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Sunday, November 12, 2006

Frugal Tips and Tricks (4)

I've been doing a LOT of laundry lately, can you tell? Here are some more laundry tips.

To remove stubborn/offensive odors
Add about 1/4 cup clear ammonia with your detergent and other additives. (Just don't use it in conjunction with bleach!)

I use this trick a LOT! This works great for underwear, kids' urine-soaked clothing (sorry, it's a fact of life at our house), sour laundry, and other stinky items. It amuses me that something that smells horrible itself does such a great job of removing offensive odors.

Dryer sheet stretcher
Cut in half

This will not make any difference in performance, and the dryer sheets will last twice as long. How great is that!

Dryer preventive maintenance
Particularly if you use dryer sheets, scrub your lint filter with hot soapy water and a toothbrush or similar implement at least twice a year. Dryer sheets leave a film that builds up, clogging the mesh openings and reducing your dryer's efficiency and effectiveness. This can lead to dryer fires and break down of the heating unit. I found this tip here at Snopes.com.

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