Episode 153: Laundry Quandaries (part 2) with Maggie and Traci

Welcome to Clotheshorse, the podcast that isn’t afraid to admit that dry cleaning is my arch nemesis. Or something like that.

I’m your host, Amanda and this is episode 153. It’s part two of a little miniseries about laundry. If you haven’t listened to part one, go give that listen now and we’ll just wait for you! Oh you’re done already? Great, now we can jump into this one!

In early January, I asked all of you (on Instagram) to ask your biggest laundry quandaries…and wow, you had a lot of questions! I have two incredible people here to help me, help you: Clotheshorse All-Star and Halloween Queen, Maggie Greene, and Traci Pryde, a small business owner and mending/laundry/sewing expert. Once again this is part 2 of the series, so please go back and give the first one a listen if you haven’t already.

In this episode, we’re going to tackle your extremely specific stain questions. We’ll also share some tips and tricks for dealing with smelly laundry situations and removing pet hair (all three of us are big time animal people, so we have a lot of advice there). I’ll explain what dry cleaning is and I’ll try to answer the question “If the label says ‘dry clean only’ do I really have to dry clean it?” That will be followed by best practices for handwashing. And then, Traci will give us some ironing lessons.

Wow..that’s a lot of tackle! After the conversation, I’ll share the biggest laundry lessons I have learned and we’ll talk for a few about Febreze. I had a lot of questions myself about it, and I thought you might share them!

So yeah…lots in this episode…let’s get down to it by jumping back into my conversation with Maggie and Traci!

Thank you again to Maggie and Traci for spending THREE full hours talking about laundry with me. To be honest, we probably could have talked for three more hours, so maybe there will be a sequel! I’ll be sharing all of their contact info in the show notes, so please give them a follow and learn more about their project, THRIFT+FIT+FIX.

In the intro to this episode, I promised you some more laundry info at the end. Let’s get started with Febreze. I have always wondered if it really worked and what “really worked” would mean in this situation. Febreze was first introduced in the United States in 1998, and since then, it has expanded into room sprays, candles, plug in oil infusers, and car air fresheners. When Febreze was initially introduced, it kinda flopped. Why? In the beginning, it was marketed as a way to get rid of unpleasant smells in your home, from cooking, pets, smoking, or general mustiness. The thing is…most people are kinda immune to the smell of their own home, no matter how strong it is. So if you aren’t aware of the smell being an “issue,” then why would you buy a product to “fix” it? Febreze’s manufacturer–Proctor & Gamble–took a different approach, focusing more on the implied cleanliness of a nice smelling house. So basically, “if you want people to think your house is clean, make it smell nice with Febreze.” The further implication was that Febreze was somehow making a space cleaner via its magic.

The whole phenomenon of smell begins with odor molecules. When odor molecules are released into the air, from a pizza baking in the oven, a flower in bloom, a litter box that could use some scooping…these odor molecules travel into our nose, where they are detected by olfactory receptors in the back of our nose. This information travels to our brain and voila! We smell something. Some odor molecules can originate in “unclean” things, like the dirty litter box, mildewing laundry, the smelly armpits in our favorite dress. And the best way to rectify that bad smell is to clean up the source of the smell. Other things, like cooking food or cigarette smoke are more about providing more ventilation, to clear the odor molecules.

Febreze–despite its implication that it is cleaning the air or a space—is not actually cleaning anything. It’s just lending the air of cleanliness (is that pun?). Febreze also does not remove the odor molecules from the air. What it does do is “trap” the molecules and prevent them from being picked up by your nose.

The key ingredient in Febreze is “beta-cyclodrextrin.” It is a ring-shaped sugar molecule that is derived from the starches found in corn or sweet potatoes. This ring traps the odor molecule, where it will remain suspended until you actually clean away the source of the smell. In the case of food or smoke, you probably just want to open the window or door. If it’s an article of clothing that reeks of smoke, it’s better to just hang outside or in the window for an airing out. Febreze isn’t really doing you much of a favor in those situations. In the case of mildewing laundry or a dirty litter box, Febreze is offering a temporary solution, but you really just need to scoop the box or wash that laundry. If a pair of well worn shoes is stinking up your closet, you should spray them with a mixture of one part vinegar/one part water, and let them dry. The bacteria in the shoes are the source of the odor molecules, and the vinegar will eliminate them. Febreze is just masking the true source of the issue, creating the illusion of cleanliness.

