Let’s face it – clothing is expensive. Period. When stains occur, the price goes up when it cannot be removed. Typically as adults we don’t stain our clothing quite as quickly or as often as a child does. Those grass stains, mud, blood, spaghetti and pizza sauce and other food stains add up, and can cost a fortune when you have to replace the item.
Stains on white are not that difficult to remove if you use a little bleach. Often the bleach will remove it, and if you apply equal parts bleach and water and allow it to sit until dry, it often is easier to remove.
But sometimes bleach doesn’t work, and sometimes the stains are on colors and the bleach would ruin the item. So what do you do in that case?
I recommend using Oxy clean. Yes, it can be expensive, but if you use it as I describe, it is the most frugal stain remover out there.
I used to not believe in Oxy Clean because I didn’t see the benefits after using an entire bucket (no not in one wash!). I stopped using it after that one bucket was finished, and never bought it again. I had other items I was using that seemed to work better.
However, one day a friend of mine recommended I try Oxy Clean again, except she had a particular way she wanted me to try it. She asked (or rather suggested) that I create a paste out of it, and apply it directly on a stain. So with a big BBQ stain on my daughters shirt, I applied a paste of Oxy Clean and water. I allowed it to set about twenty minutes and then washed it as usual. Now I might add, this shirt had been washed and dried several times trying to get the stain out. Usually when an item has been dried with the stain in tact, it will never come out. I dispelled that myth! It actually worked!
I have been a firm believer ever since. And with five children who regularly stain clothing, I noticed that it gets 95% of the stains every time which saves money from having to rewash items or purchase new items.
Other favorite, helpful and very inexpensive products are stain sticks, sprays and gels. If used correctly and allowed to set for a bit, you should be able to drop the clothing in the laundry as usual and it should come out stain free. If you run into a particularly stubborn stain, try applying the stain stick, Oxy Clean paste or spray or gel to the backside of the stain. Sometime that lifts the stain right out.
Regardless, there are lots of ways to save money doing laundry and this is only one.
For more great frugal laundry tips, visit the Frugal Living Blog or see Related Articles below.
Related Articles:
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How To Frugally Fix a Laundry Mishap – Stains
Save Money While Doing Your Laundry
Frugal Ways To Get Rid of Stubborn Stains and Spills
Save Money When Drying Your Clothes