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, 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)

Posted originally from: AT:Chicago