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Issue 001's "So I tried it…" continued.
page 2 Red wine: pre-treat in a solution of ½ cup Borax ( I used the 20 Mule Team brand) to 2 cups of cold water. Let soak overnight. Wash in hot water with ½ cup of homemade lavender laundry detergent or other 'green' detergent. Line dry in sun if possible. Fruit juices and fruit jams: see instructions for red wine above. Tomato sauce: see instructions for red wine above. Lipstick: pre-treat with paste of 4 tablespoons of washing soda (I used the Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda brand) to ¼ cup of warm water. Always wear gloves when using washing soda. Pre-soak overnight in a solution of 2 tablespoons of washing soda per gallon of warm water. Wash in hot water with ½ cup of homemade lavender laundry detergent or other 'green' detergent. Line dry if possible. Coffee: pre-treat in a solution of ½ cup Borax ( I used the 20 Mule Team brand) to 2 cups of hot water. Let soak overnight. Wash in hot water with ½ cup of homemade lavender laundry detergent or other 'green' detergent. Line dry in sun if possible. Grass stains: pre-treat in a solution of ½ cup Borax ( I used 20 Mule Team brand) to 2 cups of hot water. Let soak 30 minutes. Wash in hot water with ½ cup of homemade lavender laundry detergent or other 'green' detergent. Line dry in sun if possible. It was truly amazing how effective these formulas were in removing the respective stains. Olive oil and the candlewax proved to be very tough stains to remove. Various regimens of pre-treatment and pre-soaking and precursing didn't really get them out. So tune in here next issue when I take these stains to the cleaners in wet cleaning versus dry cleaning! General washing: Both Borax and washing soda are laundry boosters, i.e. they amp up the cleaning power of your laundry detergent. Adding ½ cup of either washing soda or Borax generally yields superior cleaning results. Delicates: I was very pleased with how a solution of ¼ cup of Borax, 2 tablespoons of homemade lavender laundry detergent and a basin of water cleaned a black wool turtleneck. I soaked it for ten minutes or so, then rinsed it in cool water and laid it flat on a towel to dry. No wool sweater I've ever hand-washed smelled better. Please note: With the exception of the black
wool turtleneck, I tested only on white cotton and linen. As I learned,
always pre-test before committing an entire garment to a particular
procedure. Washing soda is not to be used on animal fibers, i.e. do
not use on wool, or silk, not even washable silk. Prevention truly is
worth a pound of cure. Years ago a friend gave me a beautiful silver
wine trivet. I use it all the time now. A saucer also works admirably.
When I see the candle starting to deconstruct, I put something under
it. But stains will happen so try to treat them as soon as possible.
And finally, please send me any of your cleaning questions, hints, anecdotes,
miracle cures, comments to editor@greenhome.com. Don't miss the endnotes that follow. Find them by clicking below at Read More!
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