Real Simple takes on the old age question.  Does washing in cold water really work?

“Q: My friend washes all her clothes in cold water to preserve the color. Do they really get clean this way?
Faith Stafford
Brooklyn, NY

A. Yes. The consensus is that cold water is more than up to the challenge of washing everyday laundry. “Technological advances, in both machines and detergents (not just the cold-specific kind), have made cold-water washing a highly effective option,” says Colorado-based clothing-care expert Steve Boorstein. Sometimes it’s safer than using hot water.
For example, protein stains (blood, sweat) can set in when washed in hot water, and hot water may shrink or wrinkle synthetic fabrics. That said, some people find that workout clothes still smell unpleasant after a cold cycle (synthetic materials, like those in some Under Armour and Nike Dri-FIT pieces, tend to hold on to bacteria and odor). If this is the case, do a cool-water prerinse within 20 minutes after your workout. This will help eliminate residual odor during the next cold load. Cold-water detergent is a good choice for gym wear; regular detergent works fine for other clothing.
Another argument for turning down the dial? Since about 90 percent of the energy consumed while running a load is used to heat the water, the average household opting for cold can eliminate as much as 350 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually. For most homes, this will amount to about $40 in savings a year.”

Find more information on laundry Solutions check out Real Simple.

I’ve mentioned in a previous blog that my husband and I recently purchased a new front loader washing machine.  I had heard from others that mildew was often a problem with these machines.  When the delivery men installed the machine they went through the basics of how to use the machine but also left me with a good tip.  When the washing cycle is complte remove all wet laundry and keep the door open to dry out the inside of the machine.  Remember to also open the drawer where detergent is deposited to air out as well.   Drying out the machine properly prevents mildew from growing on and inside the rubber seal.  However, in case you didn’t know how to prevent mildew and now see you have a problem, Martha Stewart is at the rescue.  In Martha’s book Homekeeping Handbook you will find a solution for this common problem. 

“To remove mildew and discourage further growth, clean the rubber seal with a solution of 1 cup chlorine bleach to 2 cups warm water.  Wearing protective gloves, first wipe the lower portion of the door seal–where water and, thus, bacteria will be most concetrated–with a soft cloth soaked in the bleach solution.  Then follow up by wiping down the entire seal.  Finally, fill the bleach dispenser with bleach and run the washer(without any laundry) through a complete cycle using hot water.  Repeat this process every two to four months to keep mildew in check.”  Voila!  A clean odorless machine!

I was reading through the tips provided by Beez McKeever, Wardrobe stylist, during an HGTV episode of TIPical Mary Ellen and gleaned what I consider the three cardinal rules of doing your laundry. The others suggestions are definitely worth noting and have merit for particular instances. However these three things will ensure no matter who you are – single bachelor, busy professional woman, or mother of two – you will have clean, long-lasting clothing.
1. Sort Your Laundry: Sorting your laundry will ensure that any items that have not yet been pretreated will not bleed and ruin an entire load of clothes. Sort your clothes into three types- whites, dark colors and mid-range colors. Always wash your dark colors in cold water so that colors don’t fade and bleed. Wash your whites in hot and mid-range colors in warm.
2. Don’t overload your machine: This is one of the most common mistakes made. Clothes will not get as clean if they are not allowed to move around the washer. McKeever states that a typical washer can manage 8-9 pounds of clothes. Follow the advice on your washer for how much clothing is recommended.
3. Wash and dry your clothes inside out: I personally hate stopping to put my clothes inside out before washing but I have learned that it is definitely worth the time. Clothes turned inside out will not ball up as fast or lose any printing. Clothes that are washing inside out also, I have found, seem to look newer longer, than those washed the other way.

The ABC News affiliate in North Carolina recently posted a fantastic article on how to tackle laundry duty as a new mom (or new parent, in general). We’ve attached it below:

Choosing detergent

Your baby’s skin is more sensitive than yours, but as long as you use a mild detergent—one without color or fragrance—you can safely wash his clothing with yours. (Just be sure to wash cloth diapers separately from all clothing. See “Washing Diapers,” below.) For now, avoid using liquid fabric softeners or dryer sheets since they tend to be perfumed and may irritate baby’s skin. Always wash your baby’s PJs in detergent rather than natural animal-based soaps because such formulas wash out the flame-retardant chemicals that are used to treat sleepwear.

Getting out stubborn stains

To remove any baby stain (i.e. formula, food or poop) first scrape off as much as you can and get the clothing into cold water as soon as possible. Fill the washer with cold water and allow the clothing to “agitate” while the stain is fresh — this may get the stain out (never soak in hot water since this can “cook” the protein into the fabric’s fibers, making it difficult to remove) and you can wash normally.

If the stain remains, let it soak in cold water with detergent for at least 30 minutes. If the stain has dried, soak in cold water and detergent for several hours. Wash in warm water, rinse and inspect. If the stain remains, soak another 30 minutes and re-wash. If you use bleach to help get the stain out, be sure to rewash since bleach will irritate a baby’s skin. Never put stained fabric in the dryer since the heat will set the stain.

Cleaning cloth diapers

If you use cloth diapers and don’t have a diaper service, keeping the right supplies on hand will make laundering them easier. The essentials include a pail with a cover, Borax, baking soda, bleach, and white vinegar. Here are three easy steps for dealing with dirty diapers:

• Fill the diaper pail with warm water and 1/2 cup of Borax.
• Rinse dirty diapers before placing in the diaper pail; the Borax solution will help remove stains.
• Run diapers through two wash cycles. On the first, use detergent, hot water and bleach. On the second, use just water, adding white vinegar to the final rinse. The vinegar gets rid of soap residue and whitens diapers. You can also add baking soda to the final rinse which helps soften the fabric.

Marriott hotels are beginning to offer green laundry systems at some of their locations. Click the link below to watch a video from a Marriott in Washington D.C. that saves around 35 percent on energy costs by applying eco-friendly laundry practices for the tons (literally) of guest laundry that they wash each day.

Marriott going Green

This catchy, to-the-point slogan is used by Miami Beach’s Laundry Bar, only one of many establishments nationwide that are attempting to make laundry day a social event. Most of them feature full bars and libraries, while others—such as Harvey Washbangers—are full-service, even offering a food menu. Nearly all of these laundromats are on or near college campuses, catering to students with tons of dirty laundry and unquenchable thirst. What a fantastic idea. Here are just a few of these establishments that we found:

Laundry Bar, Miami Beach, Florida

Brain Wash Cafe & Laundromat, San Francisco, California

Suds & Suds, Corvallis, Oregon

The Bar of Soap, Dallas, Texas

Harvey Washbangers, multiple locations, nationwide

Laundry Bar, Miami

This year be prepared before you lose another tablecloth to set-in wine and food stains after the holiday season. Here’s a list of things to do to salvage even the whitest of white tablecloths. Don’t thank us, thank ClothingDoctor.com:

• Scrape off all the food you can before washing with a dull utensil.
• Candle wax needs to be scraped off, and then dissolved with a product like “Un-Du,” before washing (available in hardware stores and on the net).
• Consider using Spray & Wash or something that can “lubricate” out the stain.
• Bleach only helps to remove the last remnant of a stain, after the original staining matter has been removed.
• Two things; do not pour bleach directly on a stain, and chlorine bleach should be diluted: One ounce of bleach per one gallon of water.
• If you wash and bleach your tablecloth, be sure to do the napkins along with the tablecloth to retain color consistency.

Next Wednesday is Halloween and you still haven’t thought of a costume to wear. Why not pull out last year’s? It’s quick, it’s free. So what if it’s covered in dry beer and chocolate smears; we’ve got some cleaning tips for you.

Washing your Halloween costume

Washing your costume is simple, since costumes are usually made of some synthetic material. Spot clean with carpet cleaner and hand treat stubborn stains with laundry soap before you machine-wash it. Turn it inside out and machine-wash on a cold, gentle setting. Use half the gentle detergent and liquid fabric softener that you would normally use. After cycle is complete, turn the costume inside out again (back to normal) and hang dry. Never use your dryer to dry a costume.

Washing your wig

To wash your wig, fill your sink or a bucket with cold water. Add any shampoo and agitate the water to make it soapy. Dip your wig in the soapy mixture while gently agitating and continue to do so depending on how soiled it was to begin with. Let the wig sit in the soapy mixture for several minutes before you drain the water. Thoroughly rinse the wig until there is no soap left. Hang it up to allow it to air dry. Once it is completely dry, shake the wig until it returns to form. A synthetic wig should preserve its shape after washing.

Here’s a video from Expert Village that we found on YouTube.com. It’s a great step-by-step resource for washing laundry correctly; keeping your light clothes light, your dark clothes dark and your dry-clean-only’s undamaged.

The World’s Largest Laundromat, in Berwyn, Illinois, touts 157 washing machines and 145 dryers, but that’s not all. It’s crowning jewels are the 36 solar hot water panels on its roof that account for 20 percent of its energy needs.

The solar panels save the facility about $2,000 a month by displacing nearly 2 million BTUs of natural gas per day for washing clothes. It’s the largest solar hot water heater in the state of Illinois. Needless to say, it wasn’t cheap. It cost Tom Benson—the owner—$150,000 to install; however, he expects a return on investment in five years, considering how much money the system is saving him on the gas bill.