Do I use Febreze? No. For one, I am extremely sensitive to the smell of it, which leads to headache and nausea for me. And while it is nontoxic to animals (unless you apply it directly to them), it shouldn’t be used around birds. I don’t have any birds, but that feels concerning to me. There has been a lot of mixed data on the health impacts of Febreze over the years. And I don’t feel like anyone knows enough to make a verdict. Furthermore, I just don’t need it. After all, Febreze isn’t really fixing anything. It’s not cleaning up the source of a smell. So it’s just a bunch of chemicals and a plastic bottle that I don’t really need to waste.

So that’s Febreze.

I wanted to end the episode by sharing some of my biggest laundry lessons. Most of them have been learned the hard way!

#1. Take your time! Slow it down:

I know the chaos of taking a toddler to the laundromat, trying to get it all done before nap time, and therefore, feeling as if you’re racing against the clock. And even if you don’t have kids and/or you have the ability to do laundry in your home, you’re probably busy with 10,000 other things every day. Laundry has often been an afterthought for me, a necessary and time consuming task on a long list of necessary and time consuming tasks. And it is that mad rush to just get it done that has led to a lot of ruined garments (or at least a lot of additional time and stress spent trying to fix something that went awry in the washing machine).

Take that extra minute to check pockets.

I have melted so many lip balms, ibuprofen, and gum over the years. I have washed a lot of pens and magic markers. In the best case scenario, these laundry misses meant I had to buy another lip balm. In the worst outcomes, I spent hours trying to remove stains or almost destroyed beloved garments and linens.

And when it comes to removing stains, take the time to do a spot check of a treatment option before going all-in. You don’t want to lose color or destroy a fabric. A few extra minutes there can mean the difference between finding a solution and destroying something you love by accident.

#2. Time spent on stain removal is money saved.

I expend a lot of emotional energy and brain space worrying about money. And thanks to my need to survive in late stage capitalism, I don’t have a lot of free time. Basically time and money are two luxuries that I just don’t have. And stain removal takes some time. Sometimes it takes a few google searches, a few nights of soaking or trying new things to finally get it right.

But ultimately, doing the work to resolve a stain is going to save me the money of buying something new and the time of trying to track down a replacement.

Taking the extra time to work out a stain—even though it might take several tries—is time well spent.

This also helps extend the life of the clothing I already own, which is a key element of the slow fashion way of life!

#3. Read the care and content labels inside your clothing.

Know what’s in your clothing so you know how to wash it.

It will extend the life of your clothing and save you a lot of money and frustration.

One “symptom” of the fast fashion era is that retailers and brands have shifted into fabrics that are complex blends of fibers.

Why? Because it’s a way to lower the cost of a garment while lending certain qualities to it, like softness and a perceived higher value. This makes laundry a lot more complicated.

You might think something is fully cotton or polyester, but it’s probably a mix. There might be some viscose and elastane thrown in there.

So check those labels! Here in the US, all mass produced clothing is required to have these labels. You will find them either at the neckline or on a side seam by the waist. Shopping online? Any decent retailer is going to share fabric contents on the product page. If they aren’t…assume it’s a synthetic blend. I like to know what the fabric is before I make the purchase for several reasons: For one, it’s hot and humid in Texas and I don’t want to wear polyester. I wear natural deodorant and I don’t want to feel smelly all day! Secondly, I want to know if I have the bandwidth or even interest in giving this garment the care that it needs. And if it’s something that snags easily or is prone to permanent staining, I don’t want it in my life because I can’t handle that pressure!

#4. Skip the dryer until you know a stain is fully removed.

The heat of the dryer will set a stain, so skip drying until you think it is as good as it’s going to get.

Need to see the item fully dried in order to know if the stain is gone? Let it air dry! Yes, this can add a little bit of time to the process, but it’s worth it!

