Cleaning expert Linda Cobb, also known as the "Queen of Clean," explains why clothes may not come out of the wash clean enough.
- Always button clothes buttons. This way when the items come out of the dryer, they are ready to be hung in the closet. The same holds true for ties and zippers--tie ties and zip zippers.
- Wash blue jeans with dark items. Jeans continually bleed over time, so any whites will have a bit of blue jean in them each wash.
- Although the back of the detergent box provides information on how much to use, see what works best in your machine. Homes with hard water may require more detergent in the machine, while those with soft water may require less. Washing-machine soda also "softens" water and works well in conjunction with detergent in hard-water areas.
- Go with liquid detergents because they actually do two jobs. Not only does liquid serve as the washing detergent, it also works great as a spot cleaner. This saves money because it eliminates the need for a separate spot remover.
- Give the washing machine a little "tender loving care" by washing it. Fill it up with hot water (as if doing a load of laundry) and pour in one gallon of white vinegar. Run the machine through the complete wash cycle--this will remove deposits and leave the interior mechanism gleaming. For hard-water areas, fill with hot water, add two cups of bleach only, then run through a cycle. Add two cups of white vinegar to a load of hot water and run through again. This should do the trick.
Resources Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean
by Linda C. Cobb
Pocket Books, 2000
Order this title from Amazon.com.
Guests Linda C. Cobb
Cleaning Expert / "Queen of Clean"
Website:
www.queenofclean.com
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