has a number of other possible uses including killing weeds, repelling bugs, and shampooing hair, but its primary function is for scrubbing kitchenware. Dishwashing detergents typically contain a combination of chemicals, water, and scents.

Best 5 Dishwashing Detergents

Cascade Complete

This dishwashing detergent is consistently ranked best among websites in the know. Both Consumer Reports and Real Simple ranked Cascade Complete as their number one. This detergent seemingly makes pre-washing dishes totally unnecessary, with one reviewer claiming that it managed to totally clean dishes caked in old lasagna and dried-on oatmeal.

According to Consumer Reports, Cascade Complete will not leave a film or residue on dishes, and it also resists water spots, even when dishes are washed in hard water. It comes in powder form as well as gel packs, with both options offering optimum cleaning power. The gel packs are extremely convenient to use and have the added bonus of there being no messy spills to clean up.

Cascade Complete is phosphate free, but does contain bleach and enzymes. Available scents include Fresh, Citrus Breeze, and Lemon Burst.

Currently $10.97 for 48-count pack on Amazon.

Finish Quantum

Finish Quantum dishwashing detergent uses a special three-chamber technology to get dishes extremely clean. First, the microbeads activate to soften caked-on or burnt-on food. This makes pre-washing unnecessary. Next, bleach particles help to get rid of stains like coffee or tea. Finally, there is a rinse agent, which leaves dishes sparkling and shiny and helps resist film and water spots. Reviewers claim that Finish Quantum gets rid of even baked on cheese and dried oatmeal.

One advantage of this detergent is that there is no extra packaging and individual wrappers for each packet. This makes it easy to simply pop the packets out of the box and into the dishwasher. A possible downside to Finish Quantum seems to be that reviewers feel it doesn't work as well in hard water as the Cascade Complete.

Finish Quantum contains bleach and enzymes, and available varieties include Original, Lemon Sparkle and Baking Soda.

Currently $9.97 for 45-count pack on Amazon.

Method Smarty Dish Tablets

Method Smarty Dish Tablets are one of the best eco-friendly, green detergents on the market. The tablets contain no phosphates, bleach, or chlorine. Every ingredient is listed on Method's website. Additionally, the minimal packaging helps reduce waste and trash, making it even better for the environment.

A downside to this green detergent seems to be that, when used in hard water, it leaves a filmy residue. One reviewer suggested using a rinse agent with to solve that problem, with another reviewer claiming that simply leaving a bowl of white vinegar in the dishwasher leaves dishes sparkling and residue free. Another issue with this detergent is that, as with many eco-friendly products, these are slightly more expensive than the other detergent varieties.

Method Smarty Dish Tablets come in scented Pink Grapefruit, or the unscented, perfume- and dye-free option, Go Naked.

Currently $8.58 for 20-count pack on Amazon.

Seventh Generation Auto Dish Pacs

Another eco-friendly detergent option is Seventh Generation Auto Dish Pacs. Seventh Generation produces a slew of all natural household and personal care products, and they clearly know what they're doing. This detergent is dye free and contains no phosphates, chlorine, or synthetic fragrances. The outer pouch that the tabs come in is also biodegradable, showing this company's dedication to being green.

As far as cleaning capability goes, most reviewers are extremely positive. It apparently cleans with little to no pre-washing, and leaves no film or water spots, even in hard water. One reviewer claimed that there was no smell on the dishes after washing like there is with other detergents. The only downside seems to be that it is slightly harder to find than other brands, especially at local grocery stores.

Seventh Generation Auto Dish Pacs come in Free & Clear or lemon scent.

Currently $8.99 for 45-count pack on Amazon.

Mrs. Meyer's Automatic Dish Packs

The biggest selling point to this environmentally friendly detergent seems to be the variety of great smelling options. Mrs. Meyer's Automatic Dish Packs contain no phosphates or chlorine, and are infused with essential oils that offer scents many other detergents do not.

Reviewers claim that Mrs. Meyer's leaves dishes clean and sparkling and is great at getting off food particles with no pre-rinsing. It is less harsh than many of the other options on the market, and it uses an oxygen bleach formula to get dishes clean. Like Seventh Generation, this detergent may be more difficult to find, especially in smaller stores with fewer options.

Mrs. Meyer's Automatic Dish Packs come in Basil, Lavender, Lemon Verbena, and Geranium scents.

Currently $7.14 for 20-count pack on Amazon.

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This article is from Gina Ippolito of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Does More Detergent Make for More Clean?

Philip Brewer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:03 +0000

Given the number of posts at frugality sites on how to make your own cleaning supplies (and the number of reads those posts get), the topic is obviously one of interest to the community. My take is that there's an easier way to save money on cleaning supplies than making your own: Use less.

It may not take a genius to observe that using less saves money, but it does take more than average awareness to see through all the ways manufacturers get you to use too much, and to see just how much less is actually enough.

Laundry detergent

For example, how much detergent does it take to get your clothes clean? The answer depends on how dirty they are. If you've been working (or playing) hard outdoors, it may take quite a bit. If you've been repairing bicycles or rebuilding engines or working as a fry cook, it may take even more. But if you've been sitting at home or working in a cubicle, it doesn't actually take much.

