Question about getting my laundry clean...?

Question

When I do laundry in the laundry room at my apartment, the clothes don't really come out very clean. It will remove smells and all that, but doesn't really do much for stains or marks on my clothing. I've tried the laundry mat and get about the same results. The machines where I use to live did a much better job, but that was in a totally different town.

I don't know if it's the water where I live, the machines at my apartment, or the detergent I use; or some combination of the three Does anyone have any tips that will help me get my clothes looking cleaner using the machine I have access to? The main thing is I don't want to spend a whole bunch of time pre-treating and/or scrubbing.

If it helps, the main stains I deal with are oil (as in cooking oil) on my shirts or stains on my knees from kneeling on an oily floor. I have very few whites other than socks and underwear and I don't have many really dark colors.

Answer 1

Add a scoop of Oxyclean to every load before you start filling the washer with water. You should also use liquid clothes soap (also added before the water).
The Oxy seems to give a huge boost to whatever soap you use and unless the stains are unusually bad, will remove the need for pre-treating.

Answer 2

I would try tide with bleach alternative or oxyclean detergent booster for colors and cold water always!!! no matter what the label says, warm and hot water sets in stains and if you put them in the dryer with the stains on them those stains are se in you will have to pre-treat before washing, try shout of oxy power spray and wash both of those don't take much time, just soak the stain you want to remove right before throwing them in the wash. I'm responsible for the clean laundry of two boys and a wonderful man and I never get stained or streaked clothes when their clothes come out of the dryer. Turn the water on first (cold) add your detergent, liquid is best, let the water dilute the detergent just a little then loosely add your load of clothes, don't stuff the machine and don't put clothes in inside out or crumpled in anyway the clothes should be loaded as if they were coming straight off a hanger and evenly on all sides of the washer's tub helps too. If you can try running 1 cup baking soda through the washer with the washer set on Large Load (no clothes), sometimes the water and your detergent can leave residue that causes streaking on clothes baking soda will clean out the washer before you put your clothes in

Answer 3

Well the more heat you add to stains the harder it is to remove whilst washing. Also if your clothes are not exposed to the sun they become dull and faded looking . If you use bleach in your wash, this makes them yellow and gray. The sun bleaches your whites whiter than white, and by turning your colored clothes inside out whilst washing them will help stop the color fading , then same whilst hanging them out in the sun. You could change your washing powder , but they all do the same thing more or less. Try putting less clothes in the machine and use a lower setting , 40ºc PS for the oil stains , add a small amout of dish soap to the stain , rub in with your finger tips and leave for a few mins. Then pop them into the machine on a 40ºc wash, this will help take the sains out

Answer 4

Pretreat with liquid Tide or Era (no cheap detergents) on the stains. Tide has enzymes. Separate whites from colors. Use hot water for whites and add bleach. Colors wash warm or cold.

Answer 5

I use Spray n Wash or Shout to treat any stains on my laundry. That is not time consuming!! Also, you could just add some powder Borax with your detergent in the wash or something like Clorox for colors. That also helps.

Answer 6

You will just have to use a little more effort now thats all. I would say pretreating the stains and marks will do the trick. You can also use hydrogen perioxid in your loads of laundry to help get them and keep them white as white gets. plus germ free.

Answer 7

For stains spray and wash usually works good and for color clothes that you do not want to bleach buy the liquid soap with color safe bleach in it. I think alot has to do with the soap and temp. of the water.