In this day and age of more products to clean everything; stains, whiteners, brighteners, etc., who can afford it? I remembered a tip given to me from a friend years ago.
We are nurses and had to wear white. Bleaching your whites leaves them dingy and yellow after awhile. She recommended Cascade dishwashing detergent - the plain ole white powder stuff. Put your clothes in the hottest water they can stand, add 1/2 to 1 cup of the Cascade powder, and let soak for an hour. The enzymes break down the stains and whiten up the whites.
I recently had a grease/oil stain on a white jacket. I poured some of the white Cascade gel on it, rubbed it, and let it set for 5-10 minutes. The stain came right out! Other cleaning agents that you would normally buy for that were not working.
There you go, no need to run out and get 14 products to do your laundry. Look under the kitchen sink.
By Annlee from Newport, NY
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Use dishwashing powder (like Cascade) to pre-treat and launder your whites. It won't break down the fibers like bleach and will prevent your feet from smelling when you sweat.
By Laurie from Pahrump, NV
Dishwasher detergents, in equal amounts with regular laundry detergent and bleach will whiten your whites like you wouldn't believe!! I own a restaurant and wash my dish towels in 1 cup each plus HOT water and they come out looking like new. Maybe not the cheapest fix, but it is a lot cheaper than American Linens or whatever. I use it for other laundry, too but don't always put in the bleach.
Editor's Note: Just a tablespoon or two of dishwasher detergent would probably be enough of a boost. It's very concentrated. (03/06/2006)
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Another use is in whirlpool tubs--fill with warm water and put 2 Tbsp. and run for 1 to 2 minutes. (06/18/2006)
By Peg Ward
Mechanic oily jeanes and T-shirts washed sparkling clean,after my son had worked on his car, and I found out I was out of washing detergent, I looked under the sink cabinet to see what I could use to wash them with.Then I saw the dishwasher crystals and pour the same amount as I would use detergent.Was Isurprise to see them completlely free of grease. (08/20/2006)
By Mary from Houston,Tx.
Anyone know how to get the crud soap scum and calcium build up in my inner washer tub front load? My draining shows cruddy pieces of flakes after multiple cleanings with vinegar, bleach, dishwasher detergent, and rug shampoo in hot washes. Many, many, empty washes and rinses, but still crud comes out in drain water. Help!
(09/28/2008)
By oliver teekah
| I drink a great deal of black tea (hot), which leaves my ceramic teapots stained after multiple uses even after thorough washing with soap and water. They are nester teapots (tea for one that is), so the opening at the top is too small to get a sponge or normal scrubby brush inside to clean. The other day I decided to try an experiment. I put about a tablespoon and a half to 2 tablespoons of dishwashing detergent in the pot, filled it about 2/3rds full with very hot tap water, put on the top, plugged the spout with my finger and swished for about two minutes. When I dumped out the water the inside of the teapot was sparkling! I was so pleased I decided to try dishwashing detergent for a few other things. My mother in law was ready to toss out their coffee pot and buy a new one due to the accumulation of normal oily buildup that had been resistant to regular vinegar cleaning, as well as a weird blue green build up in the tank (presumably chlorine). I took everything on the coffee maker apart that could be taken apart, put all the loose pieces in the dishwasher, and put the dishwashing detergent into the tank with very hot water and swished. After a few minutes of swishing and judicious scrubbing with an old toothbrush, the tank was clean. It did take quite a bit of squirting with the hose from the sink, holding the coffee maker upside down to get the last of the detergent out of the hole for water at the bottom, but I was ultimately able to get it entirely clean, then run everything through a regular vinegar cycle and several pots of clean water. The last thing I tackled was the filter basket. It's one of those permanent ones and had years of build up that the vinegar never removed. I placed a couple of tablespoons of dishwashing detergent in a small pot, submersed the basket and boiled it for about ten minutes. Good as new! My in laws said their coffee after this thorough cleaning was as good as they'd had in years. By Kathleen from Mississippi | |
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| Cleaning With Dishwasher Detergent | 06/13/2006 |
| I thought I would add a suggestion that I have used on my cups after drinking tea. Taking some dry baking soda on a dishcloth and wiping the tea stain will take it right out. Quick way to do it if you just have one or two cups to do. | |
| By Laurie |
| I use these things for A LOT of different cleaning needs. For baked on food and burnt food stuck on pans, the stove burner drip pans,the inside of the microwave, even cleaning the crud on the floor under the major appliances - it's magic! For cleaning pans, drip pans, etc... just fill the sink with hot water, a small squeeze of regular dishwashing liquid and a couple of spoonfuls of the dishwashing crystals - let it soak a little while; then, using a dish rag or a plastic scrub pad wash just like you were washing dishes normally - rinse well...Presto! For cleaning the crud under the appliances when you move them, and the inside of the microwave, and other kinds of kitchen cooties...I fill a trigger spray bottle with a couple of spoonfuls of the crystals and warm water - shake well then use it like any other cleaning spray. Works like a charm! The enzymes in the crystals are what works the magic. It's cheap too. (Be sure it's the crystals not the liquid type.) By Pat K from Athens, AL | |
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| Dishwasher Detergent Crystals - Kitchen Cleaning Magic! | 03/12/2006 |
| Another tip for dishwasher detergent--a repairman told me that to keep calcium deposits down in a front loader washer, that you should run an empty load with dishwasher detergent every now and then to clean it up and help it last longer. | |
| By karen zetzer |