Plus, the fact is, using more detergent than you need makes your clothes less clean, because some of it stays behind in your clothes.

I first learned about this back in the mid-1990s, when several companies started marketing these ceramic disks that supposedly cleaned your laundry without detergent. Many people who tried them found that they seemed to work, but only for a while. Eventually, people figured out that what was happening was that there was enough detergent left in clothes from previous launderings to get the clothes clean, even if you just washed them in water, until everything in the load has been run through a cycle or two without added detergent.

Mull that over for a minute: Even after rinsing, there's still enough detergent left in your clothes to wash them again. That little detergent — the amount left behind after the rinse cycle in your washer — is all it takes to get your clothes clean.

Once I internalized that, I started using much, much less laundry detergent. For ordinary amounts of dirt, a quarter of the recommended quantity is plenty. For clothing that has only been worn indoors, just an eighth is probably enough. Not only will small amounts get your clothes clean, they'll be more clean, because they'll have a lot less detergent left in the fabric.

Obviously the manufacturer's incentives are to recommend using more. Not only do people who use more buy more, but it reduces the chance that you'll lose respect for the product due to having load of especially dirty laundry come out less than completely clean.

All your other cleaning supplies

Much the same is true of all your other cleaning supplies.

How much shampoo does it take to get your hair clean? It depends on how oily your hair is (and how much hair you have), but it doesn't take a lot to get hair clean. (And if you don't strip every last little bit of oil out of your hair by washing it twice, you may find that you don't need to add oil back in the form of hair conditioner.)

How much toothpaste is enough? The ADA recommends a pea-sized amount for children. (They suggest that adults use "just enough" to cover the length of the bristles on their toothbrush, but I expect that was due to pressure from the toothpaste manufacturers.)

In the kitchen and bathroom it's particularly easy to start with just a little and then add more if things aren't getting clean.

Using less doesn't just save money; it's also gentler on the planet. It uses less natural resources to make the stuff, package it, and ship it to you; it exposes you to a smaller dose of the chemicals involved, and dumps less of them into the environment.

Experiment with using less — and not just a little less. Start with using half as much. If things still get clean, cut by half as much again. Personally, I find that about one-quarter of the recommended amount is usually a lot closer to the right amount than what the manufacturer recommends.

This article is from Philip Brewer of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Household Cleaning Hacks That Save You Money

Nora Dunn — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:00:10 +0000

Here is an assortment of ways to get more bang for your cleaning buck and efforts. From making your own cleaning solutions to ensuring your appliances are working optimally, most of the techniques below can be used with what you already have on hand. Why not give them a try?

Appliance Maintenance: Dusty Refrigerators

Your fridge is a pig on power and the worst offender in your house. But many fridges are not running optimally to begin with, and you can fix this quite easily.

The coils behind the fridge tend to attract dust, which in turn insulates the coil, making it work harder to actually cool the fridge. The remedy? Unplug the fridge, pull it away from the wall, and vacuum the dust off all the coils. Doing this once per season will save you on power costs. (See also: 7 Ways to Make the Most of a Tiny Kitchen)

Appliance Use: Ironing Efficiency

Run your iron over a sheet of aluminum foil to clean the plate. Then, place the foil under your ironing surface and iron your clothes as usual. The foil acts as a conductor, allowing you to iron from the top and bottom simultaneously.

Natural Air Freshener

Simply dip a cotton ball in an essential oil of your choice and add it to your vacuum bag. Instead of smelling that vacuum odor when you clean, the cotton ball will infuse the air with a light scent. (This technique won't work in all vacuum cleaners; it depends on the kind you have.)

Remove Floor Scratches

Don't worry about spending a small fortune on special scratch remover; simply apply lemon juice and olive oil to your scratch and buff it away. This mixture also makes a good overall furniture polish.

Word of caution: Always test out on a small patch of floor or furniture first.

Homemade Stain Remover

This is a pre-treatment for tough stains on clothes. Make a paste of lemon juice and baking soda. Massage into the stain, then wash as usual. (Again, it's not a bad idea to test this out first, as the lemon juice could affect bright colors.)

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I don't like the chemicals in most detergents. (I say if you can't pronounce it, it's probably not good to eat or wash with.) Not only that, but many commercial detergents require a much higher dose than is necessary. Here are 10 Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipes, and you can choose the one you think will work best based on what you have on hand. The basic ingredients are a combination of washing soda, baking soda, bar soap, and/or borax.

Tea and Coffee Stains

Salt is a great abrasive that can lift ingrained coffee and tea stains quite easily.

Cups and Mugs: Simply apply salt and rub into the stain with your fingers. If you are afraid the salt will scratch your cup, then dilute it with a little water and scrub the stains with a soft pad.

Coffee Pots and Coffee Percolators: Fill the pot or percolator with water, add a ¼ cup of salt, and boil or percolate as usual. Pour out the salt water near your garden to repel pests. During winter months, reuse the salt water to wash the insides of your windows to prevent frost. (This is also great for the car, and vinegar also works well for this purpose.)

Over to you: What are your special household cleaning hacks that save you money?

This article is from Nora Dunn of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: