Everyday Wash

Stain Removal and Whitening

Borax: For heavily soiled items, add 1/2 cup of borax to your regular detergent. As a bleach alternative, try 1/4 cup of borax mixed with 2 cups of water.

Lemon Juice: To whiten your clothes, add 1 cup of lemon juice to a half-filled bucket of water, and soak clothes overnight.

Vinegar and Water: To remove a berry stain, remove the berry residue then flush area with cool water. Using an eyedropper, apply a solution of one part white vinegar and two parts water, and let sit for 10 minutes. Follow with a regular wash.

Softening

Baking Soda: To gently soften and deodorize a load of laundry, add in 1 cup of baking soda before you put in your regular soap and the clothes.

White Vinegar: Instead of fabric softener, add a tablespoon of white vinegar to laundry in the washer.

Delicate Linens

Sunlight: What could be easier than sanitizing and removing stains...with sunlight! (Just don't do it too often with fragile pieces, because they can start to break down). Simply lay your old lace, curtains and other fine linens on the grass in the sun for a few hours. Dirtier pieces can be dampened first.

Boiling: If sunlight doesn't do the trick, fill a pot with water and bring to a boil on your stovetop. Drop in linens and let steep until stains lift.

Detergent and Borax: Mix dishwasher detergent and borax together until you get a thick rubbing paste. Rub into soiled linens, then rinse clean.

Peroxide: If you have stubborn stains, try spraying them with peroxide, then rinsing with water.



Thanks to TheDailyGreen.com for the information here