Removing unwanted wrinkles when you don’t have easy access to an iron, hang clothes in the washroom when having a shower, keep the doors and windows closed and leave the fan off.  You can also place the clothes in the dryer with a damp towel for 10 minutes to remove wrinkles as well.

My white clothes look dull and dingy. Most of the labels say “NO Chlorine Bleach” – is there another way to whiten them?

There are many reasons for whites to become dull. A very common factor is hard water. The trace elements in the water can prevent soap from lathering properly and the residue can leave a dull or gray appearance. Check with your local utility to see if this is a concern. For slightly hard water, it is possible to overcome the problem of siding, by simply adding more detergent.

You can try an all fabric bleach (Bleach for un-bleachable), or an oxygen bleach, but always test for color fastness on the clothing, and add the bleach to the soap and water, BEFORE adding the clothing. Even these ‘safe’ bleaches can cause damage if poured in concentrate, directly onto wet clothing.

You might also try soaking in a solution of water and lemon juice overnight before washing. Then add this soak water into the wash water with the regular detergent when washing.

The final tip would be to hang these articles to dry in the sun. The sun is an excellent natural bleaching tool, which can actually even lighten some stains to the point they are invisible. The other huge benefit of air drying, along with the fact it is free, is that stained clothing will not have the stain ‘set’, whereas a tumble dryer gets so hot, that the stains are baked into the fibers.

Conveniently one of Forum experts had the same thing happen to him not very long ago.

Tools & Techniques:
Clean dry cleaning rags, multi use solvent.

1. First do NOT run the dryer anymore heat absolutely sets ink stains.
2. Using a clean dry cleaning rag wipe as much ink off as possible. If you catch before the heat has set this then you have a chance.
3. In my case there was an extreme amount of ink and I wiped what I could. Next I got progressively more aggressive with my cleaning compounds. I started by using a large towel and poured a mixture of warm water and dish soap on the towel and placed in the drum in an attempt to have some of the ink soak into the towel since there was so much ink. I had marginal success with that, but I was able to get some off and especially where there was a large amount of ink.
4. Then I used a multiuse solvent designed to break down gum, glue, ink etc. (solvents are flammable use caution be sure the dryer is cool, be sure there is very good ventilation when working). Pouring the solvent on my clean dry white cleaning rags I slowly worked on my dryer drum using allot of cleaning rags I was able to remove allot of the ink.
5. The problem I was having was ink under the agitators (usually plastic). The ink on the plastic came off well with the solvent, but ink had pooled under the agitators. I poured a general purpose cleaner along the edge and a fair bit of ink came out. I did not pour the solvent since I did not want to much flammable material to be used.
6. The key was I took my time and used allot of rags always pouring the solvent on them and removing as much ink as possible.
7. Now I had so much ink that I eventually used paint thinner to remove more ink. Now paint thinner is also very flammable so I used with caution. I did not nor would I recommend running the dryer for at least 24 hours, waiting for all the vapour to dissipate first. This is why I did not pour the solvent directly into the drum.
8. Now all this took some time and effort and after it was all done I did not even get 100% of the ink removed only about 70% so I was a little frustrated. After about 24 hours I ran the dryer only on air fluff to be sure there was no vapour. And I washed and dried some work clothes to absorb any ink that may not have come off.
9. It has been a couple months now and it looks like a little more ink has come off but I have seen absolutely no ink on any clothes. To summarize be patient and realize that it probably will not be perfect and you will have to live with some ink stains on your dryer drum but overall it will have no impact on your dryers performance. I will NEVER again forget to remove my pens from my pocket (I hope…) this was one tough job. Good Luck

If you want to try by hand if you have the time or inclination use a soft brush and use some of the tips listed below:

Prepare a solution of water and a neutral cleaner (such as liquid dish-washing detergent or use laundry soap and water mixture).

Remove laces and inserts and rinse the shoes with water inside and out.

Use a soft brush and the cleaning solution to scrub every part of both shoes, including liners and insoles.

Remove scuff marks with a white nylon-backed scrub pad.

Rinse the shoes thoroughly with water.

Stuff the shoes with paper (not newspaper the ink will run and make a mess) to absorb excess water and to help the shoes keep their shape. Allow them to drip-dry.

Wash the laces in a load of laundry. Allow the inserts to air out, and apply baking soda to them if they’re smelly.

Replace the inserts and laces after the shoes dry completely.

Apply white cream shoe polish to white leather and black polish to black leather parts.

This is mostly common sense, but there are also some simple tests that take very little time to be sure your clothing is not damaged when washing or bleaching.

With a new article of clothing, especially on vibrant colors, always do this quick test before washing for the first time. Moisten an inside seam, and rub with a white cotton towel or a cotton ball. If any of the color transfers to the white cloth or ball, treat this article of clothing like dynamite. It has the potential to turn sports socks pink, make blue jeans purple, and other wise ruin perfectly good clothing.

Wash separately, according to the manufacturers label. One garment can be easily laundered in a sink to save energy, instead of running your washer with only one piece of clothing in it! Wash in cold water to prevent the dye from running out, and follow the label for drying. If the clothing cannot be placed in a dryer, wrap it up in an old terry towel, to remove as much moisture as possible, before laying flat to dry. Hanging a non-colorfast garment to dry, may leave dye run marks. For articles of clothing that can be placed in a dryer, the heat will usually set the color, making the piece colorfast, but to be certain, re-test before the next laundering.

As for bleaches, the two most common types are chlorine (whites) and oxygen (all-fabric) based. For either of these you will mix a small amount to use as a tester. For whites mix a tablespoon of chlorine bleach in a cup of water, for colors mix 1 teaspoon of all fabric bleach to a cup of water. Place a drop on an inside seam, or on a shirttail. Allow the drop to sit for 5 to 10 minutes, and check to see if the color has lightened. If it does not change color, it is safe to treat with that type of bleach. You can add the remaining test mixture into the wash water, but always be sure to follow the manufacturers directions for dilution rates.

The complete list of what all those laundry symbols stand for can be found at http://www.textileaffairs.com/lguide.htm

Used dryer sheets are great for dusting. They are useful on surfaces that attract static electricity, such as your computer or television screen. This will help keep the dust from resettling because of the ingredients in the dryer sheet that prevent static cling. They can also be used on any surface that can be dry dusted and you can just throw it away when you are finished. They are great for blinds, the inside of your car and wood surfaces as well (use dry). Another great way to use them is for picking up cat hair. One unique way to reuse a dryer sheet is to dampen it and rub it over your pantyhose. It will keep your slip and/or skirt from clinging to your legs! Used or new dryer sheets are great on any surface you want to eliminate static.

Eliminate odors with your new and used dryer sheets! They can be used in drawers or cupboards. You can even hang one up in your closet to keep it smelling fresh. Just place a few used dryer sheets in your sock drawer and it will help your drawer and clothing stay smelling dryer fresh.  You can also put a used or new dryer sheet in your laundry basket to keep the dirty laundry from smelling bad. They are great for stuffing into stinky sneakers too. Keep a used dryer sheet in the bottom of your wastebasket can to eliminate trash odors. It’s also a good idea to put a dryer sheet in your suitcases to keep out musty odors while they are stored.

They should return to their original dark black state. To prevent future fading, wash them in cold water, with Ivory Flakes plus only a small amount of detergent.