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Does bleach actually clean?  Does it actually kill germs? 

Recently, our company president ran across and article in Planet Laundry Magazine called “The Bleaching Process – It Helps to Understand What Bleach Does-And Does Not Do – For Wash-Dry-Fold Garments”.  The author of the article, Jeff Gardner, is the owner of Sel Dale Laundromat in St. Paul, MN.  He believes the general public is mislead when it comes to bleach. 

“When you bleach something, you are not cleaning it.  You are not taking out a stain when you bleach a garment.  Yet, this is something that is completely misunderstood by the general public.”  So if bleach doesn’t clean or take the stain out, what exactly does it do?  Gardener says, “Bleaches do one thing – they remove the color of a stain so that it becomes invisible.”  So not only does bleach not clean the stain the stain actually remains on the clothes and the bleach is ”simply masking the stain.”  Gardner also points out that if a white garment is continually bleached it will often turn gray.  “White clothing is as white as it is because its dyed and infused with optical brighteners.  But continued bleaching will eventually wear away those dyes and brighteners, returning the garment to the original grayish color of cotton, for example.”  To read additional articles from Jeff Gardner go to Plantlaundry.com.

Guess what?  You don’t need to buy a new iron or a new shirt.  Real Simple has saved us all from a lot of trouble.  Follow these easy steps to a clean iron that won’t leave behind stains!

What you need:

Iron, flat surface, water, baking soda, spatula, damp cloth, cotton swab, distilled water, clean cloth

Follow These Seven Easy Steps

Time Inc. Studios                  

 

1 Mix water and baking soda.   Make a paste of 1 tablespoon water and 2 tablespoons baking soda.

 

2 Apply the paste to the iron.  Using a spatula, spread the paste on the iron’s plate, coating the areas that have mineral deposits.

 

Time Inc. Studios

 

3 Wipe iron clean.  Wipe off the paste with a damp cloth.   4 Clean steam holes.  Dip a cotton swab in distilled water and insert it into the iron’s steam vents. Pour out any stagnant water left in the iron.

 

Time Inc. Studios

 

5 Re-fill the reservoir.  Pour in distilled water until the reservoir is one third full.

Tip: For a stronger solution, mix 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup white vinegar.

 

Time Inc. Studios

 

6 Turn on the steam.  Turn on the iron to its highest setting and steam-iron a clean cloth for a few minutes, letting clean water flush out any vent deposits.

 

7 Pour out the liquid.  Turn off the iron and pour out any remaining water. Place the iron on a surface that is  not too delicate, in case any sediment drips out of it.Tip:Empty the iron’s reservoir after every use to prevent mineral deposits from building up. 

 

 

I saw this post on thenest.com and wanted to share.  If you are lucky enough to have a walk-in-closet I think you’ll find this blog post by MadeByGirl very helpful for organizational and astetic ideas!  However, if you don’t, like me, some of the ideas well work for standard closets as will.  Enjoy!

Women are FASCINATED by closets.

I DEFINITELY know that one of my favorite parts of my home is my closet space!! It’s roomy, glamorous & so useful.  In there’s a growing trend of MEN that are into closets too! It’s not just us LADIES anymore….
 

 The Wall Street Journal recently did an article, The New Dirt on Dry Cleaners.  The article spoke of how many dry cleaners will be required to move from perchloroethylene (Perc), as a cleaning agent, by 2020 to other solvents.  “The Environmental Protection Agency has classified perc as a toxic air pollutant and potential human carcinogen.  While the EPA mandated that cleaning businesses located in residential buildings phase out perc by the end of 2020, some states including California, Illinois, and New Jersey, have sought to end its use sooner and more broadly.” 

With that said, some dry cleaners are providing earth-friendly dry cleaning services such as P&G Tide Dry Cleaners in the Midwest.  With new advances to more earth-friendly services it’s likely dry cleaning prices will rise.  At this point in time 80% of cleaners are still relying on good ole perc.  Due to already high prices in the industry many consumers are checking care tags for the forbidden words of Dry-Clean-Only before purchasing garments.  However, the US Census Bureau reports that in the US there is a total of “24,124 dry-cleaning and non-coin-operated laundry establishments.”  I think it’s safe to say dry cleaning isn’t going away anytime soon. 

So you’re probably wondering what are the new solvents being used and do they work.   The Wall Street says, ”About 60 dry cleaners in the US use SystemK4, a new dry-cleaning solution made by Kreussler Inc.   Alex Shvartshteyn, owner of London Cleaners in Cleveland, switched from GreenEarth to SystemK4 earlier this year and prefers the latter.  Kreussler wouldn’t disclose the chemical make-up of SystemK4, but he says the product leaves clothes softer and fresher-smelling than perc.”   That alone is a big improvement considering my prior experiences with dry cleaning.

Have you been needing to change out a light fixture or maybe fix a cracked porcelain sink?  Have no fear Mrs. FIXIT is here! Okay, enough of the cheesy stuff.  However, why not feel empowered and save money at the same time by fixing home repairs yourself.  Mrs. FIXIT gives directions on how to accomplish an abundance of repairs around the home from laundry stains to installing a toilet.  I don’t know about you but this is a site I will remember!