DIY Life

Ditch the dryer sheets, balls and expensive infomercial products; you can get static-free clothes with a few household items you can easily find in your own pantry, kitchen or garage. In fact, before dryer balls were invented (can we even think back that far...?), there was another handy ball that kept clothing soft, bouncy and fluffier than ever. Curious yet? Go on; take a guess. (Hint: it's in the garage!) Give up yet?

The tennis ball! To keep fabrics soft and cling-free, toss three tennis balls into your dryer and run them through a cycle. You'll be amazed at how softer your clothes come out, and you've saved a few bucks along the way!

Not a sports fan? Try this crafty DIY dryer ball version that boasts just a few key supplies: yarn, pantyhose, socks, scissors, crochet hook and measuring tape. You probably have each of those items at home, so forget the excuses and get to work now!

Question: What can make vintage clothing forget their musty past, and also make you forget just what exactly happened during that bachelorette party in Vegas?
Answer: One word - Vodka!

Turns out that vodka is a natural bacteria-killer, which, in turn, deodorizes last season's pea coat that's been hiding in storage for the past few months. Simply prepare a spray bottle with vodka (sans tonic with lime), spritz it a few feet away from the garment and let rest overnight. Your coat will smell fresh, clean and, surprisingly, not like you've bee partying all night with your 21-year-old nephew.

So, next time you spill your drink onto your favorite frenemy, don't fret -- you're saving her from an unnecessary dry cleaning bill!

For more secret tips on household cleaners, surprising hacks and quick fixes, check out Diane's Unusual Uses column... only at DIY Life!

White t-shirts go through our household like seasons in the Midwest --- often, and with fury. And although I've heard countless methods on preventing underarm stains [i.e. switching deodorants, washing tees separate from socks, etc], I've never heard anyone tackle the process of ridding the stain after its been made.

Until now.

Here is a quick tutorial for keeping those whites white ... for good:

1. Create a solution of one part water to four parts laundry detergent, then spray the inside of your t-shirt's underarms and allow the shirt to sit for an hour.
2. Scrub the underarms with a soft toothbrush to remove stains, then rinse with cold water.
3. Soak the t-shirt overnight in a mixture of cold water and 2-3 Tbsps of laundry detergent.
4. In the morning, run your tee through the appropriate cycle, then hang dry in the sun.

Your underarms will be whiter than snow, and the sun-dried laundry will smell oh-so-fresh at the end of the day!

Did you know that air-drying your clothes can save up to 700 lbs of CO2 each year? Neither did I, and luckily for both of us, I've rounded up a few other green tips for your laundry that are 100% free to implement. I keep a list of these in my laundry room as a reminder that taking a few extra steps in my daily laundry routine can make a HUGE difference...


1. Clean out your dryer's lint trap before each use to improve efficiency, which saves energy in the long run.
[BONUS: Dryers are the third leading cause of household fires, so by keeping it lint-free, you're keeping your family safe and sound.]

2. Run the cold cycle. Trust me, it gets the job done just as well as warm, and there's even a special cold water detergent you can purchase if you don't believe me.
[BONUS: Your clothes are less likely to bleed in cold water, so when your husband throws that bright red dishcloth in with your whites, running the cold cycle will have more than likely saved your marriage.]

3. Swap bleach for baking soda or vinegar. Bleach can be harmful to the environment, so switch your bleach-infused softener to white vinegar or baking soda.
[BONUS: Both ingredients are ridiculously cheaper than softener and perform double duty when it's time to clean your kitchen.]

4. Wash in full loads to save water. Always, always, always.
[BONUS: You'll end up doing less laundry loads, which means more time with your family!]

Take a look in your bathroom vanity. Chances are -- especially if you've got young kids in the house -- there's a bottle of baby shampoo hidden in there somewhere, even if those kids aren't babies anymore. And if you don't, baby shampoo is inexpensive and easy to find, and often even turns up in thrift stores and garage sales.

That half-used bottle -- or an inexpensive new one -- is a soapy gold mine. Baby shampoo can be used for jobs around the house, as a stand-in for personal care products and for family fun, too. Here are some ideas:

Around the House

• Zipper stuck? Don't get annoyed. Instead, dip a q-tip in baby shampoo and rub it on the stuck spot. It'll lubricate the zipper and get things moving again.
• Groan. You've just discovered that you shrunk your favorite sweater in the wash. You can hand it down to your daughter, or you can try to resize it using a sinkful of water and some baby shampoo. Use it to wash your delicates, too!
• Some baby shampoos contain mineral oil, excellent for revitalizing leather shoes, coats and purses. Dab a little shampoo onto a soft cloth and rub the shampoo onto the leather, leaving it soft and gleaming.
• Take advantage of shampoo's natural grease-cutting properties. Mix it with a little baking soda and use it to clean your chrome faucets.

You're generally an eco-friendly sort. You try not to use that dryer much, and when you do, you cut your dryer sheets in half to make them go further.

