The New York Times recently started a new blog called, Green Inc. Today they posted a short piece on how to save energy and money when doing laundry. This is a very important and timely theme as the economy goes through some rough times. We did our own post on this subject just a few days ago. Take a peek at our October 7 post. Click on this link to read the article: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/cheap-green-laundry-time/?hp.
Laundry Tips
October 10, 2008
June 29, 2008
Stain Guru: BBQ Sauce
Hmmmm....Pulled pork and bbq chicken on the 4th of July. What could be tastier? Not much, but certainly a bbq stain couldn't be nastier. Here is the stain-fighting remedy!
1. Remove as much excess BBQ sauce as possible with a dull knife or spoon.
2. Flush with cold water from the back of the garment to force out as much of the stain as possible.
3. Pre-treat with dropps. Let sit for several minutes. Rinse well in cold water.
5. Apply lemon juice if you have a white garment, otherwise don't! Rinse well.
4. Sprinkle some baking soda on the stain, and pour on some white vinegar. (This will cause a lava-like eruption - don't be scared. Reminisce about that volcano science project you made in elementary school). Rinse well with hot water.
5. Check the stain before you put the garment in the dryer - drying causes the stain to set.
June 26, 2008
Stain Guru: Watermelon
Watermelons are incredibly delicious and thirst quenching during the hot summer months because they are 92% water. Despite that fact, many people have trouble getting rid of the stains that come from that remaining 8% of the watermelon. Here's the secret trick: 
1. Boil some distilled water*. Pour directly on the stain. (This may do the trick and be the only step you need.)
2. If the stain persists, apply an enzyme-rich pre-treat product and soak for one hour. Wash as usual with dropps.
*CAUTION: Make sure the stain contains no sugars. If it contains sugars and you pour the hot water on the stain the sugar will caramelize and the stain will set.
You can apply this method for most fruit juice stains - the perfect summer stain trick!
June 25, 2008
Stain Guru: Mustard
4th of July is coming up next week and we wanted to get you stain-fighter ready for the holiday weekend. Keep that napkin on your lap as you'll want to avoid some of these tough to get out stains. Check back every few days for more tips from our resident Stain Guru.
Mustard is such a fierce stain because it contains turmeric. Turmeric is a yellow dye that’s present in both mustard seeds and commercially produced mustard to enhance the yellow color of the mustard. Since mustard contains this tough dye it must be treated as quickly as possible to get it out - otherwise you may be out of luck!
Give it a shot! Here's how:
*DO NOT use ammonia - ammonia reacts with the turmeric and will permanently set the stain. Instead....
1. Scrape off as much mustard as you can using a dull knife or spoon.
2. Blot the stain - don't rub. You don't want to rub the mustard deep into the fibers.
3. Sponge the stain with cool water from the back of the garment.
4. Mix approximately a half-teaspoon of dish soap, a half-cup of water, and a few drops of white vinegar. Apply the solution to the mustard stain (again using an absorbent material underneath) and allow soaking. Rinse well with hot water and wash as usual with dropps.
Mustard is notorious for being one of the most difficult stains to remove - Good luck!
May 23, 2008
Stain Guru: Ketchup
We're all looking forward to the upcoming holiday weekend. Some of us will be lucky enough to escape the city, while others will be hanging in the urban jungle that we call Philadelphia. One thing is for sure, when the weather is nice everyone wants to throw a cookout. The only downside? That ketchup stain that suddenly appears on your sparkling white jeans (it is Memorial Day Weekend after all).
Stain Guru to the rescue!
How to remove: Ketchup
1. Use a dull knife or spoon to remove as much excess ketchup as possible.
2. Flip the fabric over and run cold water through the back of the stain.
3. Pour a small amount of white vinegar on the stain. Rinse well.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to remove as much of the ketchup as possible.
5. If stain persists, apply a stainfighter and soak in warm water for 30 minutes.
6. Wash as usual.
Keep an eye out for more Summer Stain Guru Tips coming up! Mustard, BBQ sauce, Watermelon and more...
May 22, 2008
May 13, 2008
One of our favorites - Project Laundry List
Project Laundry List is one of our favorites and for good reason. It is a non-profit organization whose goal is to demonstrate through art, education and advocacy how personal choices can make a difference on the environment and on its people. Their main tool - clothes lines. Hanging out clothes on a drying rack or clothes line is one easy way to reduce energy consumption at home. It cuts down on energy use and saves money. What better combo? The average household will save $100 per year by hanging clothes out to dry. Plus, hanging out your clothes leaves them feeling soft and smelling fresh.
Think about the energy and financial savings if you hung your clothes out to dry and washed your clothes in cold water. Cold water washings use 75% less energy than hot water washings and save the average household $65 in energy bills. Now, all these savings are starting to stack up! The weather is nice everywhere at this time of year, so give it a shot.
Here are two places that offer a wide variety of drying racks and clothes lines for any household type:
To learn more about Project Laundry List, visit www.laundrylist.org
