*CAUTION* Whenever you apply any chemical to your articles, make sure to test the color-safeness. Some chemicals might not have any adverse reactions the first time, but by the second, third, or fourth use, the over-care is evident!

For simple, fresh stains, all-purpose stain removers like Shout or Stain Stick will generally work. The longer a stain has to set in a fabric, or the larger and more penetrating it is, the more challenging it will be to remove. For really tough stains, skip the all-purpose stain removers and go on the offensive. Here are some tips for those especially tough stains. As always, if you have a fine-washable, it’s best to consult your local cleaner.

Grass stains - like most plant stains, are acidic. You may recall from chemistry class that like removes like. A great acidic treatment for acidic stains is good old white vinegar. Simply use a clean cloth to blot the stain with full-strength vinegar, allow the vinegar to work for ten or fifteen minutes, then launder as usual. Back to chemistry class. Stain removal requires a chemical reaction to take place, so it’s very important to allow the stain remover to work. Often people are unsuccessful with stain removal, because they don't allow time for the reaction to take place.

Greasy Stains - Two excellent products for removing greasy, oily stains are Formula 409 – it cuts grease in the kitchen, and it will indeed work on your clothes – and Simple Green (Sandy’s Coin Wash Recommended!) The latter is a citrus-based solvent, and citrus is extremely tough on grease. We recommend these products over a commercial stain treatment like the aforementioned Shout or Stain Stick, because they are formulated specifically for breaking down grease and oils. As with any treatment, after you spray the stain with 409 or Simple Green, wait ten or fifteen minutes, then launder the garment as recommended by its manufacturer.

Condiments can be especially difficult to remove, because they contain a mixture of acids, oils, and proteins. An especially effective method for these stains is a good, long soak. Use a bucket, dishpan or sink filled with warm water and a good detergent. While it is hard to find anymore, Biz is an excellent choice for presoaking, because it has enzymes that are great at breaking down protein-based stains. Dissolve the Biz or other detergent in the warm water, soak the stained garments for an hour or so, being careful to completely submerge and saturate the stains, then launder as usual.

Blood, Fresh or Dried
Rinse fresh blood stains in cold running water and rub with soap. Repeat. For dried stains, first scrape or rub off as much dried blood as possible. Soak in warm water using a product which contains enzymes. Wash. If this doesn't work, rewash the item using a chlorine-free bleach. In the case of stubborn stains, rust removers may be helpful.

Coffee and Tea
Presoak item in liquid detergent with bleach. Wash using the hottest water temperature that is safe for the fabric.

Cosmetics
Dampen stain and rub with liquid detergent. Rinse, then wash.

Dingy White Socks
Presoak in a liquid detergent solution for a minimum of 30 minutes. Wash in a liquid detergent which contains bleach. Food Coloring Soak in cool water. If stain remains, rub on detergent and rinse. Wash.

Fruit Juice, Wine and Soft Drinks
Soak stain in cool water as soon as possible. Then, soak in a laundry detergent which contains bleach, using the hottest water safe for the fabric. Wash.

Mud
Brush off as much as possible when garment is dry, then rinse under cold running water. Pretreat with a paste of powder detergent and water, or liquid laundry detergent. Wash using laundry detergent and a fabric-safe bleach.

Rust Stains
The yellow, orange or brown spots we sometimes find on our clothes may be caused by rust. Iron content of over .2 parts per million in your water supply can cause these type of stains, so it's important to have your water supply checked. Two possible sources can be rust water pipes or water heaters. One way to combat this problem is by using a mechanical water softener with an iron filter. Also, using a non-chlorine bleach can help, as chlorine bleach may cause the iron in the water to precipitate on fabrics and leave stains.

