- For clothes with heavy stains, pre-treat the item usingPuracy Stain Remover.
- Add a scoop of baking soda directly into the drum of your washing machine.
- Load the soiled clothes into the drum.
- Open your detergent drawer and addlaundry detergent.
- You can opt to add a cup of distilled white vinegar to the fabric softener compartment now. You may add it later during the last rinse cycle, which is the best way to go.
- Start the cycle and let the washing machine do its magic!
Understanding the Cleaning Power Behind Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Detergent
Read on to find out what’s in each of these ingredients and how they help the cleaning process.
What’s in Vinegar?
If you want to add vinegar to your laundry, look for distilled, white vinegar. It’s often used because of its ability to do the following:
- Reduce odors from sweat and the mildew that may come along with damp clothes left after a workout
- Whiten clothes due to the strong enough acetic acid that breaks down mineral deposits from water and residues from detergent
- Softens fabrics in a more natural way than your commercial fabric softener
What’s in vinegar that makes it do the results stated above?White vinegarcontains around 5% acetic and around 95% water. It is quite acidic at 2.4 on the pH scale. It is a mild acid but strong enough to do some all-natural cleaning.
What’s in Baking Soda?
Sodium bicarbonate, more commonly known as baking soda, is a naturally occurring mineral that is usually commercially sold in crystalline powder form.
- Absorbs odors
- Regulates pH levels; and,
- Scrubs as a mild abrasive
What’s in baking soda that makes it a good cleaning agent? It’s mildly abrasive, making it great for the scrubbing power. It’s also slightly basic, which means it can react to most acidic odors to absorb and neutralize them.
What’s in Laundry Detergent?
Laundry detergents can be in powder form or liquid form. The liquid form is great in pre-treating soils and grease on clothes.
- Breaks down stains and dirt
- Preserves clothing color better than powder detergents
What’s in laundry detergent that makes it a good cleaning agent? It contains alkalies, which neutralize the pH balance of water. Alkalies like ash and lyle allow the detergent to break down the stains and grime from your clothes. It also contains surfactants that work with the alkalies to help wet your clothes.
Adjusting pH-Levels to Fight Stains
Neutral cleaning solutions(with a pH level of 7) are used to load normally soiled laundry loads. If you're dealing with dark stains, such as coffee, you'll want something more acidic. Alkaline cleaners are effective at tackling food and blood stains.
