Ask Mrs. Clean: House Cleaning, Stain Removal and Organizing Tips

[Gunner2477]

Our washing machine broke last year and left oil stains on our clothes. I went to my usual stand by and used DAWN dish soap to get the stains out. The stains would come out of the first wash and then would show up on the clothes in the next load. As well new stains are showing up on clothes that weren't stained when they went in the wash. I don't know if the Dawn soaked to far into the clothes or if it is the type of Dawn I am using. I thought it might be the machine and even went so far as to buy a new machine, no luck fixing the stain problem. Any advice that anyone can offer at this point will be greatly appreciated as I am running out of money buying new clothes for the kids. I am desperate!!!!

[mrscleannw]

Hello Gunnar2477,

I don’t think it is Dawn stains you are seeing; Dawn is a degreaser and will completely wash away.

I don’t know how new your machine is, how dirty the laundry is you are washing, or how large the loads are? If you are using Dawn are your clothes very dirty or grease stained?

Clean the Liquid Softener Dispenser:
Try removing the liquid softener dispenser (some of these are located on top of the agitator). It could possibly have an accumulation of lint, hair, and other debris in various parts of the dispenser that is causing those mysterious spots.

You can use a toothbrush, q-tips, etc. to clean it out. If it is dirty it could be those little balls of gunk are absorbing the softener and throwing a residual onto the clothes.

Hot Wash Cycle and Bleach:
After cleaning the dispenser, run a full wash cycle (no clothes) on the hottest water setting and pour in 1 cup of bleach. This will help remove any remaining residue.

White Vinegar:
Follow up the bleach cycle with a white vinegar cycle. Run a full cycle (again with no clothes) to clean, deodorize, and remove any odors from the washing machine. Use 1 cup white vinegar and warm water.

Mrs. Clean