A Housewife's Best Friends

I never thought I would ENJOY cleaning my shower.  But something happens when you suddenly pay a monthly rent to use your shower.   So on Saturday I spent an hour scrubbing my shower which then turned into a full fledged cleaning adventure. 

I started the laundry and threw in load 6.  The washing beeped and I began switching the load over to the dryer.   But then I saw what looked like dog poo pellets and thought to myself 'how in the world did the dog poop in my washer?!'

Oh no, it wasn't poop (thankfully, I guess).  It was gum, black gum.  Black gum?  Who buys black gum.  Apparently the Easter Bunny buys black gum for my husband.  Somehow the pack went through the dryer.  (Side note:  This is one major difference between men and women.  Women do not put things in their pockets, men do.)  This black gum and balled itself up in a little pieces all through the dryer.  Thankfully only a few articles of clothing had been stained.  My hubby and I picked out ALL the gum we could find and put everything into the wash.  Crisis AVERTED!

WRONG!  Somehow a LARGE portion of the gum remained in the laundry and went through the dryer.  There was little black gum pieces and stains all over the clothes and not to mention stuck ALL over the inside of my dryer.  BLACK GUM FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!

I almost lost it.  But then some housewife button was pushed and I went into full gear.   I got out rags, a bucket of water and my favorite, Goo Gone spray.   I "Goo goned"  my entire dryer for about an hour until it was spotless.    The clothing was thankfully saved due to my other favorite, Zout, a stain removal spray. 

So in light of those sticky situations you always find yourself in (hopefully in your case it won't be black gum), I have included some of my favorite products and tricks I have learned from my mother and my grandmother, The Spot Queens!

Goo Gone -- this thing is great for anything sticky stuck in fabric or on just about anything.  Like when you remove a sticker or label and the gunk is still there... use goo gone!  ( I sound like a commercial hah)

Zout -- this is my BEST friend when it comes to laundry.  I swear it can get out just about anything.  I use it all the time and it has saved some of my favorite clothes!

Hairspray -- Surprisingly, hairspray gets out ink!  I had this phase where I kept getting ink on all my clothes and I used hairspray to lift the stain, then "zouted" it and it came out of the wash spotless!

Ice -- I love this one.  Ice gets out BLOOD!  Grab an ice cube lay your garment flat over a counter or sink (don't overlap the clothes, the blood will bleed through to the other side).  Rub the ice cube over and over into the blood stain.... then Zout it and throw it in the wash!

Bar Keeper's Friend -- This is my friend.  I burn things on the stove and on my pans ALL the time.  A friend of mine recently got water stains off her shower with Bar Keeper's Friend!  It's easy and odor free!  Wet the surface, sprinkle the Bar Keeper's Friend, let sit, and rub off.  Works beautifully!

Woolite Pet Stain & Odor Remover -- This is for if you have a pet that pees.  Check and check for me!  It makes cleaning those messes a lot easier.  You get a paper towel, blot up the pee, spray the stuff, walk away for a minute or two, and blot again!  Not only does it remove the stain and the odor, but it helps prevent your dog from peeing there again!  Hallelujah!

Well, that is all I have learned so far.  But I have to say, not too bad for only 5 1/2 months of marriage.  I hope you all find this helpful!  I sure did!