An excellent fabric softener (and very “green” one, by the way) is plain old white vinegar. Our grandmothers used it before all those commercial, lily-of-the-valley-scented products that cause those of us with sensitive skin to itch and chafe. Just add a cup to the rinse cycle in top loading machines or a half-cup in front loaders. The vinegar smell vanishes during drying and leaves clothes fresh, bright, and wonderfully soft. This is very nice for baby’s laundry and you don’t need very much at all

Large items such as bedspreads, comforters and king size blankets should be washed large, commercial front-load washing machines, which are available all Sandy’s Coin Wash locations. For best results, dry these items alone and on low or medium (permanent press) setting, adjusting the load every 10 minutes.

Old stuffed animals can be salvaged. Place stuffed animals in a pillowcase, tie a knot in the case, and then place the stuffed animals in your washing machine on gentle or permanent press. You can even dry them. For best results, machine dry animals for about 20 minutes and then let air dry. Your child's favorite stuffed toy may look like new.

To clean baseball caps without destroying their shape, place them on the top rack of the dishwasher and run through a complete cycle. Shoes can be washed in a clothes washer, but tie the strings INSIDE. Never dry either caps or shoes. It is recommended to use a towel or paper towel, wadded up about the size of your fist (or the size of the hat) and stuff the item, then air dry.

Why Dry Clean Silk? Did you know that silk does not need to be dry cleaned? All you need to do is warm hand wash the blouse with some mild woolwash (normal detergents are the wrong pH for animal fibers like wool and silk). Then dry until it is just damp, roll it tightly and place in a sealed plastic bag then place that in the freezer. Then when it is frozen take it out and iron it.

Suds & Cleanliness When soap flakes were used, a lot of suds meant good cleaning performance. However, the way laundry detergent is presently formulated, this is no longer true. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of this, and use excessive amounts of laundry detergent.

Washing Time Never set the washing time for over 10 minutes -- most detergents have done all the work they are going to do by then-- the rest of the time your clothes are just agitating in the dirty water. It may not seem like much, but you can save a quite a bit of money over time using this trick.

Water Temperature Water temperature plays a key role in the washing process. Hot water offers the quickest, best form of cleaning, and should be used for the following items: Sturdy whites, colorfast pastels and light prints, cloth diapers and similar baby items, and heavily soiled clothes. Warm water removes wear wrinkles, helps reduce wrinkling in the washer, and minimizes dye loss. It should be used for permanent press, all colorfast dark or bright colors, nylon synthetics, polyester, acrylic and washable woolens.

You may want to keep in mind that laundry detergents are formulated to clean best at temperatures above 60°F/16°C. Cold water may prevent sensitive dyes from "bleeding" minimizes washer wrinkling and saves hot water. It can be used for lightly soiled fabrics, and should be used to rinse all loads, regardless of wash temperature. However, due to detergent formulations, cold water does not clean as effectively as warmer temperatures.

To save on the time spent running your dryer, especially for "heavy" items like throw rugs, diapers, etc., use a commercial front-load Washing machine. Sandy’s Coin Wash commercial Front-Load washers spin quickly (extract) so more water is removed on the spin cycle. If washing at home, try adding another spin to the wash. Then, add a clean, dry, fluffy towel to your dryer with the wet laundry. This can cut your drying time by 25% or more!

