NO GRAY
I’m a laundry pro – the common mistakes that you’re making that will leave your clothes smelly and gray
A SELF-proclaimed "accidental cleaning expert" shared some cleaning tips that will change "change your laundry game."
Melissa Maker posts videos to her YouTube channel named Clean My Space to "show you how to clean better, faster and get great results in the least amount of time," the account description says.
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She said that she hates cleaning and that's why she's "fast at it" and has been "talking about it here on YouTube for the last 11 years" in addition to running her cleaning business.
Many people, including Melissa, don't find laundry to be the most fun chore in the world, she said.
Melissa added: "And there's a lot to know to get your laundry done right," so she shared "six things that you can do that will completely change your laundry game."
If you don't know "the products and the cycles, all the different techniques," The pro-cleaner said you'll be "frustrated with the results."
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She said her tips, that she's tested herself, will get you "better results in less time."
Cold water
Melissa recommends using cold water to wash your clothes which she admitted, "may feel sacrilegious."
Some may have the idea that hot water gets clothes cleaner but Melissa said that's not necessarily true.
"If you use a detergent that's been designed for a high-efficiency machine, it actually is just fine in cold water."
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Depending on the detergent you use, Melissa said there may be "varying levels of success" with cleaning your laundry loads in cold water.
"Just like anything in life, you get what you pay for," she added.
Your washing machine uses 90 percent less energy when using cold water than it would when using hot water, she advised.
She added: "clothes love being washed in cold water,"
"It's gentler on them, it doesn't shrink the materials and it just helps them last longer."
When someone tells her that they aren't getting the best wash with their laundry, Melissa said the first thing she does is recommend that they switch to using cold water.
"It's better for the environment, better for your clothes and your clothes come out looking better."
Don't overdose
Selecting the "right amount of detergent" for each load of laundry "makes all the difference," Melissa said.
"Overdosing your detergent means that soap is left behind after the rinse cycle and over time, your clothes kinda develop soap scum."
She said the machine also develops soap scum after a while from having too much detergent in the loads which causes it to get smelly and your clothes to "kinda look gray."
You won't realize this after only going overboard with laundry detergent one time.
"But if you do it repeatedly; A, you're wasting detergent and B, your clothes are going to look [like] it and your machine is going to smell [like] it."
It may be tempting to add extra detergent when you have a really dirty load of clothes but, "you've got to hold back."
"Instead, select a laundry booster that will help with that specific issue and you can also choose a different setting on your machine to help deal with the specific issue that you're trying to get rid of."
Extra soap wouldn't help your extra dirty load, Melissa said it'll actually make it "a little less great" and recommends letting the machine and additive "do the work."
Removing stains
The cleaning pro also recommends a two-step approach to removing stains from clothes.
"Many people that I talk to when it comes to stain removal, think that they need one product to solve all the problems but they say that it never quite works so well."
Keep a liquid laundry detergent or an enzyme-based stain remover in your "stain removal arsenal", she suggested.
"Liquid laundry detergents have enzymes which is why they're a great choice."
Melissa said you'll also need an oxygen bleach product or hydrogen peroxide.
"Hydrogen peroxide/oxygen bleach is really great at color correcting."
Color correction helps with stubborn colors in your clothes "like berry or grass," she said.
"But if you have an oily or greasy stain, that just won't go away, that's when you're going to need the enzymes."
Melissa said that you'll need to use both products, in a two-step approach, if you have a stain that's oily or greasy and also contains color that needs to be corrected.
After cleaning the stain(s) with enzymes while the clothing is flat and dry, you should proceed to wash the item, she said.
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"Don't put it in the dryer, pull it out and retreat it with hydrogen peroxide or an oxygen bleach product."
Your stain will be gone after a second wash, according to Melissa.
