I’m sure most of you have one secret or another on how to remove those stains, you know, the ones that just won’t budge.
Several years ago, probably ten or so, I broke down and bought some Oxyclean. It sat on the shelf forever plus a day and then I decided to finally use it on something. It was The Manchild’s L.L. Bean boat tote. It was the most adorable bag I had ever seen when I bought it, cream colored canvas with different colored hand prints all over it, and bright red handles. The perfect bag for the day care, the library, long trips in the car. At some point, I think after a trip home from up north, it was so trashed that I was actually thinking of throwing it away. Then I thought: Use the Oxyclean! But, I hesitated. The red handles. What if they ran and the bag turned pink? I thought, well, if I am ready to give up all hope anyway, I might as well take my chances.
I ran the water as hot as I could and filled up the kitchen sink. Added the recommended amount of Oxyclean and let it sit and soak overnight. The next morning, I was absolutely amazed to find the bag in the sink (all the water had drained out), looking bright like it was brand new!
Since then, I have had a kind of love-hate relationship with the Oxyclean, as I have had some much tougher stains to deal with. With the babies, I have had several outfits that were doomed to the play clothes drawer or rag pile, but I have since found a new trick… BOILING WATER.
Whenever I have something that I think is just never going to come out, I soak it in BOILING WATER with Oxyclean overnight, and it has been few and far between that I have been failed. It works best if you are able to soak the item before washing, so the stain does not have a chance to further set before you soak it, but even so, this wonder rarely ceases to amaze me!
Check out more great tips at Works For Me Wednesday!