• Don't over-dry your clothes. The average load takes at least 30 minutes to dry. Sandy’s Coin Wash dryers run anywhere from 170°F - 190°F, whereas the average home-dryer operates at 130°F - 160°F. That’s right, drying at Sandy’s Coin Wash is FASTER!
• Periodically inspect your dryer vent to ensure it is not blocked. This will save energy and may prevent a fire. Manufacturers recommend using rigid venting material, not plastic vents that may collapse and cause blockages. In the United States, the U.S. Fire Administration[9] in a 2007 report estimated that clothes dryer fires account for about 15,600 structure fires, 15 deaths, and 400 injuries annually, with eighty percent (12,700) of the fires in residential buildings. Since Sandy’s Coin Wash cleans our lint traps multiple times per day and services the dryer itself every 6 months, drying with Sandy’s Coin Wash is quicker and safer!
• Use the cool-down cycle to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer. Commercial Dryers are set so that the last 60-90 seconds of dry time, there is no heat. Which is why drying one-quarter at a time is not cost effective, you lost 1-1.5 minutes off each quarter!
• Dry towels, jeans, and heavier cottons in a separate load from lighter-weight clothes.
• Large items, like rugs, sheets, blankets and comforters should always dry in a separate load.
• Clean the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation.
• Drying a small load reduces the tumbling effect and consequently lengthens the drying time. Add several clean, dry white towels to speed up the drying of small loads.
• Turn your jeans inside out, so they won't fade as quickly.
• Most dryers have delicate permanent press cycles, which have lower settings to protect fabrics which might be damaged by high temperatures.
• Don't overload your dryer, as it can result in excessive wrinkling.
• FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURER’S CARE INSTRUCTIONS!

Your time is valuable, especially if you are married with children or going to school, or even if you just work long hours. You can reduce your electricity used and time spent by removing your clothes directly from the dryer while they're still warm and laying them flat -- one item at a time -- on a hard, flat surface until the whole load is stacked. If you are in Sandy’s Coin Wash, draping your clothes over the sides of the laundry carts or on the folding tables is the way to go! If you have to do something else, simply lay your clothes flat in your hamper. Later, you can return to the stack, it will be unwrinkled and ready to be folded -- not ironed!

Tree sap should respond to citrus-based cleaner such as Simple Green. Make a pad with a clean, white absorbent rag, and cover it with a layer or two of paper towel. Place the fabric stain-side down over the paper towel and blot the cleaner onto the back of the stain. Next, use a soft-bristled toothbrush to work the stain through – think of pushing the sap out of the fibers – onto the paper towel. Launder as usual. For very tough sap stains, and/or stains on more resilient fabrics, you might try a product such as Goof Off or WD-40 applied directly to the stain, followed by laundering.

Candle wax requires a similar approach. First, don’t touch the wax until it cools and hardens. Then, gently work a dull butter knife under the wax and pop as much of it as you can from the surface of the fabric. If residue remains, make a pad with a clean rag and paper towels as for the tree sap. Place the fabric stain-side down on the pad, and slowly and gently pour boiling water through the wax spot. Launder using a regular, ph-neutral household detergent such as Tide at the hottest temperature the fabric will allow.

Household glue such as Elmer’s will respond to lighter fluid applied with a cotton swab. Be sure to test for colorfastness on a hidden part of the garment.

Be especially careful to assure that all sap, wax or glue is gone from the fabric before you place it in your dryer, or the heat of the dryer can transfer the sticky residue to subsequent loads of laundry and become the unwanted gift that keeps on giving

Front loading washing machines will provide you savings in a number of ways. First, they are much more energy efficient than top loaders. The average top loading machine uses about 40 gallons of water to wash a load of clothes. A front loader has a much greater capacity, and can do a much larger load, using about half the water and detergent, not to mention less energy. The front loader will also save wear and tear on your laundry. Because there is no agitator – the laundry tumbles on itself to provide the soil-loosening action – your collars and cuffs will not fray and your fabrics will not be worn thin by the wash cycle. Your laundry will get cleaner and wear longer. The machine itself will also last longer than your top loader. Today’s front loading machines are made using stainless steel and plastic parts, while top loader parts are generally made from ferrous metals which are susceptible to corrosion from the chemicals in laundry detergents and additives.

Caution! - even though a front loader can handle large loads, you should still wash your rugs, big quilts, comforters and blankets in a commercial front loader at your local Sandy’s Coin Wash, and you should never, ever put a rug into your home washer. Dirt and pebbles trapped in the rug can damage the machine. Still, for the majority of your laundry needs, the front loader is the way to go, and the savings to you in energy efficiency, water usage, longevity of the machine, and time will compensate for the higher up-front cost in a short time.

