Stains not being shifted in the wash? Try an old-fashioned remedy
How many times, after doing the laundry, do we find the washed items not to be as clean as they should be? Some stains, for example, seem to resist any wash, regardless of the products we use. That said, there may be a remedy we can try.
In fact, if you would like to try to clean a garment - even after it has been washed - you can try an old-fashioned remedy which uses an ingredient that you almost certainly have at home: we are referring to the various types of starch that are used in the kitchen. The most common are corn or rice, but potato starch is also frequently found in the kitchen.
The starch that is used in these remedies will always be in liquid form. So corn starch should be dissolved in water and starch from other foods (like potatoes, tapioca or arrowroot, for example) can be obtained from the water they are boiled in.
How to use potato starch for the laundry:
The best thing to do is to apply the starch directly to the fabric. This can be done at various stages, as indicated below:
- During the wash: spray the potato starch on the stains, or immerse the garment in the starchy water. Ideally, this should be done after washing but before rinsing. You can therefore use a washing cycle that is limited to rinsing only.
- Before washing: to increase the chances of success in the washing machine, you can pre-treat the garment by soaking it in warm water into which you have dissolved two tablespoons of powdered potato starch, or one glass of liquid starch. You can also spray the product directly on a stain, wait a few minutes, and then do a regular wash.
- After washing: at this point, you can only take care of the stained areas. Spray the starch on the stain, then wait a few minutes, having a drop of laundry detergent ready. Pour the soap on the stain and scrub gently with a toothbrush, then rinse off with warm water.
Of the various methods above, the one that is most successful in general is the pre-wash method: the starch helps in the removal of types of dirt that are usually more resistant to washing, such as oily stains caused by greasy foods, or even those caused bythe use of cosmetics (foundation, lipsticks, etc). Starch is certinly worth having in your home!
