OT: How do you get CO out of clothes?

[Guest guest]

Sheesh. Just came in from sunbathing and see that when I lathered myself up

with coconut oil I splashed it all over my favorite tank top and shorts. Any

suggestions on how to get it out? I have a hard time finding tanks and

shorts I like, so I want to save these!

Suze Fisher

What is you soaked them in a vinegar/water solution before washing?

Rebekah

[Guest guest]

> Sheesh. Just came in from sunbathing and see that when I lathered

myself up

> with coconut oil I splashed it all over my favorite tank top and

shorts. Any

> suggestions on how to get it out?

Suze,

I just wash in soap and borax, for sheets, and they are full of

coconut oil. I even wash in cold water. Put Borax--or other

treatment, maybe baking soda or oxi-whatever--in the washer first and

let dissolve, then add liquid soap and let the laundry sit in that for

a time, with the lid up, to be sure, maybe overnight. Or, you know,

push in the thing-y so the cycle stops. Then close the lid/pull out

the thing-y and let the cycle resume.

I use vco specifically because it washes out easily.

B.

[Guest guest]

, is this how you wash all clothes? I'm using TJ's laundry

detergent right now but would like something a little less toxic.

Also, do you have any ideas about dishwashing liquid (the kind you put

in the dishwasher, that is)? I know the stuff is really toxic...

TIA,

> Suze,

> I just wash in soap and borax, for sheets, and they are full of

> coconut oil. I even wash in cold water. Put Borax--or other

> treatment, maybe baking soda or oxi-whatever--in the washer first and

> let dissolve, then add liquid soap and let the laundry sit in that for

> a time, with the lid up, to be sure, maybe overnight. Or, you know,

> push in the thing-y so the cycle stops. Then close the lid/pull out

> the thing-y and let the cycle resume.

>

> I use vco specifically because it washes out easily.

> B.

[Guest guest]

-

>Also, do you have any ideas about dishwashing liquid (the kind you put

>in the dishwasher, that is)? I know the stuff is really toxic...

If you come across a non-toxic dishwasher detergent that actually works and

doesn't eat the enamel off Le Creuset and everything else, PLEASE let me know!

-

[Guest guest]

> , is this how you wash all clothes? I'm using TJ's laundry

> detergent right now but would like something a little less toxic.

> Also, do you have any ideas about dishwashing liquid (the kind you put

> in the dishwasher, that is)? I know the stuff is really toxic...

>

> TIA,

>

> ,

That's how I wash all my colored clothes and sheets. Whites I use hot

water and seven spoons of that oxy-stuff they sell at TJ's. I read a

review somewhere (was it Cook's Illustrated?) that those oxygen

powders work as well as elbow grease/scrubbing on stains, otherwise,

I'd use Borax. My whites get pretty filthy as I use old white towels

to mop my postage stamp of a kitchen floor. I use the actual pre-soak

setting on the washing machine--hot--and leave it overnight. Then, in

the morning, I finish that cycle, turn on the wash setting--hot--and

just add soap. I use the Soapworks liquid soap at TJ's in the purple

jug, not detergent. I'd like to grate the old-school laundry soap

bars, but, meh.

Caveat: I am very casually/apathetically attired and not as glamorous

as you.

Re: dishwasher detergent, I don't have one of those things--they're

for fast, city-women. Lynn S. has a recipe IIRC at

thenewhomemaker.com but I can't find it.

B.

[Guest guest]

-

>You put Le Creuset in a dishwasher? Be ashamed!

The enameled stuff? Sure. And it used to work fine until dishwasher

detergent companies added extra... I don't know, acids, I assume, and then

it started ruining everything. At the moment I'm using Meyer's, but I

don't know that it's meaningfully better, and the scents they put in it are

odious and overpowering.

Anyway, if I didn't have a dishwasher, I wouldn't cook. That's just the

way I am, and I need to cook, so I need a dishwasher.

-

[Guest guest]

....dishwasher

> detergent companies added extra... I don't know, acids, I assume,

and then

> it started ruining everything...and the scents they put in it are

> odious and overpowering.

>

> Anyway, if I didn't have a dishwasher, I wouldn't cook. That's just

the

> way I am, and I need to cook, so I need a dishwasher.

,

I...can't...breathe...

B.

[Guest guest]

-

>I...can't...breathe...

You find hand-washing pots and pans and glasses and silverware and turners

and whisks and knives and everything else a trivial drain on your time? If

so, I guess I envy you, but I don't enjoy slaving away in a hot kitchen

while my back hurts more and more and sweat streams down my face and bit by

bit my life dribbles away on meaningless labor, and even if that didn't

bother me, I had more than enough of washing whole kitchen-fulls of stuff

when I was a kid -- even when I wasn't around to partake of the meal that

the vast armada of crap was dirtied in the preparation of -- so I probably

have additional psychological impedimenta making me even more reluctant to

spend more time on makework than I'd otherwise have to. It's irksome

enough putting other people's dishes into the dishwasher, but that's a

minute annoyance compared to the alternative.