#5. An unremovable stain doesn’t have to mean the end of a garment’s usefulness.

I was wearing a favorite vintage dress when I was in a bike accident, leading to bloody hands, bloody face, just lots of blood. Yes, I cried. A lot. Despite hand washing and lots of other tricks, there was one spot on the chest that just wouldn’t leave. My solution? I always wore a pin on that spot, usually (at that time) a yellow daisy brooch.

Other options for working around a stain: embroider over it, add a patch, dye the garment, always layer it with an accessory/cardigan/vest.

Or just lean into it and be like “YEAH I LOVE SPAGHETTI SO WHAT?!”

#6. There’s nothing wrong with saying “I know I’m about to do something risky from a stain perspective (like doing bike maintenance, working in the garden, or eating buffalo wings” and changing into something unstainable!

#7. You don’t need to use as much detergent as you think.

No matter what the bottle might say, 1 Tbsp of detergent is enough to clean an average size load of 8 lbs. Yes, the detergent bottle might say more. The handy measuring cap might indicate more. But remember, detergent brands want to sell you as much as possible, so it’s in their best interest to tell you to use more. It’s like the “lather, rinse, repeat” instructions on shampoo bottles!

Using too much detergent adds up financially, but it also affects your clothing! Too much detergent can create too many suds, which makes it difficult for your clothes to rub against one another in the wash cycle. That friction loosens trapped dirt. Furthermore, the excess detergent builds up on your clothing over time, changing the texture and making fabrics less soft and drape-y. If you suspect your wardrobe has detergent buildup, you can soak it for one hour in a mixture of 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 quart of water.

#8. You probably don’t need to wash all of your clothing every time you wear it.

Real talk: laundry wears out your clothes over time. Period. It also consumes a lot of water and energy. Some stuff will need to be washed every time you wear it: underwear, work out clothes, anything where you’re sweating a lot while you wear it. I definitely do a lot more laundry in the summertime, where I’m sweating a lot more, working in the garden, mowing the lawn, just getting dirty! But in the winter, I tend to wash my base layers regularly, and the rest of my clothes I spot clean. I highly recommend traveling with some Dr. Bronners for dealing with stinky armpits on the go, without having to bring extra clothes. One drop goes a long way! I have not done the vodka spray treatment for removing underarm odor (because the smell of vodka triggers headache and nausea for me), but many of my friends swear by it by removing underarm odor. That makes sense because it kills the bacteria causing the smell in the first place.

#9. Time is of the essence when dealing with stains. As I mentioned in the last episode, I keep a bottle of stain treatment spray in my bathroom (under the sink) because that is where I undress. If I have spilled something like coffee or other food on my clothes, I spray it before adding to the hamper, because it buys me time to deal with that stain. If it’s a bigger issue, I don’t put it off. I deal with it immediately.

And speaking of stain treatment spray: most of these work using enzymes that break down the proteins within a stain. They are great and effective. However, you should not use them regularly on protein-based fabrics like silk, wool, or cashmere. You can use them occasionally, but regular use will damage the fabric. In fact, for cleaning those items regularly, you’ll probably be hand washing them. You want to ensure that the detergent you are using for them is enzyme free. Read the bottle to know for certain!

#10. And lastly, the internet is a great resource for getting answers on laundry.

The reality is that no podcast episode or instagram post is going to solve all of your laundry quandaries. We did our best to help as much as possible in our three hour conversation, but there are still many questions out there that we never received. Fortunately, lots and lots of people are sharing their own information and expertise about stains and smells alllllllll over the internet. Whether it’s “Do I really have to dry clean this?” or “How do I get candle wax off of bedding?” the internet has answers for you. You don’t have to guess or give up!

Try googling “Removing _____ stain from _____” or “how to launder ______.” Read a few different articles and figure out what you want to try first.

I also find that The Spruce (thespruce.com) has a lot of great, detailed info on all things laundry. They really break it down into easy-to-understand guides.

Okay, that’s all I have for you. Remember: laundry is important. And it is highly skilled work!

And it is a key element of our impact on the world around us. The time, energy, and care you invest in making your clothing last longer is time, energy, and care well spent. LAUNDRY MATTERS!