Prior to leaving home to go to school, my mom showed my two brothers and I how to do our own laundry, and iron. While I never took to ironing -- I am quick to take the clothes out of the dryer before they wrinkle, or will have my husband who likes to iron, iron clothes that need to be pressed -- I do love to wash clothes. And, since having two girls back to back in 2010 and 2011, I have been getting my fix of the laundry. Back in the beginning it would be a 3-4 times a day, with washing and drying bibs, onesies, and spit up blankets. Then, as they got older, I was able to curve my laundry habits to about 1 load a day, which is manageable, with my busy mommy schedule. Boy, I never expected kids to go through so many changes of clothes, or stain so many things, that need quick attention before the stain sets in.
Back when my mom was teaching my brothers and I how to do laundry, she shared a little secret with us. She grabbed the Dawn detergent from the kitchen, which she used to clean the dishes with, and told us that this would be our secret weapon against stains.
I can still hear her telling me, "A drop is all your need!"
In addition to sending us off to school with laundry money, a laundry basket and detergent and bleach, she also included a few bottles of Dawn detergent. Knowing how great Dawn detergent was in cleaning dishes and removing stains on clothes, I always made a point to re-stock up before running low, and continue to do this today, as I find myself always reaching for it to remove stains from my girls' and husband's clothes.
Did you know that Dawn detergent has many uses outside of the kitchen, including removing stains on clothes? What other uses come to mind for you? My husband uses Dawn to clean his tools, car wheels, bike tires and more, and he makes a point to have a bottle handy in the garage.
So, how do you use Dawn as a laundry pre-treater?
Dawn Detergent as a Laundry Pre-Treater:
Stains happen to the best of us. But when Dawn happens to the best of stains – like tomato sauce, blueberries, and grease – you give your clothes a fighting chance.
To remove a stain from your clothes, try the following:
- Apply Dawn directly to any cotton/polycotton fabric*, covering the entire stained area, and rub it in using your fingers.
- Then wash it normally with Tide in your washing machine**.
- Do not reapply Dawn to the same spot and wash again.
* For best results, use a little less than two teaspoons (9.5 mL) of Dawn in a top-loading washing machine – be sure not to use too much, and don’t use on delicate fabrics like silk. Spot test with a small drop in a less visible area to make sure the material will not be damaged.
** HE washing machines can be sensitive and cycle times may vary.
Just the other night, my husband and kids put my Dawn stain fighting skills to the test. Right before dinner the girls helped themselves to a bowl of blueberries in the fridge, while they were painting. Luckily, the paint was washable...but, the juice from blueberries wasn't. I didn't stress out though, as I knew that a drop of Dawn is all I needed to remove these pesky blueberry stains from their favorite shirts.
Then, as my husband served himself dinner from the kitchen stove, he splattered Marsala curry sauce all over his brand new shirt I had bought him. Trying to hide it, he excused himself to change into another shirt. But, I saw it all and jumped into action.
The stain before I treated it with Dawn Detergent
As we sat and ate dinner, without any more messes that had to be cleaned up, except the dishes at the end of the meal, the girls' and my husband's clothes were in the washing machine. Just like my mom taught me back in the day, and how I shared about on using Dawn as a spot treater, I applied Dawn to the entire stained area, rubbed it in with my fingers and threw it in the wash.
Once dinner was over, I put the clothes in to dry. And, by the time the girls were in bed, and I was doing last minute tidying up around the house, I was able to see how great Dawn is, as the stains magically disappeared!
No more stain :-)
Thank you, Dawn, for always coming to the rescue and saving us from having to throw away clothes, or wear stained clothes. :-)
To learn more about Dawn and other ways this detergent can help tackle messes around your house, visit http://bit.ly/dawndish.
Want to win some great prizes, including a $300 IKEA gift card? Then, read on...
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-- Pin to Win in the #DawnBeyondtheSink Pinterest Party --
Do you love pinning things on Pinterest? If so, then you will want to check out the DawnBeyondtheSink Pinterest Party, which kicks off tomorrow, October 27th and runs through Nov. 24th. Prizes up for grabs include: weekly prizes of $250 Target Gift Cards and a Grand Prize of a $700 Home Depot Gift Card.
How do you participate in the #DawnBeyondtheSink Pinterest Party?
Simple. Just re-pin from the Dawn Pin Boards: http://www.pinterest.com/
In addition to pinning your favorite Dawn #DawnBeyondtheSink pins, keep an eye out from pins from Melissa Maker from CleanMySpace.com. She will be pinning some of her favorite #DDDivas posts to her Pinterest board in collaboration with Dawn. :-)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND JOIN ME AT THE UPCOMING #DawnBeyondtheSink TWITTER PARTY!!!
Do you love Twitter parties as much as I do? Then, you will want to mark your calendar for this Tuesday, October 28th at 9PM EST, and join me at the #DawnBeyondtheSink Twitter Party for great conversation and prizes.
In order to attend and win prizes during the Twitter party, you will have to RSVP in advance at: http://vite.io/DoubleDutyDivas
Also, to participate in the Twitter Party, make sure you are following the #DawnBeyondtheSink hosts: @DoubleDutyDivas, @BridgetteLA, @CeceliaMecca @AngieKcom @WhatMommiesNeed @RamblingChick, and their party sponsor @Pampers.
Like I said, besides great conversation about the many uses of Dawn Detergent in and out of the kitchen, there will be some wonderful prizes up for grabs for those who attend and participate in the conversation.
Like I said, besides great conversation about the many uses of Dawn Detergent in and out of the kitchen, there will be some wonderful prizes up for grabs for those who attend and participate in the conversation.
Prizes Include:
· Prize 2 -. Shark Stick Vac ($100) + Dawn
· Prize 3 - $100 Williams Sonoma GC + Dawn
· Prize 4 - Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer ($350) + Dawn
· RSVP-Dawn product
So, what are you waiting for? RSVP now at http://vite.io/DoubleDutyDivas. And, I hope to see you at the #DawnBeyondtheSink on Tuesday night, at 9PM EST. :-)
So, what are you waiting for? RSVP now at http://vite.io/DoubleDutyDivas. And, I hope to see you at the #DawnBeyondtheSink on Tuesday night, at 9PM EST. :-)
And, as promised, here is a giveaway I am hosting, along with a handful of other bloggers. Good luck!
--GIVEAWAY--
I am excited to be joining fellow Laundry pre-treater bloggers who are participating in this sponsored campaign in offering one lucky reader a chance to win a Clothes Steamer + $300 IKEA gift Card for Laundry Room Makeover (ARV $600). Oh, how I would love to win this clothes steamer and IKEA gift card. While I can't enter, I do hope you enter and share this amazing giveaway with family and friends, so that they, too, will have a chance to win.
To enter this giveaway sponsored by Dawn, complete the entries on the Rafflecopter from below. Good luck!
To enter this giveaway sponsored by Dawn, complete the entries on the Rafflecopter from below. Good luck!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored Dawn post from Double Duty Divas #DDDivas, in which I will be compensated for my time. However, all views shared are mine and mine alone.
My worst laundry nightmare is grass stains.
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