The very best way to clean car floor mats is in a commercial, front-loading washing machine. A good stain pre-treatment, combined with the tumbling action of the mats in the wash water – they swish around and rub against themselves and each other – really serves to loosen the ground-in grime better than any power washer. You can take the floor mats to any professional laundry, or you can try this yourself:

1. Pre-treat the stains with any of the products you normally use for laundry: Shout, Stain Stick, etc. For really greasy dirt, Formula 409 is a great stain treatment.
2. Let the stain treatment sit on the floor mats for the prescribed amount of time to allow the chemicals to do their job loosening the dirt.
3. Launder the mats in hot water in a front loading machine, You will need little to no detergent if you did any pre-treating.
4. Check for stains. You may have to repeat the process for really set-in grime.
5. Hang the mats up to air dry. You can treat them with a product like Scotch Guard to help protect them, or you can just launder them more often. They really are tough, and can take a lot of washing.

For greasy, oily clothes, fill the washing machine with water and detergent as usual, then dump in the entire contents of a 12 ounce can of cola. Think about your high school biology class when you let the hamburger sit in the beaker of Coke overnight. That’s right! Those greasy stains are “eaten” away by the same corrosive power that turned that burger to sludge.

When your favorite blacker-than-black jeans or blouse starts looking, well, less than blacker-than-black, you can restore the rich, dark look with a cup of coffee. Just brew an extra cup of your morning eye opener and dump it in the machine after it’s full of water and detergent, right before you add the garment. Launder as usual. Since you should never use Dyes in commercial machines at Sandy’s Coin Wash, we look to coffee as a safe, harmless alternative with positive results!

Ink Your ink pen has leaked all over the pocket of your dress shirt. Spray the ink with some cheap hairspray or dab it with over the counter Rubbing Alcohol. Blot the stain and keep spraying, blotting the stain so the ink doesn’t spread as it dilutes. After three or four spray-and-blots, wash in the hottest water the garment will allow.(This only should be used on cotton garments!)

Gum The five-year-old in your life has managed to get chewing gum all over her new corduroy pants. Beat and egg white, apply it to the gum, wait about fifteen minutes, then scrape the gum up with the dull side of a kitchen knife and launder as usual.

Tennis Balls Finally, a can of nice, clean tennis balls can make towels, pillows, comforters light and fluffy, and sheets crisp and wrinkle-free. Some customers have shared how using tennis balls helps reduce dry time. This is true if only you leave your dryer unattended. If you adjust your dry-loads based frequently (for larger or heavier items), your dry time will decrease.

Some manufacturers recommend putting new tennis balls in the dryer to keep the down from clumping. However, the Soap and Detergent Association does not recommend this practice. The neon dye on the tennis ball could transfer to the down-filled item, or the tennis ball might not be able to withstand the heat. To avoid clumping, it is safer to periodically remove the item and shake vigorously. Adding clean, dry towels to the dryer load can also help.

Brighten Colors with Salt Hard water can cause clothes to become dull or dingy after several washings. To solve this problem, add a couple of pinches of ordinary table salt to the washer with the detergent. Let some water run in the washer to dissolve detergent and salt, then add clothes. Colored clothes will come out much brighter.

Delicates Think you have to take that sheer voile blouse, beaded top, fringed silk shawl, or lace trimmed dress to the cleaners? Think again! You can clean these at home by simply tying the articles in a cotton pillow case, knotting it closed, and washing in cold water on regular cycle. Beads, sequins, buttons and delicate laces will not fall to pieces, and garments can be restored by steam ironing or steaming in the shower!

As a general rule, down items should be cleaned twice a year- once before you start wearing them, and before you put them away after the winter season. Down can be washed or dry-cleaned, read your care label for instructions. You're better off taking large items that require a lot of washer and dryer space (i.e. comforters) to the laundromat, which has larger machines. Be careful not to tumble dry down items at a temperature greater than 140F, or water-resistant shell fabrics can slow drying.