Your laundry may be a whole room in the house or an area tucked behind a cupboard door in the bathroom. The contents are generally the same wherever your laundry is situated—a washing machine, dryer and sink. It’s important that you learn how to care for your laundry white goods and the items that go into them: all will last longer if handled with care!
How good is the washing machine? It’s so much quicker than the days of using the copper, washing board and lots of elbow grease. You simply throw the dirty clothes in the machine, add a bit of washing powder, set the cycle and about half an hour later, the clothes are all clean. Imagine life without it?
The dryer is another device that has been designed to make our lives easier. Many people opt to use the dryer because they don’t have a clothesline or can’t be bothered hanging out the washing. But keep this in mind: sunshine is a great antibacterial!
If you think your cleaning is slow …
HOW TO CLEAN LACE FROM LEE’S PRICELESS RECIPES, 1817
Fill a large bottle with cold water and sew around it some clean old white muslin. Tack one end of the lace to the muslin and wrap the lace around the bottle taking care to have no wrinkles. With a clean sponge and pure sweet oil, saturate the lace thoroughly through the wrappings to the bottle which are to be fastened by strings in a wash kettle. Pour in a strong cold lather of white Castile soap and boil the suds until the lace is white and clean. Dry the bottle in the sun, remove the lace and wrap it around a ribbon block or press.
If you think your cleaning is slow …
TO FRESHEN CREPE LEE’S PRICELESS RECIPES, 1817
Wash with ox gall and water to remove dirt. Afterwards, use water to clear the gall. And lastly, use a little gum arabic and water to stiffen and crisp it. It’s then clapped between the hands until dried. Do not iron.
Clutter bucket—to transport displaced items; scrubbing brush—to scrub with; old toothbrush—to access tight corners; bicarb—cleaning agent; white vinegar—cleaning agent; cloth—to wipe surfaces; rubber gloves—to protect your hands; broom—to sweep the floor and other surfaces.
Good-quality washing powder or liquid, Napisan, Napisan OxyAction, Napisan Plus, bicarb, white vinegar, dry cleaning fluid/white spirits, methylated spirits, cake of soap, cheap bottle of shampoo and conditioner, table salt, oil of cloves, buckets, scrubbing brush, clothes’ basket.
Clear anything that doesn’t belong in the laundry by placing it in the clutter bucket. Wipe the outside of the washing machine and dryer with a cloth that’s been wrung out in water. If the washing machine and dryer are very dirty, add white vinegar to the cloth. Clean the inside of the washing machine with bicarb and vinegar using the two-sponge technique (see page 111). It’s important to do this each week to stop washing powder building up inside the machine. If there are smells, check the pipes. Pipes are really easy and inexpensive to replace. Repairing them will add to the life of your washing machine and stop solid matter getting from the pipes into the bearings. During the speedclean, check the lint catcher in the washing machine and dryer.
DID YOU KNOW? The washing machine has a lint catcher. Your washing will be cleaner if the lint catcher is cleared regularly. In a top loader, it’s located either on top of the agitator or in a little bag on the side of the drum in the machine—some modern machines have an automatic clearer so it doesn’t need to be cleaned. If your lint catcher is on top of the agitator, put on rubber gloves and unscrew the top. It may be difficult to undo if you haven’t cleaned it for a while. If this is the case, smear the joint with a little sweet almond oil. Clear any gunk and return the lint catcher to its spot. If you have a bag, clean it out and flush with water until it’s clear, then return. In front loaders the lint catcher is located near the door or at the back of the machine. Consult the instructions if you’re not sure where yours is.
Always check the bottom of the washing machine drum in case buttons have come loose or coins have fallen from pockets. Create a spot in the laundry for all these bits and pieces. I have a plastic basket that I leave on the window sill. Use whatever works for you.
Most people know that the dryer has a lint catcher and must be cleared before each use. Some dryers also have a water condenser which should also be checked and emptied each time before drying. I clean the inside of the dryer with an old pair of pantyhose in case anything, such as plastics, have wiped against the drum.
