Check It. White Vinegar fix.

Back in the early days of the BEAT, Lauren wrote about the wonders of white vinegar as a household cleaning agent. Last night I tried vinegar in laundry for the first time, and it worked!

We had a couple plush Ralph Lauren Home towels that just wouldn't shake a musty odor, even after plenty of washing and thorough drying. I did a little research online and a common fix seemed to be washing towels in hot water with a cup or so of white vinegar (inexpensive and widely available in supermarkets), then re-washing with detergent right after.

My towels came out like new! Soft and fresh. I was thrilled with the results. If you have any towels or clothes that maybe sat in a damp pile for too long and picked up a stink, try vinegar to get rid of it.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Check It. Dawn Cuts Grease.

Dawn dish soap is known for its grease-cutting effectiveness on pots, pans, and dishes. A recent discovery of mine is how well it works on getting a grease spot out of clothes. Up until just recently, if a shirt or pants of mine got a grease spot on it, I figured there was no way to fix it, and the item was just ruined for good.

My new favorite pants couldn't have this sad fate, even when I noticed a dime-sized grease spot on the front of the thigh area. I did some internet research on if grease spots can come out, and found the Dawn solution. I got a bottle (I actually use Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Lemon Verbena for dishes), squirted a dollop on, brushed it in gently with a new soft-bristled toothbrush, and let it set. Then squirted a little more on. The pants set for about twenty minutes, then I threw them in the wash with a load of laundry, and they came out greaseless.

I think the more times you have washed a garment post-stain, the less likely this is to work, but it is most definitely worth a try.

If you ride a bicycle, Dawn is also known to be a good bike wash (again, the grease-cutting goodness).

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: bloombikeshop.com