Laundry and a $25 Visa Gift Card Giveaway

As part of the Arm and Hammer Switch and Save Challenge I have a few more tips on dealing with dirty laundry.

When I asked about your biggest summer laundry challenges there was A LOT of discussion about stained and stinky laundry. Here are a few solutions that are working for me:

First, conquering smelly laundry:  I wrote about my husband’s smelly running clothes last summer…  after discovering the power of baking soda to conquer the sweaty stink.  Since then, I’ve refined my process even more.  I’ve found that if I use 1/4 cup baking soda in the pre-wash dispenser and 1/2 cup vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser of my front load washer it works wonders for removing the stinky running smell.  I use a HE front loader washing machine, but this process can also be achieved with a top loader by simply adding 1/2 cup baking soda in the wash cycle and waiting to add 1 cup of vinegar when the rinse cycle starts.  To really knock out any lingering smell, hang your clothes outside to dry on a clothesline. Sun and breeze work wonders on smells.  This wash and dry treatment is always enough to tackle even the stinkiest clothes my husband can produce.

Here’s another stinky wash problem some of you might have faced.  Sometimes I forget to take clothes out of the washing machine for a day or two… and the clothes take on an awful mildewy odor.  I used to rerun the whole load… which seemed SO wasteful.  Nowdays, I sprinkle in 1/2 cup baking soda right on top of the load and run a “rinse and spin only” cycle.  This is so much better that running the whole load through a complete cycle again.  Unless the clothes are really stinky, this has been enough to freshen them up.  Plus adding the baking soda to the rinse really softens the clothes up nicely.  The best solution is not to leave clothes in the washer… ah huh…  hopefully someday I’ll be that smart.

Last but not least, since I started using Arm and Hammer plus Oxiclean Power Gel Laundry Detergent over the last month and a half, I’ve experimented with it as a pretreatment on some nasty stains.  I simply rub the gel detergent right on the stain before washing.  This trick has worked great for removing more stubborn stains that might not have come out without pretreating… ie. grass stains on the jean knees and ketchup spilled down the front of a t-shirt.

OK, enough stain talk, are you ready for another giveaway?   Enter for a chance to Win a $25 Visa Gift Card compliments of the Arm and Hammer Switch & Save Challenge.

To enter leave a comment completing the sentence,  “I could use $25 for…. ” Fabric…. or a night out with my husband to the movies or to Five Guys for their outrageously good french fries with some malt vinegar sprinkled on top (not a very healthy craving I have at the moment)… or flowers for my garden… or some new flip flops – well that’s what I might spent it on anyway.

The Rules:

  • Contest closes on Thursday, June 23th, 2011 10:00 MDT
  • Only one comment per person please.
  • Random winner will be announced on Friday, June 24th

Be sure to head over to the Arm and Hammer Switch and Save website and enter for a chance to win $25,000!  How fun would it be to win $25,000?!   Let’s see… how would I spend that?

****** This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc,  the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is compensating me  to try different products. Click here for a coupon to Save $1.00 on any 2 ARM & HAMMER Laundry Detergents.

127 Comments

  5. I could use $25 for covering a little bum with diapers. Those first few weeks are lots of diapers and lots of laundry. Got any suggestions for soaking a baby’s clothes to get the really funky stains out?
    Thanks for the tips on rewashing a load that may have sat for longer than it should have. I will have to try that!

  6. …summer remodeling projects! So many I want to tackle, but all the little things add up to make some of them a bit pricy!

  9. I would use $25 toward a great pair of summer sandals if it were just me! Since it’s me and 4 kiddos and a husband, I think flip flops for everyone would be a good idea! Thanks for the chance! Love your blog!

  14. I would use it to shop the clearance on swim suits, what with beach trips, swim lessons, and friends with pools, we go through a lot of suits during the year!

  16. I could use $25 toward my daughter’s back to school shopping. She’s starting high school in the fall so every little bit will help!

  19. I would use the $25 for fabric to make curtains for my house, which is the first one ever for my husband and I. It’s really exciting!

  25. I could use $25 for some new bras! I’ve recently finished nursing my baby and none of my bras fit correctly! ;)

  26. I could use $25 for my trip to Philadelphia. I am a teacher in Kansas and headed to present at a conference. I would so use it carefully!! :)

  27. Thanks for the tips. I bought a big bag of baking soda from Costco. I plan on putting it to work.

    How would I spend the money? I think I use it create a fun picnic at a concert. There are plenty to choose from this summer.

  30. I could use $25 to help buy some clothes for vacation. I need shorts, especially!

  31. Thank you for all these laundry tips! I’m ready to fight stinky laundry!

    I would use the $24 for a date night. There’s a new Five Guys Burger just minutes from our house. I would love to bring my hubby there! Thanks for the giveaway!

  33. I could use $25 toward a new phone for my husband. His keeps shutting off and making me worried!

  34. I could use $25 for some summer fun. It always seems so hard to come up with the extra cash for a movie or a game of bowling or whatever.

  35. I could use $25 for groceries. Money is a little tight around our house right now. If I had $25 I would splurge and get something GREAT for dinner.

