One of my biggest issues when it comes to doing laundry is stain removal. The baby gets her big sister’s hand-me-downs, so I try to be extra careful with it all to make sure it lasts us for years. That is so hard to do with a 4-year old that loves arts & crafts and running around outside!
My Frigidaire washer’s instruction manual came with an extensive stain removal guide that covers just about everything. Reading through the list of stains and their respective treatments, the keyword that stuck out over and over again is pre-treat. I have to admit that I used to forget to do that. I would throw the stained garment in the hamper and then complain a week later when, even after washing it, the outfit was ruined.
After pre-treating, it’s also important to pay attention to the water temperature that you wash the stained garments in. Some stains, like beverages spills, should be washed in cold water, whereas others, such as grease, respond best to the hottest water that’s safe for the fabric. For some reason I feel compelled to try out every possible setting whenever I get a new gadget or appliance, and that’s exactly what I’ve done with my Frigidaire Affinity washer and dryer. I am loving the fact that I can customize every single step of the laundry process!
A few of my favorite stain-fighting features:
- Deep Clean Sanitize cycle – Not only does this cycle ensure that my laundry will be 99.9% bacteria free, but it also removes heavy soils and stains, thanks to the super hot water temperature (up to 152 degrees!) and the fast tumbling. At 90 minutes, this is the longest of all the washing cycles. What’s really neat is that as soon as the water temperature reaches 130 degrees, the washer door locks, and won’t unlock until it’s cooled down. So smart! (This cycle has been certi?ed by NSF International, an independent third party testing and certi?cation organization dedicated to public health, safety and environmental protection.)
- Heavy cycle – This provides an extra 20 minutes of reverse tumbling for very soiled garments.
- Whitest Whites cycle – 15 minutes of tumble wash goodness! And not just one rinse, but two. I always add a splash of bleach to this as well, and my hubby’s dingy socks come out bright white.
- Soil Level setting – Heavy, Normal, and Light Soil levels are available. This adjusts the wash time by 3-minute increments, depending on how dirty I think the clothes is.
- Stain Clean option – Adds a 5-minute soak period in the middle of the wash cycle.
- Extra Rinse option – Pretty self-explanatory 😉 I use it whenever I want to remove excess dirt or soap from the laundry. Perfect for washing baby clothes or for those family members that have sensitive skin!
I used to pull out Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook to figure out how to remove stains, but now my stain removing secret is my Frigidaire washer!
