It may not be everyone’s favorite activity, but doing laundry is an unavoidable part of everyday life. With laundry being one of the most monotonous tasks at home, dealing with mishaps is the worst.
There are many reasons laundry disasters can occur: improper laundering methods, incorrect cleaning products, ineffective washing equipment, and so on. These laundry problems can be fixed, which is the good news. Here are some solutions Farmington dry cleaners suggest for common laundry issues:
1. Dry Stains
If there’s a stain on your clothes, the best way to remove it is not to let it dry. Some people don’t have the time or the patience to completely remove the stain right away. As the stains dry, they will become more difficult to remove. If you’ve already used your favorite stain remover, give it another shot.
If you can’t wait for it to dry or use a more powerful stain remover, use lemon juice on the whites and expose the garment to the sun. Lemon juice will work like bleach when exposed to sunlight. Then, thoroughly rinse the clothing before washing it again.
2. Sweaters that have Shrunk
Seeing your beloved sweater shrink in size is heartbreaking. However, don’t fret. It’s possible to bring the sweater back to its original shape so you can wear it once more. Mix 2-3 tablespoons of hair conditioner in a bucket of room temperature water. Soak the misshapen sweater for 5 minutes in the solution. After soaking it, lay a dry towel on top. Gently stretch the sweater to reshape it. Repeat this process until you’ve properly restored the sweater’s shape, then lay it out to air dry on the towel.
3. Pink Whites
Among the most usual laundry mistakes is pink whites. Although you thought you’d organized your clothes according to color, a red handkerchief or sock managed to slip in among your whites. You’ll end up with a bunch of pinkish clothes. To fix this issue, you’ll need to use a Rit Color Remover.
This laundry treatment product can be purchased at supermarkets and it can be used to remove dyes from whites. Rit Color Remover can be used on colored or patterned clothes but may cause damage to the cloth.
4. Washed Receipts and Tissues
People occasionally forget to take tissue papers or receipts out of the pockets of their clothes. Whenever tissues or papers are drenched in the washer, they stick to your clothing – and removing each tiny piece of paper from your clothes is pretty exasperating. So, be sure to remove large clumps of damp tissues or papers before throwing your clothes in the machine dryer.
The leftover bunched-up paper will be collected and deposited on the filter. When the drying cycle is finished, shake the clothing to eliminate any leftover tissues or receipts. Also, don’t forget to clean the filter or lint trap once you’re done using the machine.
5. Mildew Stains and Repulsive Odors
Moist clothes not taken from the washing machine will stink. Check your clothes for mildew spots. If there isn’t any, all you need to do is wash them again. Use a bleach that’s safe for colored clothing or bleach for whites to scour the items completely. If you notice mildew stains, wash your garments in a chlorine bleach solution.
This will effectively get rid of stains from white clothing. You can mix one cup of hydrogen peroxide and one teaspoon of color-safe chlorine to remove stains from colored clothes. Simply sponge the sections with mildew stain. You can then rinse the clothes and wash them as usual. Borax can also be used to soak the clothes.
6. Washable and Dryable Stickers
A single or a couple of these stickers are frequently overlooked by parents. When these stickers are washed and dried out, however, they become difficult to remove.
If this is the case, using ice cubes to freeze the sticky residue can be helpful. When it hardens, remove with a spoon. Then, use either baby oil or cooking oil to get rid of any remaining sticker glue from the cloth as it peels off. It is also necessary to clean the area with dish soap. Rinse it under warm running water. Finally, use a stain remover and wash the clothing again.
Key Takeaway
Even if you’ve been washing your clothes for years and believe you know what you’re doing, you’re not alone if you’ve ever made a laundry error. Most of us make mistakes at some point and these laundry blunders can cost you money and cause damage to your washer.
To save yourself and your beloved clothes from irreversible disasters, consider smart DIY laundering fix-its. You don’t have to spend excessively on repairs or a whole new wardrobe. Try these laundering hacks and you’ll have clean, ready-to-wear clothes again before you know it!
Iskra Banović is our seasoned Editor-in-Chief at BlueFashion. She has been steering the website's content and editorial direction since 2013. With a rich background in fashion design, Iskra's expertise spans across fashion, interior design, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and culture.