Be careful using the dryer with clothes that have large metal attachments. Either remove the metal or turn the item inside out so that the metal doesn’t come into contact with the drum and damage it.
If you use your dryer often, the area around it, including the wall, will accumulate lint. The best way to clear it is with a vacuum cleaner, using the brush attachment.
Always have a rubbish bin in the laundry to collect lint.
Wipe any benches or other surfaces in the laundry by sprinkling over a little bicarb, then spraying white vinegar on top and wiping with a cloth.
Wipe over the sink with a little bicarb and white vinegar and mop the floor with an old T-shirt that’s been dampened in vinegar and secured around the broom head with an elastic band.
Never store washing powder or washing liquid on the laundry window sill because they’re affected by light and will make a mess. Instead, keep your cleaning items on an enclosed shelf. If they’re stored under the sink, protect them from damp by storing them in a plastic container.
DID YOU KNOW? Many cloth shoes can be cleaned in the washing machine. Secure them in an old pillowcase before washing. The pillowcase protects the washing machine. Dry in the sunshine not the dryer.
How you manage your washing will depend on how many people are in your household and how much space you have.
Have a minimum of three washing baskets: four is adequate; five is optimum. Differentiate each basket either by its shape or colour. Tying a different-coloured ribbon to each basket will do the trick. This way children (and men!) will have no trouble knowing which basket holds what kind of laundry. Have one basket for whites; another for colourfast clothes; another for dark items; another for sheets, towels and light-coloured tea towels and another for hand washing. I also have a separate basket for reds! When a basket is full, it’s time to wash no matter which day or night of the week it is.
If you don’t have space for all these baskets, place your washing in colour-coded plastic crates and stack them vertically.
DAILY: Stains should be treated as quickly as possible and before the clothes are sorted into the appropriate basket.
To remove grease from clothes, rub dishwashing liquid into the stain, then wash. Soak in baby oil if it’s grease from the car. To remove shoe polish, wipe the area with methylated spirits, which dissolves the polish.
To remove fake tan, treat it as a tannin and an oil stain. Wipe with glycerine first, then use dishwashing liquid and sponge out.
To remove sun block, use dishwashing liquid and water.
To remove liquid found in Fluorescent Glo-sticks, soak the item in 1 cup of table salt to a bucket of cold water for about 20 minutes. Then freeze the item. Once it’s frozen, wash normally.
Stains on socks from leather can be removed with a product called Runaway.
I like to use the warm setting on my washing machine. Use hot, but not scalding, water for very soiled items, but be aware that hot water puts more pressure on the fibres of your clothes. If in doubt, consult the washing labels on your clothes. There should be a temperature guide.
Close zippers before washing so they don’t catch on other clothes—it’s also better for the hang of the clothes. Velcro strips should be stuck together and the clothes placed inside a pillowcase or washing bag, which is available at the supermarket, before being washed. To make Velcro stick better wet both the fluffy and spiky sides and comb with a nit comb.
DAILY: It’s fine to allow your washing to pile up but not to pile over. A friend of mine allocates different days of the week to washing. Whites are washed on Monday and sheets on Friday. She puts the washing machine on as she’s heading to work and puts the clothes in the dryer when she comes home. It’s part of her routine. I like to wash during the evening and either hang the clothes on the line that night or early the next morning. It’s okay to leave damp washing in the machine for up to 12 hours before it gets that musty smell. If your clothes do smell musty, add ¼ cup of bicarb to the washing water and ¼ cup of vinegar to the rinse water.
DID YOU KNOW? Adding a little lemon juice to the rinse water whitens clothes.
Before putting washing in the machine, check all pockets. There’s nothing worse than a tissue going through the wash and leaving white fluff on everything. If a rogue tissue spreads throughout your washing, take the washing outside, shake it thoroughly and wash it again. Just make sure all the tissue is removed from the washing machine and lint filter before your next load of washing goes in. It’s much speedier (and easier) to check pockets first.
If you do all your washing in one day make sure the first loads contain the heaviest items, such as towels, jeans or jumpers. The reason—they take longer to dry!
