Between cooking meals in the kitchen, working on our car and being self-confessed klutz, we learned to treat clothing stains early on in life. It wasn't until a friend visited recently that we realized one of our tricks was rather unusual and left them asking, "Why do you keep chalk on top of your dryer?"
Now, the smart aleck answer was, "Because it would just roll right off the washer during the spin cycle!" Although it might have been off-the-cuff, it's still true. We keep a piece of chalk hanging around your laundry space to give a boost to greasy spots.
Instead of using extra laundry detergent to pre-treat, instead we turn to our old school friend — white chalk. Simply rub onto greasy stains and the chalk powder will absorb the grease, making the stain easily removable by the laundry soap in the wash.
It might sound silly, but it's worked wonders for everything from lipstick to bacon grease and even though our laundry area is on prominent display, we still keep it out in case disaster (or in our case, Murphy's Law) strikes!
Do you have an odd laundry tip to share? Let us know below!
(Image: Flickr member Stuartpilbrow licensed for use by Creative Commons)
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Ivory soap and a nail brush can perform miracles for oil-based stains of all kinds. Hydrogen peroxide on blood or sweat stains is a lifesaver too. Haven't ever tried chalk though!
I can't believe I've never heard of that. Chalk? Genius. Thanks for the tip!
Who knew??
I've never heard of that, I've always just used baking soda. Very cool!
This is brilliant. We have "Terre de Sommieres" in France, kind of a clay powder we use for exactly the same purpose. By absorbing the greasy residue, it makes it easier for the soap to get it.
Getting Terre de Sommieres here is awfully expensive, and your trick is such a cool replacement. I might try it overnight on wood, just to see if it works on greasy spots too!
del4yo - Terre de Sommieres does work great and you can grind white chalk to give the same effect, we've been known to run a steak knife over our chalk stick to get a little powder for extra "grease gripping power."
... just make sure to wash your steak knife :)
I wonder then if a layer of cornstarch would be even better...
We've used cornstarch before, but only on clothes that will end up going in cold water. Warm water, the starch tends to get a little gunky on occasion (like say the item of clothing gets wrapped in another one and doesn't get the best water flow).
flour also works
Using plain old dish soap works for getting greasy stains out as well.
I just buy Zout. That stuff is awesome. It works for grass, blood, grease, tomato, and just about everything else.
baby powder works too for absorbing grease
baby powder, which is the same concept as chalk.
L.A.'s Totally Awesome. Available at dollar stores everywhere and has taken butter and bacon grease stains out of our clothes...even when we don't catch them before they've been washed and dried!
Talcum Powder does the same job. And there are greater chances of having some baby powder around the house than chalk.
I use dawn dishwashing liquid for greasy spots, but will give chalk a try.
i use liquid dish soap... but it ends up mixing smells, which is kinda gross... will try the chalk
smart! I've resorted to using a layer of baby powder and a layer of rice over the oil stain. Chalk is LESS messy, for sure...
maybe we can use chalk on the spill in the gulf of mexico?
If I get a greasy spot on my clothes in a restaurant, I ask for baking soda or flour and rub it into the spot immediately. Either powder washes out, along with the oil or grease, when I get a chance to wash it properly. Great tips, all!
I swear by Windex (i actually use the store brand). Never fades the color, i've used it on many fabrics, for all kinds of stains. Spray liberally and scrub with a toothbrush (i have been known to just scratch at the stain with my nail in a pinch) then launder as usual. Even gets out !old stains