Hmm, I guess that's kind of over the top, but it's an accurate summation of

how I feel about washing dishes. <g>

-

[Guest guest]

> You find hand-washing pots and pans and glasses and silverware and

turners

> and whisks and knives and everything else a trivial drain on your time?

,

I'm not *endorsing* handwashing all dishes, no. But I am particular

about Le Creuset and other quality cookware, stemware and cutlery.

B.

/neurotic

//hates dishwasher detergent

///sour grapes, has no dishwasher

////wouldn't mind a sweaty man with a backache in the kitchen

[Guest guest]

-

>I'm not *endorsing* handwashing all dishes, no. But I am particular

>about Le Creuset and other quality cookware, stemware and cutlery.

Well, in retrospect obviously I wish I'd preserved my Le Creuset, but until

they reformulated the detergent, it was unaffected -- and labeled as

dishwasher-safe too -- so who knew.

-

[Guest guest]

Deanna-

>I remember the 7thgen powder

>being nasty with residue in the past with the filler clay like stuff

>left behind. And that was in another state with city water, lol.

Well, I'm using city water and our experiences were the same, so I guess

I'll try the gel. Should be able to get some Saturday.

>We filter drinking water again with carbon block, btw. We have tested

>straight from the well water with in home kits periodically for nasties

>and come back negative. Just hardness, iow minerals. But since it is a

>well, it's good to check.

If the well water is A-OK and has minerals, why filter at all? Just taste?

-

[Guest guest]

Talking about great detergents. I thought you guys would enjoy the following

:-)

and the K9's

(no affiliation, blah, blah, blah)

Dear Tide Company:

I am writing to say what an excellent product you have! I've used it all through

my married life, as my Mom always told me it was the

best. Now that I am in my fifties, I find it even better! In fact, about a month

ago, I spilled some red wine on my new white blouse.

My inconsiderate and uncaring husband started to berate me about how clumsy I

was, and generally started becoming a pain in the neck.

One thing led to another and somehow I ended up with a lot of his blood on my

white blouse. I tried to get the stain out using a bargain detergent, but it

just wouldn't come out. After a quick trip to the supermarket, I purchased a

bottle of liquid Tide with bleach alternative, and to my surprise and

satisfaction, all of the stains came out! In fact, the stains came out so well

the detectives who came by yesterday told me that the DNA tests on my blouse

were negative and then my attorney called and said that I would no longer be

considered a suspect in the disappearance of my husband. What a relief! Going

through menopause is bad enough without being a murder suspect! I thank you,

once again, for having such a great product.

Well, gotta go now. I have to write a letter to the Hefty Bag people

[Guest guest]

,

> Caveat: I am very casually/apathetically attired and not as glamorous

> as you.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was just remarking the other day how incredibly

glamorous LA women are (in comparison to me). I see tons more

" bizarre " looking people here than I ever did in NYC. By " bizarre " I

don't mean pierced/tattooed etc., but just " odd " as in " what did she

do to her face? " Too much surgery makes people look

WEIRD. You, on the other hand, Miss B. are QUITE glamorous in your own right!

Do you think the purple laundry soap at TJ's would be OK for a baby?

What about Ivory Snow soap flakes?

[Guest guest]

,

I would have to concur that my life has improved IMMENSELY since a

dishwasher entered my life...then again, I don't know how you cook on

a regular basis in your kitchen--it's one of the smallest I've ever

seen! List: you would all be impressed by what achieves in his

place!!!!

> Hmm, I guess that's kind of over the top, but it's an accurate summation of

> how I feel about washing dishes. <g>

>

>

> -

[Guest guest]

-

>I don't put my beloved le creuset in the dishwasher, but I will

>definitely let you know if I come across anything that works. FYI, I

>do use vinegar in the jet dry to help with spotting and I rinse

>everything pretty well before putting it into the dishwasher.

I'm pretty sure I tried vinegar with the Jet-Dry when I tried the Seventh

Generation powder, though I couldn't absolutely swear to it. The powder

was so awful and useless that I never thought to try their gel, but at

Deanna's suggestion I'm going to pick up a bottle this weekend and try

it. I hope it does the trick.

-

[Guest guest]

(and others),

The other trick with dishwashing detergent is to only put in half the

amount of the stuff. Just put some in the open container, not the one

that closes. This way, your dishes get an extra rinse instead of two

doses of detergent.

Just my 2 c.