Q: INCIDENT: “I’ve got the worst problem,” reports Coral. “Pigeons have decided to roost in the ceiling above my laundry and have pooped all over the concrete floor. I’ve cleaned away as much as I can but there’s still white staining. What can I do?”
SOLUTION: Sprinkle some bicarb over the floor as though you’re icing sugar on a cake. Then sprinkle some vinegar over the top. While it’s fizzing, scrub with a nylon broom. Then rinse with water. And if you want to deter pigeons, or any kind of bird, buy a rubber snake around 20 centimetres long and place it where they can see it. They’ll stay away! You could also cover the holes in the roof with chicken wire.
To remove perspiration stains, make a paste of Napisan Plus and water. You could also mix 1 tablespoon of cream of tarter, 3 aspirin tablets and warm water. Paint on the stain, leave for 20 minutes then wash with warm water.
Speed your mending by keeping several needles threaded with different-coloured thread in a pincushion. They’re ready to be used whenever disaster strikes!
A: Protect delicates by placing them in a mesh wash bag. This stops them from being flung around the machine and getting damaged. It also prevents underwire bras from getting caught in the washing machine, which can be expensive to fix.
A: You’d think that the longer you soak your clothes, the more dirt is removed, but this is not actually the case. Some items need soaking overnight. Others, such as delicates, should be soaked for only half an hour. Never soak woollens for more than 20 minutes because the fibres shrink when the water cools.
For clothes that have been soaked and rinsed, speed their drying by putting them in the washing machine and using just the spin cycle. This will remove a lot of the water.
A: Ideally, no, in fact, if items are really soiled, you may need to wash them a second time.
A: Anything that has artwork on it, a transfer or design should be turned inside out before washing. Imagine the transfer on your favourite T-shirt hitting the metal drum of the washing machine as it washes. It can’t be good for it. Anything that has a nap, such as velveteen, should be turned inside out to wash. Socks should be turned the right way out, that is, the way you wear them. They tend to be dirtier on the outside than the inside. Protect the colour of jeans by turning them inside out. Any clothes made from corduroy or velvet should also be turned inside out.
A: I prefer liquid because it’s less abrasive and has less soap build-up. If you can’t get liquid, dissolve the powder in water before adding it to your wash. Check the instructions for front loaders as some stipulate using powder only. I use bicarb and vinegar as a fabric softener for towels and sheets. I never use commercial ones because they irritate my skin. Wear rubber gloves when working with enzyme products because they can damage your skin.
DID YOU KNOW? To remove grass stains, use white spirit/dry cleaning fluid. A natural alternative is 1 part egg white and 1 part glycerine, which forms a soapy paste. Both have to be the same temperature when mixed, so leave the eggs out of the fridge. Leave the paste on the stain for one day then wash in blood-heat water. You could also use this recipe if you run out of soap! It’s how cricket whites used to be cleaned.
Wash woollens in shampoo and rinse them in hair conditioner to keep them soft. Use 1 cap per bucket of water and always use blood-heat water.
A: Many clothes from India and Asia aren’t colourfast. Check the label first. If you’re not sure, test an inconspicuous part of the garment. To test for colourfastness, wring a cloth out in vinegar, place it over the garment and iron it. Colour will transfer to the cloth if it’s not colourfast. Always be extra careful with red clothes.
To stop colours running, either hand wash or machine wash them in blood-heat water with table salt and washing powder. Use 1 cup of salt and 1 tablespoon of washing powder per nappy bucket of blood-heat water.
Q: INCIDENT: “I’m an accountant and my shirts have ink stains all over them,” says Tony. “It’s a particular problem in the top pockets. Is there a solution?”
SOLUTION: One of the best ways to remove ink stains is with rotten milk. Place some full cream milk in the sun until it forms solids. Then apply the solids to the stain until the ink starts to drift up through the milk solids. Then wash normally.
