Things I never learned how to do.......

[LadyDeeDeeDee]

Bleach white clothes to get rid of stains. Any tips? Do I just stick Domestos in the washing machine? It's just something I've never learned how to do. And now I have a child in primary school who has to wear white shirts.

Anybody else got things they've never learned to do? Maybe we can share advice.

Oh my god, I have asked this before with no replies. I presume it was just the dumbest question!!
I don’t get it either, can you only bleach purely white clothes as otherwise anything else on it (like a little logo) will be bleached too?!
With the school shirts, my dc all have one each per day (and a spare), they all get bunged in one wash together at the end of the week for a few weeks until I no longer care and they get washed with anything else and I replace them if and when they go grey!

If it's totally white cotton, then put some warm water in a sink with a bit of bleach to soak it, also stick a bit neat on the stain if it's really bad. Leavei t for a bit then put on a wash with just white things in the wash with it. (Or you'll bleach everythign else)

This might not be perfect, but tends to work.

Any time I am bleaching anything I make up a solution in a bucket or basin. I wouldn’t want to put it directly in my machine

Plaiting hair. I can do the twisting of three bunches of hair but it just goes messy and not close to Dd's head

Bleaching whites

I put the shirts in washing machine

Load of bleach in the powder drawer

Start washing machine

Pause washing machine once it's filled with the water/bleach.

Wait half hour too an hour

Un pause washing machine and let it continue as normal

After that wash has finished I put on a quick wash with washing powder or just fabric softener to get rid of the bleach smell.

Doesn't the bleach just degrade the fabric really quickly?

I put whites all in together in the machine with as many different whitening products I can find. Seems to work okay.

Came on also to say plaits. Epic fail every time.

Another way to wash whites without the bleach.

90 wash with tons of washing powder

Plaits the trick is to keep your hand close to the head. The “knots” will lie where they are made so hold the hair close to the scalp to start with the long bit hanging. I try and make it as tight as I would tying shoelaces.

Does the bleach not rot the rubber seal?

And doesn't 90 degrees shrink stuff?

I am woefully naive about laundry. Also can't make sandwiches. And have failed at plaiting so far, but daughter is only two, so plenty of time to practice.

I don't use bleach that often and it's done no damage so far and the shirts I have washed on a 90 have not shrunk but I only do the 90 when they really need to be cleaned not every week.

I just use Vanish for white clothes on all my whites, works amazingly well. I pop in shirts with labels and other white patterns - white is super white and labels/patterns not faded.

60 with powder (must be powder, not liquid) will keep then white and won’t shrink them.

Use powder laundry bleach, they sell it in the pound shop. And its environmentally friendly.

+1 to vanish for whites. I also add a bit in the collar area, sprinkle water and scrub with the back of the spoon which comes in the box. Works great for white school shirts.

I can't pronounce 'croissant' without sounding like a speech impediment or an an extra in 'Allo' Allo.

Thankfully I don't have to deal with uniforms and my utterly haphazard approach to laundry has yet to fail me, so I'm a bleach novice.

You need a laundry bleach such as Ace, not the stuff you pour down drains.

I never learned how to

• play chess

-get the breathing right when I'm swimming (I can't do that stroke breathe stroke breathe thing. I take a deep breath and keep going until I've got to surface)

However I think I'm pretty good at laundry.

I can't tie shoelaces. I have to do the bunny ears thing. I'm not proud of this.

I find a stain removal spray about 5 mins before they are due to go in always gets the job done. Try and get them washed as soon after stain appears, if not my MIL would soak them until she could put the washing in.

ALWAYS get your whites outside if there is any sun, the sun bleached them and lightens most stains.

Ooh yes! The swimming / breathing thing. I keep.my head as close to the water as possible without actually putting my face in. MUST learn how to do that. Plus diving. Can't dive into a pool.

Cleaning bloody windows.

I hate it, hate it, hate it with a passion. No matter how long I spend trying to clean them, and what I use (lintless rag or squeegee), they NEVER look clean. They always have streaks or marks and end up looking worse than before cleaning them.

It gives me the rage.

aurynne you need two cloths, one to clean it with whatever spray you are using. Then a second DRY cloth to remove smudges. Make sure the cloths are not going to leave lint.
My grandma taught me that as a kid and it works very well.

I use Vanish rather than bleach for stains. Soak in a tub of Vanish with warm water and maybe apply some elbow grease and a scrubbing brush for tough stains. Just a scoop in with the washing powder for normal ones.

I can't operate lighters. I just can't seem to get my head round how they work and I feel too stupid and embarrassed to ask anyone to show me as everyone else in the world seems to be able to make them work!

I would never put bleach direct in the machine. I have, in an emergency, soaked in a bucket and rinsed and then washed a couple of times. That worked. Got the dilution quantities off google.