IT can be seriously frustrating to take your laundry out of the washer only to find stubborn stains and smells have survived the cycle.
If you’re battling against a blot that just won’t budge, you don’t need to spend loads of money on fancy stain remover.
The experts at Hotpoint have revealed their handy hack for blasting away pesky stains and smells – and it’s a lot cheaper than you might think.
The item you need will cost you as little as 35p, and you won’t find it in the laundry aisle of your local supermarket.
If you’ve got a pile of dirty laundry in mind that you know needs salvaging, try giving vinegar a go.
No! Not the type you’d chuck on your fish and chips.
You’re looking for white vinegar (also known as distilled vinegar), which is sold in most supermarkets.
You might even have some in the back of your cupboards already.
Thanks to it’s acidity, vinegar is able to neutralise odours, soften fabrics and even lift out tough stains.
And it’s gentle enough not to damage most materials.
Busting ugly stains
If you’re struggling to get a nasty stain out of your clothes, give white vinegar a chance to work it’s magic.
The Hotpoint experts say: “Just mix equal parts water and white vinegar, and apply it directly to the stain for 30 minutes before washing.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”People are only just realising what the circle and dot symbol means on their laundry labels – so can you figure it out?” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6367988923112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]The cleaning powers of vinegar are great against loads of different types of marks, and once you’ve given your clothes a spin in the machine, they should come out stain-free!
Neutralising bad smells
Another great use for vinegar is targeting bad odours that cling to clothes.
So get ready to bring that old gym kit back to life.
“Begin by adding a splash of vinegar to your wash cycle. Vinegar naturally neutralises odours and acts as a fabric softener. Just pour half a cup into the fabric softener compartment.”
Not only will your clothes come out sans-stink, they’ll also get the added benefit of vinegar’s fabric softening qualities.
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