[Guest guest]

-

>The other trick with dishwashing detergent is to only put in half the

>amount of the stuff. Just put some in the open container, not the one

>that closes. This way, your dishes get an extra rinse instead of two

>doses of detergent.

I know NT says this, but I'm guessing it must only apply to really old

dishwashers, or types of dishwashers I've never seen, anyway. My

dishwasher, which I bought and installed when I moved into this place just

over four years ago, has one detergent compartment with one lid but two

separated cups inside. One cup is a little smaller than the other, but

when the dishwasher decides it's time for soap, the lid pops open and

whatever's inside both cups is immediately released. So putting in less

detergent just means less soap during the wash cycles.

I also got a dishwasher with an extra rinse cycle option, which I always

use, but it never made any difference when I tried the Seventh Generation

powder.

Hmm, wait, I think I remember using a dishwasher years ago that had a

circular soap holder with two compartments and a circular lid that operated

such that there would be two separate dispensings of soap. I guess that's

where the advice came from. Do they still make them that way? Maybe

different brands?

-

[Guest guest]

> Do you think the purple laundry soap at TJ's would be OK for a baby?

> What about Ivory Snow soap flakes?

,

Why, thank you for your kind words. You looked nothing short

of...radiant.

Ivory Snow soap flakes were discontinued several years ago.

It's detergent now.

http://www.ivory.com/FAQ.htm#snow6

I just pulled out the Soapworks to give it the once-over twice and I

became a little skeptical because the label *doesn't actually say

anything* but here's a link and it looks good:

http://www.colehardware.com/hotline/2005/03/soapwrks.htm

Huh. They make dishwasher detergent...

B.

[Guest guest]

-

>I would have to concur that my life has improved IMMENSELY since a

>dishwasher entered my life...then again, I don't know how you cook on

>a regular basis in your kitchen--it's one of the smallest I've ever

>seen! List: you would all be impressed by what achieves in his

>place!!!!

Though I'd love to have a vastly larger kitchen, my current one is

positively palatial compared to the converted closet I had in my studio on

72nd St. & Broadway years ago. No dishwasher, half the counter space I

currently have (which I know you'll find hard to believe, since my entire

counter is the top of the dishwasher cabinet) and a smaller fridge taking

up about a third of the room.

It is kind of strange that the kitchen is quite as small as it is, though,

since the apartment is pretty large. In other apartments in this building,

the kitchen is actually the end room, which you haven't seen, which is

pretty big, and the space where they put my kitchen is a miniature

bedroom. That's almost stranger than my layout, though.

-

[Guest guest]

,

>No, I don't get nuttin. I filter my drinking water with a three-stage

>gizmo that's unfortunately encased in plastic. It has a Doulton Candle

>particulate pre-filter, and then there's granulated carbon (carbon block

>would be better), a KDF filter, and a filter that's supposed to remove the

>fluoride but worries me because it's made with aluminum. I keep meaning to

>send some of my filtered water off to AquaMD for testing. The filter also

>feeds my fridge's ice maker, so for whatever the filter is worth, I'm

>getting clean ice.

>

You should try to see what the city water is contaminated with, that way

you have a clue what to worry about. Maybe they have a report on their

website? When we were in Indiana, the water was so nasty. The storm

and sewage lines were combined, but divided up to a certain point. They

would co mingle in heavy rains. The river feeding our big city was

basically getting contaminated with human sewage periodically. Beyond

that, we lived in a great 1910 house, all red oak and plaster. But of

course, we had a big lead pipe feeding us that nasty water, which came

to us from the water facility at the maximum level of 0.015 mg/L. So

it's an important thing to know. And filter accordingly.

Aluminum is bad news if it's getting into your water via the filter you

use, but I don't know that it would leach without acid like lemon juice

or vinegar present. You should definitely test that water. The city

must be bound by the EPA to give out water quality info of some sort.

FYI, here is the water contaminant guide from NS. These guys set the

standards for water filters, as you probably know.

http://www.nsf.org/consumer/drinking_water/dw_contaminant_guide.asp?program=Wate\

rTre

Deanna

" I only drink wine and coffee. When I get dehydrated once or twice a

year, I drink juice. " - Wanda - horsewoman, fitness queen & my

friend who is still chompin' at the bit at age 80, despite her low fat

diet!

(analyze THAT Masterjohn)

[Guest guest]

Here's something off the coconut oil list:

" Subject: RE: how to tell if coconut oil is rancid/how to get out the

stains....

Nina,

Do use a grease cleaner. Here in the Philippines, we have a

dishwashing soap that is called JOY. Most of us VCO producers use

this for cleaning our equipment, utensils and even the floors.

I don't know if you have these in the US or where you are from. Very

effective, considering that our plant's floor is really " oily " most of

the time.

Tess "

Used with permission!

B.