A: Match the colour with folk art paint. If you can’t get the exact colour, mix the paints until you get a match. With a sable paintbrush, paint over the bleached area and feather it into the unbleached area. When it’s dry, iron the back of the garment to make it colourfast.
A: For dark-coloured jumpers, fill a nappy bucket with blood-heat water and add 2 tablespoons of Fuller’s earth. For light-coloured jumpers, add 4 tablespoons of Fuller’s earth. Put the jumper in and gently agitate it with your hands until it’s thoroughly wet. Let it sit for 10–15 minutes and then rinse completely in blood-heat water. Don’t leave it for longer than this or it will bleach. Don’t wring out the jumper but gently squeeze out as much water as possible. Then place the jumper on a towel in a shady spot and dry it flat. Gently stretch it back into shape as it’s drying. To make the stretch more even, use two wide-toothed combs on either side of the jumper and stretch with the combs as it’s drying. It’s not as effective but you could also use 2 tablespoons of Epsom salts, instead of Fuller’s earth, to a bucket of blood-heat water.
Dust inside each shoe with bicarb and pack with newspaper or paper towel. The newspaper or paper towel will absorb the moisture out of the leather so it retains more of its suppleness. It will allow the shoes to dry back into shape without going stiff. Then polish with shoe polish.
Clean leather trainers with Vaseline. Clean cloth trainers by placing them in a pillowcase and washing in the machine. If you have a mixture of the two, clean the cloth part with vinegar on a toothbrush and wipe Vaseline over the leather sections.
Wipe tea tree oil on the affected area and rub it inside your shoes.
I have my washing basket at waist height and keep the pegs beside the basket. Never leave pegs on the washing line because they deteriorate. If you hang your clothes as flat as possible, you’ll have less ironing to do later because there will be fewer creases to deal with. Hang each item by the strongest section of the garment. Trousers and skirts should be hung from the waistband. Shirts should be hung from the tails and pegged on the side seams. Woollens are best dried lying flat on a white towel (to aoid colour transference). Towels should be hung over the line in half so that the edges sit against each other. They’ll take longer to dry, but will be fluffier.
DID YOU KNOW? Bird poo can bleach your clothes because it’s high in lime. Keep birds away with fluttering ribbons or CDs hung from the clothesline. Birds hate sharp movements.
Keep your ironing board near where you use it. There are a couple of ways to speed up ironing. One way is to place a sheet of aluminium foil underneath the ironing board cover. This bounces the heat back up so you’re getting twice as much heat. The other way is to iron the clothes slightly damp. The fibres are slightly relaxed and it creates more steam. If you like starch, use rice-water starch (see page 86).
Iron flat things first, such as tablecloths and tea towels, because they’re easy or iron the things you hate most, then reward yourself. As soon as you have a bundle of items, put them away: it’s a good visual reward. Iron shirts last because they have to be hung up. Watch TV, listen to your favourite music or do what a woman I know did; set up an ironing board across a treadmill and walk while you iron!
If the scorch mark is light and the carpet is colourfast, cut a cloth to the size of the burn, dip it in 3 per cent hydrogen peroxide solution and lay it over the mark for 2 minutes. Rinse with a damp cloth. If the burn is very bad, clip the surface of the wool with scissors or patch it.
To patch the carpet, cut around damaged part of the carpet into a manageable shape with a Stanley knife. Find a piece of the carpet (perhaps some leftover or cut from somewhere little seen, such as from inside the cupboard) a little larger than the stained area. Make sure the pattern is in the same direction. Then make a paper template of the stained area and transfer this to the piece of patch carpet. Cut the patch around the template with a sharp knife. You’ll need some carpet tape, which is available from carpet manufacturers, dealers and some supermarkets. Attach the tape under the edges of the damaged carpet so that the adhesive side is facing upwards. Make sure that half of the tape is under the old carpet and the other half is exposed in the hole. Then press the patch carpet into the hole, sticking it to the exposed half of the tape. Brush the carpet in both directions until the fibres line up on the edges. Stand on the area for five minutes to make sure it sticks well. Then place a book on top of the patch for 24 hours.
