Heather in Neverland Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Issue #1: ethnic food... the oils, the curries, the sambal sauces... we LOVE them but they stain clothes like I have never seen (except for maybe the red mud in Alabama). Not eating these items is NOT an option :tongue_smilie:. Issue #2: asian washing machines. They are tiny top-loaders with no agitator in the center. At best, they just slosh your clothes around a bit. Issue #3: no hot water. All washing machines here use only cold water. So now what? What can I use (product or home remedy) to get these awful stains out of our clothing? If I can't get it here I will have my mom ship it from the states. Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 What about wearing an apron while eating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 I have a bunch of whites soaking in a sink of hot water and Biz right now. These are items that I noticed persistent spots on when hanging them on the line (read: freshly washed) and the water is brown. I'm seriously considering wet pailing (like with cloth diapers) the kids' light and white clothes, just for this reason. I do think, for food drips, a (brightly colored, patterned) napkin, tucked into the neck, might save you a lot of hassle though. At least when dining at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Issue #1: ethnic food... the oils, the curries, the sambal sauces... we LOVE them but they stain clothes like I have never seen (except for maybe the red mud in Alabama). Not eating these items is NOT an option :tongue_smilie:. Issue #2: asian washing machines. They are tiny top-loaders with no agitator in the center. At best, they just slosh your clothes around a bit. Issue #3: no hot water. All washing machines here use only cold water. So now what? What can I use (product or home remedy) to get these awful stains out of our clothing? If I can't get it here I will have my mom ship it from the states. Help! For oils, have your tried pretreating/handwashing with a grease cutting dish washing liquid? A brand name would be Dawn. These help release the grease/oil from the fabric. The curries might have spices that permanently stain. I know some mustards do. As for hot water, i was under the assumption that hot water can SET stains. We stopped using hot water years ago to save money. HTH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeri Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 jeri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Oxyclean, promptly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 As for hot water, i was under the assumption that hot water can SET stains. We stopped using hot water years ago to save money. I was taught that, as well. However, I think it's the heat drying that sets stains. I know enzyme cleaners work much better in hot water than cold, and there are certain stain releasing techniques that call for boiling water (red wine on a table cloth, for instance). The hot/enzyme combination just removed coffee residue from a white top that had been rinsed in cold (at the time of the unfortunate splat), pre-treated, and laundered previously. I do wash in cold, though, because I think (most of the time) that is perfectly adequate to clean our laundry and the cost of heating water with an oil burner... :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 I'd pretreat with an enzyme cleaner such as Kids'n'Pets or Bac-out. Then I'd wash with Tide Coldwater liquid detergent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 (edited) Zout always worked wonderfully for me! It no longer is in stores here, though; I don't know why. Just as good, however, are the two bar soaps: Zote and Fels Naptha. Zote is manufactured in Mexico, but available in the U.S. It often is used as the sole laundry soap, but I also have used it as a stain pre-treatment. Fels Naptha works both as a stain pre-treatment and as a home remedy for poison ivy or poison oak exposure. Get the fabric area very wet, then dampen the soap bar and rub it generously into the stained area. I wash almost everything with cold water, so know that these products work. HTH ! P.S. Fels Naptha can be found in grocery stores and also, to my surprise, in some hardware stores. Edited July 6, 2011 by Orthodox6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Amway Prewash spray is the best stain remover on the market. You might be able to find it over there as I believe they do sell overseas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelle in MO Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Another vote for Fels Naptha--miracle stuff! It does wonders for my boys' baseball uniforms and everything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Clorox 2/Cascade works really well on whites. I've risked it on colors when I knew the item was going to be ruined anyway, and often it was fine. Dissolve 1 cup Cascade Automatic Dishwasher powder and 1 cup powdered Clorox 2 in 5 gallons of the hottest water to come out of your faucet. Soak several articles of clothing overnight. Launder as usual in the morning. Book claims it will remove 90% of stains that do not come out with normal laundering and is good for removing food stains. Do not use on delicate fabrics or items that are not colour-fast. My MIL is famous for getting stains out of everything and she uses Lestoil on the really tough stuff. I don't think it would rinse out well in cold water though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy2BeautifulGirls Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 I use Shout Action Gel. It comes in a dark blue spray bottle. I use a toothbrush to rub it into the stain. Then I use OxyClean with each and every load of laundry. I have even managed to get a rather large butter stain out of my favorite yoga pants with this method. The nice thing about the Shout gel is that you can pretreat and then wait up to a week before washing, so you do not have to worry about getting it into the laundry right away. You also do not have to pretreat right away. I usually just check my girls' clothes before throwing into the washer, and if there is a spot, I set it aside to pretreat and wash later. I have even removed some stains that have gone through the wash/dry cycle before I caught and pretreated them. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 Thank you!!! I have made a list of all the products you suggested and tomorrow I am off to see which ones I can find on the island. I will b JY them all if I have to! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Simple Green. It even gets out the tiny grease splatters that land all over you when you cook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Clorox 2/Cascade works really well on whites. I've risked it on colors when I knew the item was going to be ruined anyway, and often it was fine. Dissolve 1 cup Cascade Automatic Dishwasher powder and 1 cup powdered Clorox 2 in 5 gallons of the hottest water to come out of your faucet. Soak several articles of clothing overnight. Launder as usual in the morning. Book claims it will remove 90% of stains that do not come out with normal laundering and is good for removing food stains. Do not use on delicate fabrics or items that are not colour-fast. My MIL is famous for getting stains out of everything and she uses Lestoil on the really tough stuff. I don't think it would rinse out well in cold water though. The cascade won't work anymore because they have taken all of the phosphates out of dishwasher detergent. I used to often use cheap dishwasher poweder to bump up my laundry when phosphates were removed from laundry soap. Many dishwasher detergents do contain enzymes and a bleach solution - so the enzymes might work for stains; but the bleach could be a concern. Read the labels carefully. Second the vote for Fels Naptha, cheap and effective! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Simple green is a good one for oily stains. Also, I started adding a cup of white vinegar to each load as a deodorizer (we work out a lot :tongue_smilie:) and have noticed it helps remove stains as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Lestoil works great on oil/grease stains. And crayon. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Okay, you won't believe our miracle stain remover-HYDROGEN PEROXIDE! It has taken out every pet stain (the dog eats yellow dogfood, and our carpets are cream colored) we've had, even old ones, any stain we've had on our clothes, too. My mom uses it diluted with water, in a spray bottle, but we don't dilute. It's great, because it doesn't take out the color, like a lot of stain removers. I don't remember using it on grease, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Another Fels-Naptha person here. The stuff gets out everything. I like that it is inexpensive (I pay $1 a bar) and it lasts forever. Just today, the chihuahua, had a very upset stomach. Left me a present of almost tar like BM on our stairs. A little Fels-Naptha, a toothbrush, and good scrub with a rag and the carpet is good as new. It also gets out GA red clay. Ask me how I know ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I use Oxiclean sprayed immediately and then washed pretty quickly. If this doesn't work, I soak in Oxiclean with hot water (do you access to ANY hot water?) in a bucket. WD40 sprayed on an oily stain and then rubbed with Dawn dishwashing liquid works well. When my kids are under the age of about 7, I strip off their shirts to eat when we are at home. Best.laundry.trick.ever.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 When my kids are under the age of about 7, I strip off their shirts to eat when we are at home. Best.laundry.trick.ever.:D I'm sitting here laughing at this. My husband called from work a little while ago and said he was returning to the station from a call and was planning to finally sit down to eat. Spaghetti. My response: take of your <white> shirt!! :D (he did leave his white t-shirt on, and called to tell me it's still clean.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I'm sitting here laughing at this. My husband called from work a little while ago and said he was returning to the station from a call and was planning to finally sit down to eat. Spaghetti. My response: take of your <white> shirt!! :D (he did leave his white t-shirt on, and called to tell me it's still clean.) Yes, this trick works on husbands, as well.:lol: I have told my dh that he is not a candidate for condiment usage. Have you ever tried to get globs of mustard and bbq sauce out of khaki pants???:auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Simple green is a good one for oily stains. Also, I started adding a cup of white vinegar to each load as a deodorizer (we work out a lot :tongue_smilie:) and have noticed it helps remove stains as well. Do you add the vinegar at the beginning? I might try this for our workout clothes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Just checking in to report: phosphates or not, the Cascade/Clorox 2 concoction has just removed the two gigantic (like 3x4", and soaked in) spots of purple, non-washable marker from my comforter. Downside: there is now a big, giant clean spot on my comforter. :001_huh: It has also removed the brown spots of unknown provenance from one of my daughter's shirts. It's been laundered several times previously. :hurray: I am the goddess of stain removal, I am the goddess of stain removal!! :hurray: {dance, dance, dance} Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Oxyclean, promptly. :iagree::iagree::iagree:HUGE fan of Oxyclean. I also love that it doesn't remove color from clothing. for really dirty loads I use Oxyclean powder in the load itself, along with laundry soap, and I spray treat ALL stains and let them sit in the Oxyclean for a MINIMUM of 10 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 This works great on food stains. I stole it from the Tightwad Gazette years ago and it has saved many a garment. :001_smile: 1/2 cup powdered Cascade 1/2 cup powdered Clorox 2 5 gallons of the hottest tap water you can stand (you could heat some on the stove) Mix this all together until the powder is dissolved and shove as many clothes as can fit in your container and remain submerged). Let soak oversight then dump the whole thing in the washing machine and wash as usual. (Cold wash is fine... I only wash in cold except for the occasional white load.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Carbona Stain Devils. There are a whole bunch of different formulas for different types of stains. Here is the chart for which # goes with which stain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandymom Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Lestoil works great on oil/grease stains. And crayon. :glare: This is what I was going to suggest. My husband owns/operated a restaurant, and this is the only thing I found that can get the oily stains out of his clothes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Just checking in to report: phosphates or not, the Cascade/Clorox 2 concoction has just removed the two gigantic (like 3x4", and soaked in) spots of purple, non-washable marker from my comforter. Downside: there is now a big, giant clean spot on my comforter. :001_huh: It has also removed the brown spots of unknown provenance from one of my daughter's shirts. It's been laundered several times previously. :hurray: I am the goddess of stain removal, I am the goddess of stain removal!! :hurray: {dance, dance, dance} Thanks! I am glad to know this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.