A handful of washing soda in the washing machine will keep your garments very soft without using expensive softeners.

Ball point pen stains can be removed by using hair spray - let the hair spray dry and wash the item.

Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little peroxide on cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood.

Dirty neck rings around shirt or blouse collars can be removed by putting shampoo on them. Rub the shampoo in like you were washing your hair. Shampoo is specifically made to remove body oils. A cheap bottle of shampoo kept by the washing machine is handy for all kinds of stains in clothing.

Gray Dingies: One cause of the gray dingies is overloading the washing machine. When you do this, the clothes cannot move freely, resulting in poor washing and unremovable soil. To estimate the right-sized load, place dry, unfolded clothes in the washer loosely until it is about three-quarters full. Another cause is using non-phosphate detergents, particularly the granular type. If you`re using a non-phosphate detergent, use the hottest water possible and dissolve the detergent in the water before adding the clothes. If you have hard water, you might want to add about a third to a half cup of packaged water softener along with the detergent.

Microwaves can be used to emergency disinfect clothes, such as a child's cap that another kid has put on, as long as they have absolutely NO metal in the zippers, buttons, rivets etc. ALWAYS place a cup of cold water next to the article to absorb the heat and microwave on high until the water is steaming.

Removing mildew stains from clothes: Begin by brushing of mold outdoors so you don't scatter mildew spores in the house. On washable fabrics, pretreat by rubbing detergent into the dampened stain. Then, launder the items in hot water, detergent and chlorine bleach, if it is safe for the fabric. If the stain remains, sponge it with hydrogen peroxide, rinse and launder. If the item isn't bleach-safe, soak it in an oxygen bleach that is safe for colors, then wash it. Take non-washable fabrics to the dry cleaner and tell them what the stain is.

To clean small children’s toys such as Lego bricks, place them in a pillowcase, secure the top with safety pins and put through a cold wash in your washing machine.

To remove perspiration stains in clothing, soak in warm vinegar and water.

Urine Stains: For washable fabrics that can be bleached… pre-soak them in cold water for at least thirty minutes. Launder these fabrics in hot water using detergent and chlorine bleach according to the directions on the bleach container. For washable, non-bleachable items, sponge the stained area with a solution of equal parts of household ammonia and water then launder the item in warm water and detergent. Rinse it well. For non-washable items, sponge just the stained area with clear water to which a few drops of ammonia have been added. Then, sponge with clear water only.

When laundering clothes, add detergent to the washer first. Pouring detergent on clothing can cause fabrics to fade.