Tips from the Queen of Laundry

I am a slob.

I recently had lunch at my grandmother’s house and had just started eating when I looked down and noticed I had spilt tomato soup on her clean white tablecloth. I met her eyes with guilt on my face and apology on my lips.

She shrugged and smiled and told me I was my mother’s daughter; mom, too, can’t get through a meal without something landing on her shirt.

For myself, I tend to avoid wearing white and I know if I am wearing something remotely nice, there will be a stain in the middle of it in a matter of moments. Unfortunately, it also means my six-month-old ends up wearing what I am eating.

As any mom will know, the baby is always hungry just as you are sitting down to a meal. Unfortunately for my little guy, you can look at his outfit and see what I had to eat - a bit of eggs, some home fries and some pasta. Someone needs to invent some type of covering to help shield babies from falling food.

So being a slob, one would think I would also be the queen of laundry.
Not so.
That title belongs to CC, a friend’s mom who can conquer any stain and have fun doing it. Apparently the key to getting out stains is to pay attention to them.

CC’s daughter tells me it’s likely her mom scrutinizes every piece of laundry before throwing it into the washing machine.

Here are her tips:

A water softener is key, as is washing in cold water. CC said she never pre-soaks unless the laundry is really dirty, and she doesn’t use bleach unless she is whitening dish clothes or socks. She uses the sun as a natural bleach.

Once a stain is located, Spray ‘N Wash (or another brand of spray stain remover) will get most stains out. Using a paste made of your laundry detergent will also help to scrub away stains. For baby clothes, CC used to use a Sunlight bar.

And the makers of Pro-Solve Carpet Cleaner should take note.
Another friend, SK, was using what she thought was a stain removal spray on her white clothes. Turns out it was Pro-Solve Carpet Cleaner. She told the story to a group who laughed at her expense. But months later, she is still using Pro-Solve - it gets out those tough stains on whites.