Getting the tough stains out

Hattie Kemp

Doing laundry is a lifelong chore as it never ends.It's not a gender-specific chore, meaning it's not women's work, despite what you may believe. Everyone creates dirty laundry therefore everyone should know how to clean it.

I taught my two daughters, Ashley and Tracie, when they were young girls. Learning to fold hand towels and washcloths was fun for them at age 2. They loved being mommy's little helpers and doing this chore gave them a sense of responsibility, and self satisfaction in their accomplishments.

I also get a feeling of self satisfaction in doing laundry, especially stain removal.

I have washed, dried, folded, hung up and put away thousands of loads of laundry in my life so far and have become proficient at stain removal along the way. Even today my grown daughters occasionally give me stained garments to work my magic on and I'm proud to say that I have never let them down.

My secret is OxiClean, my favorite stain remover. It comes in several forms: the original powder, the regular-strength liquid in a trigger-spray bottle and a travel-sized spray bottle and an extra-strength formula for set-in stains in a spray-trigger bottle.

I use the regular-strength OxiClean for first-time stains, removing most with my first attempt as it works that well. My first step is to inspect each piece of laundry before putting it into the washer.

Finding a stain requires the following procedure. First I lay the stained garment down on top of my washing machine, flattening out any wrinkles and saturating the stain with regular-strength OxiClean. Always wash the garment immediately after applying OxiClean. Never let it dry.

I use a regular bristle toothbrush (not the type with large plastic bristles to massage gums) to scrub the stain in an up-and-down motion, pressing down as hard as possible without damaging the fabric. The stain usually disappears at this point.

Reapply OxiClean and scrub again if the stain isn't gone in about a minute. Repeat this procedure three or four times for stubborn stains.

Wash the garment in the hottest water safe for the fabric, making sure to use only cold water if a manufacturer recommends it. Check to see if the stain is completely gone before drying the garment, as drying can set in a stain.

Doing this procedure removes practically all of my stain challenges. A slight trace of the stain remaining at this point would require repeating the above procedure.

Extremely stubborn stains, which rarely occur, force me to pull out the big guns: the original OxiClean powder.
I follow the package directions verbatim.

The travel-sized OxiClean is a must-have for klutzes like me, who inevitably spill food on their clothes when eating out. Once I dribbled sweet and sour sauce on my white shirt and OxiClean magically removed it.

Of course I did have to suffer the humiliation of walking out of the restaurant with a large wet spot on my chest. Whatever.