2 Laundry Related Questions

Updated on October 09, 2009
M.I. asks from Pittsburgh, PA
14 answers

i've got two totally unrelated laundry questions, and i'm hoping someone has some experience with either of them!

my first question is, does anyone have a trick that gets the icky stain from under the arms on white or cream colored shirts? i have a sleeveless top in white and a cream colored sweater that it's really bad on. i use the turns-clear style deoderant, and i'm sure that's making it worse. anything i can do to lessen or even get rid of this?

my second question concerns the lint screen in the dryer. apparently i skipped a week or so of cleaning it off, and now the middle of it has lint stuck to it, almost like it was wet and matted to it. i've tried using a dryer sheet to rub it off, but wasn't successful. i'm sure i could go find a replacement one, but i wanted to try to get it off before i went and spent money.

thanks for any help or ideas!

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A.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

I had the same issue with white shirts. My aunt, a laundry queen, said to use Lestoil. It is a cleaning product found in with cleaning supplies. She told me to soak the shirts in that and then wash them. I have not tried it yet but she is all about stains and laundry lol.
As far as the dryer screen, i would try soaking it in some soapy hot water and maybe hosing it down??

A.

More Answers

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J.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

As for the under arm stain, try using Resolve Laundry Remover for white clothes on the white shirt and the regular Resolve stain remover for the cream shirt. Make sure you do not use the Resolve for whites on the cream shirt, only on white clothes. It worked well for me. They are the red spray bottles and you can find them in the laundry isle.

As for the dryer, did you try to use the attachment from your sweeper? I clean my lint screen and the inside where the lint screen is inserted all the time with the attachment from the sweeper. Good Luck!!

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L.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi M.,
I don't know about the first question, but I do know about the second. The fabric softener sheets build up on the screens. The screens should be washed with soap and water once a month. The water should run through the screen and not pool. This will help to dry the clothes faster and also reduce the chance of a fire. I do mine on the first of every month so I don't forget. Hope this helps.
L.

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A.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I hate those armpit stains too! I swear I don't even sweat but will still get them-and I put on a ton of deo. I hate to spend on white blouses because of it. Sorry no advice but will be watching your answers.

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E.M.

answers from Johnstown on

Hi M.,

Ok, for the stains--I've had luck when I've used Shout GEL in the bottle w/ the brush on the end. It's a little more concentrated and does a much better job. I found that it works best by glopping it on pretty heavy and leaving it on over night.

For the lint screen--take an old tooth brush and scrape it off first when it's dry. After most of the matted material has been removed, wet it with warm water, apply some Dawn dish detergent to it and scrub it with the tooth brush. That works for me over here.

Good luck!

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E.G.

answers from Pittsburgh on

For the stains...I have had sucess with oxiclean and stain removal. I use about a gallon of very warm water and 1/4 C of oxiclean, add the clothes and then let them soak for at least a day (usually longer till I get back to doing the laundry). This method had worked for sweat stains, when colors bleed and I didn't realize until after it has been dried, mildrew, chocolate, tomato sauce, etc. Good Luck!!

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C.A.

answers from Lancaster on

This works for me on ALL my stains but i have not tried it on sweat marks so give it a try. I spray the area with shout till soaking then i sprinkle oxy clean (i use the walmart cheaper stuff and works great) over the shout then let sit for a while and wash as usual. Good luck!!!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.P.

answers from Philadelphia on

For the lint screen try running it under really hot water - it's probably waxy and if you get it nice and hot and melty you can rub it off. Be more cautious and clean the lint screen after every use - #1 cause of dryer fires is lint!

L.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

You have already gotten most of the advice I have regarding the whites, but one other thing you can try, is using Cascade (the dishwasher detergent) and use it as a presoak before laundering. We used it on our cheerleading uniforms (now eons ago) because we couldn't bleach the whites because of the other colors on the uniforms... hope this helps!

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D.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

try some oxyclean. if you can soak it in hot water with out ruining the material it would work best. for the sticky thing on your dryer screen try the scrub side of your sponge and scrub it a little bit or try some goof off if it is really sticky and won't come off.

M.L.

answers from Erie on

i don't know about the stains, but I use my outside hose to clean out the lint screen. Put it on the highest pressure you have and it should take the lint right out!

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E.F.

answers from Pittsburgh on

For the stains you need to work on them in order of damage to the fabric. I would start with soaking them in shout (or spray and wash) and then putting them in a sink with oxy clean. You can use more oxy clean than the package suggests-- I soaked my dad's 65 year old crocheted christening outfit in a 1:2 oxyclean to water mixture and it didn't damage it at all. But I'd start with less than that.

If that doesn't work, some people say that lemon juice works well.

Finally, if that doesn't work and you are going to just throw it away anyway, try running them through a HOT wash cycle with 1 cup of chlorine bleach.

And I agree with the other moms' advice about the lint screen. If you use dryer sheets, you need to scrub off your lint screen once a month with soap and water until the water runs through freely.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.P.

answers from Lancaster on

I also have problems with stains in the armpits of white/off white shirts. If you learn of something that works, would you mind emailing me? Thanks!!!
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