My Little Laundry Helpers

So as most Mom's, I've tried my fair share of different laundry products. Sometimes I'm looking for inexpensive products, trying to get the most bang for my buck. Sometimes I'm looking for products that really get the job done. I wanted to share those "go to" products that I use that really get my laundry clean when normal washing doesn't. Meet my little friend, Zout. I've never had a friend who's name has begun with Z. Not many names out there that begin with Z. However, I am so so glad that I met my uniquely named friend Zout. He is a terrific friend. He gets out all sorts of stains that my normal laundry detergent doesn't get out sometimes. Like mud, grass stains, blood, chocolate, ink and grease stains. Oh how he eats up those grease stains. Even stains that have gone through the dryer. Yep, he eats those "set in" stains right up.

In all seriousness, this stuff really does work well. Someone introduced this to me after the birth of my first child, I've been hooked ever since. It gets out an amazing number of stains, and like I said it even works on things that have gone through the dryer. How many times have you pulled a shirt out of the dryer and a grease stain has magically appeared that wasn't there before? Squirt some of the Zout on it, let it sit 20 min or so and that stain will come out the next time you wash it. I've not had it work on a grease stain yet.

My second "go to" for laundry involves this stuff, Clorox 2. Again, when expecting my first child I was turned onto this stuff. I buy lots of baby clothing second hand. Some of it was a little on the dingy side and normal detergent wasn't getting it very clean. I was told about this concoction (by my lovely Momma) and have soaked many an item in it and it's really brightened the fabric and gotten out some old, set in and yellowed stains.

Here is the "recipe": Take 1/2C of Clorox 2 (it has to be this, no substitutions), 1/2C of cheapie automatic dishwasher detergent and dump it in a bucket. Place the clothing inside and fill the bucket with HOT water. Hot water is important, so make sure to just do like colored items to prevent bleeding. Mix it all up well and let it sit, the longer the better (overnight is best). Then dump the bucket, water and all in your machine and wash it on a small load with a small amount of regular detergent, again on hot. I'm telling you, this stuff if magic. Sometimes I'll have to repeat on really stubborn stains but I've only had a few items that this treatment didn't work on.

So those are my "go to's" for tough stains and dingy clothes. I'll share my "bang for my buck" products, including make your own detergent and the cheapest laundry detergent you can buy on another post!