  36. I could use $25 to buy a couple meals or some goodies on my upcoming two week road trip!

  40. I could use $25 for fireworks, to make this 4th of July a spectacular celebration of this AMAZING nation that we live it! Thank you for a chance to win! =)

  41. I could use $25 to use towards a portable dvd player to keep my 2 year old busy on her first plane trip to meet family in Indiana in August.:)

  42. I would use $25 to eat out. Or buy some summer reads.

    And here’s my laundry tip, Murphy’s Oil Soap (a wood floor cleaner, I think) gets grease stains out of clothes. That’s my mom’s laundry secret.

  43. I could use $25 for a date with my husband- dinner maybe? :)
    littlegray88 at yahoo dot com

  46. I could use $25 many times over but at this precise moment in time, I would probably put it toward my kids’ one year birthday party. There are three of them so . . . three presents, three cakes, three scoops of ice cream, etc.

  51. I could use $25 to give to my daughter who is getting ready to go to college! Every little bit helps!

  52. I could use $25 to buy some school clothes for my daughter who’s entering *gulp* high school this year!

  53. I would get a new set of micro graters – – – gave mine to my daughter and really miss them!

  55. $25 of baking soda! Okay no, probably not, but your baking soda over stale wet clothes in the washer idea is super! I have baking soda sitting on a peed-on bed right now.

    I’d use the $25 on one of our many vacations this summer. We’re going to be busy!

  56. I could use the $25 for a haircut!!!! It’s looking pretty shabby about now! Thanks for hosting this giveaway!!!

  58. I would use $25 for yard sale stuff!! (I am going through a yard sale phase… trying to find awesome things/awesome things to repurpose.)

  61. I could use $25 to get an oil change on my car. However…I will probably take it with me to Target instead :)

  62. I could use $25 for a dress for an upcoming friend’s wedding! Thanks for the mildew smell tips. I’m the worst in the world about leaving things in the washer too long!

  66. I’d use $25 to buy sunflowers. I’ve been reading about how to encourage bees and we need summer flowers. I have a spot that we dug bamboo out of last year that is now sprouting weeds. I’d like to start a bee garden to encourage their repopulation.

  67. I know its cliche, but baby needs new shoes! I have a 1 yr old that keeps growing out of everything!

  68. I would spend it on fun crafts for my grandchildren. Love your site and great tips. I was wondering why there is a brown stripe from Google on your blog. Sometimes I can’t read what you have written, like today.

    Dana

  73. I could use $25 for flowers. My front planter is bare except for the ivy that never dies. I just hate spending money on annuals but love it when they’re planted.

  75. I would use $25 to fill my Mini Cooper with gas for the road trip I have planned this weekend while my husband’s out of town.

  76. I’m really impressed with your folding clothes dryer. That’s what I would put the $25 towards. Many thanks for your blog!

  78. I would use the $25 to buy Christmas presents (eventually) because we’re trimming the budget right now, and that is one place that really got cut!

  80. Love the baking soda tip for the load sitting in the washer to long. $25 would be great for a special ice cream treat. It has finally stopped raining and the sun is out for the first day of summer.

  85. I could use $25 to buy used books for the third graders in my daughter’s classroom. She teaches in a low income area and I buy gently used chapter books for the children at yard sales.

  87. I could use $25 to go tandem biking and dinner at Tinfish on the lake with my husband!

  90. I could use $25 dollars to use towards the redecorating of my 8 year old son’s room (we are undertaking this summer).

  94. I could use the $25 for dinner out with my mom and kids when we go to the beach next week!

  101. I would use $25 to purchase Stregthsfinder 2.0 for a friend who is very financially strapped and very discouraged.

  103. I would use $25 towards some new capris or shorts which are severely needed now that the temps are roasting us down here in the south!

  104. When you put baking soda and vinegar your HE washing machine do you also use laundry soap? Or just the baking soda and vinegar?
    I could use $25 to put towards a folding drying rack.
    Thanks.

  108. I would use $25 to buy a quilt pattern book I’ve had my eye on for a month!

  109. I could use the $25 for a haircut – I am way overdue, but money is tight and it’s not a priority right now.

  111. I could use $25 for a couple of good books. I love the library, but it’s nice to get some paperbacks for the beach that can get sandy and dog eared!

  118. I’d take my granddaughter out for a nice lunch and together-time. She deserves it and so do I!

  119. If I got a $25 gift card right now, I’d take my kids and do something fun like go to the movies, go to Michaels or go to Barnes and Noble. Thanks for the chance!

  122. I could use $25 to buy some fabric for curtains for my room so my baby will stop waking up with the sun! :-)

  123. I could use $25 to buy some wine at Kelleys Island Wine Co when we’re there on vacation in 1 week!

  125. I love your blog! Do you have any tips for a smelly/musty washing machine, it is an HE front loader and I try to leave the door ajar to prevent it but it still happens sometimes.

    BTW I would love the $25 gift card, I would add it to the Christmas gift box to help ease the $ strain close to the holidays.

  126. I would use $25 to buy more baking soda and use some of these great tricks you keep writing about!

  127. I could use $25 to pay for gas to get me home to visit my family.

    I always enjoy reading your blog. Such lovely ideas.

Comments are closed.