It still rankles a bit that you then throw them right out, though, doesn't it? You could always make your own, re-usable dryer sheets, of course: they're far less expensive, less loaded with chemicals,and less wasteful.

A lot of people sell clothing on eBay, and a few years ago, I was a frequent buyer. But I often found myself disappointed in my purchases. Nothing sticks out in my memory like one particular dress: I searched for it for months and was overjoyed to find it... yet excitement turned to horror when I received it. Why? Because although the dress was machine-washable, the seller sent it to me covered in old deodorant. Disgusting!

The more usual experience with unwelcome deodorant stains isn't quite as off-putting: white marks and goo on dark-colored clothing. Still, we all want to keep our clothes looking nice, right? That's why I was so intrigued by the following deodorant removal tips from CasaSugar.

They suggest two possible ways to deal with this nagging issue: dab the stain with white vinegar, then allow it to soak for 30 minutes before washing the garment in the hottest water it can stand; or soak the garment overnight in a mixture of one part water and one part ammonia with a squirt of dish soap, then wash it. Either process should remove the nasty gunk from any affected areas... making your black tank tops presentable once again.

I don't fold my sheets. There, I said it. It's not that I don't know how. I do know how; I helped my mom with laundry all the time when I was a kid. But I don't really know how to do it by myself. What do you do when no one is holding the other end? So, I just sort of do a half-hearted fold, then wrap them all up until they fit into my linen closet.

Now you know one of my deepest, darkest secrets.

Ok, I kid (about the secret, not about not folding my sheets). The truth is, neatly folded sheets just aren't a priority for me. I mean, they're sheets. When I use them, my eyes are closed. Who cares if they're wrinkled?

Laundry is definitely one of my favorite household chores to do. Taking something that is stained and dirty and making it come out clean and beautiful always puts a smile on my face, even when I have to dig into nasty laundry baskets to accomplish that task.

ModHomeEcTeacher on Curbly shows us how to make a hangable laundry hamper with one yard of fabric and plastic purse handles, a wooden spool to mark a round pattern and a sewing machine to stitch it all together into a gorgeous stylin' new laundry hamper that we should be proud to carry around.

I think the hangable hamper would be great for grocery shopping too, as long as you don't fill it with too many cans or plastic bottles. Check your local thrift stores for some really nice vintage fabric and purse handles; you never know what cool items you may find!

I'm sort of embarrassed to admit it, but mildew got its spotty little grip on my bedroom curtains this winter. The fabric was sort of bunched up against the window pane a lot. Little did I realize it, but every sunny morning was like a mildew fiesta back there.

When sunlight and warmth hit the cold glass, condensation formed on the inside of the pane. The curtains soaked up the moisture and the warmth. Lo and behold, a big ugly patch of mildew was the result. Yikes!

What makes mildew so revolting is its sheer persistence. Once it gets its hooks into any household surface--whether it be a painted ceiling, an item of clothing, or a home fabric such as curtains--removal is genuinely tough.

I have sponges, rags, and cloths for every cleaning job in the house. Sometimes it is hard to remember which sponge or rag I used for cleaning the toilet, so I just keep the rags apart from my regular laundry so that a particularly dirty rag or sponge doesn't contaminate anything else.

Tipnut reader Margie says she separates her cleaning cloths from her regular "good" items by clipping off a corner of the cleaning sponge, rag, or towel. That way, she won't get nasty, dirty grunge on her nice hand towels, or use a germ-filled sponge to do her dishes.

I buy all my cleaning sponges and rags in bulk, so many of them are the same color, and it is sometimes hard to remember which sponge is for dishes and which one is for cleaning up a mess on the floor. With the clip tip, I no longer have to worry about germ transference.

We've discussed stain removers before on DIY Life. We've covered the homemade brew, taught you how to get ink out of laundry, and let you in on the peanut butter secret.

So that's it, right? All your stain removal questions are covered, and we can call it a day.

Hardly. As long as I remain helplessly clumsy and my children remain, well, children, I will be finding new stains and learning new ways to remove them.

The School of Fiber Science & Technology at the University of New South Wales has put together this list of 21 common stains, and how to remove them. Did you know that borax will remove cocoa and that lemon juice will treat rust stains? Some of the solutions are surprising, but I'm willing to give them a try. You already have most of what you need around the house.

[via: Lifehacker]

There's nearly nothing so frustrating as a clothes dryer which returns your freshly washed laundry in the same condition as when you put it in there. Most of us know the feeling we get when we stick our hand in the dryer expecting warm fluffy towels only to find a cold wet lump of terry cloth fabric.

There are three main conditions which most commonly cause this problem to occur. Your dryer vent could be plugged up, your heating element could be failing, or your dryer drum may be refusing to turn. A few tests and observations can quickly reveal the source of your trouble.

My oldest daughter was a great little artist. She loved to draw with markers and crayons, and whenever she could get her little paws on an ink pen, she would get artistic and draw not only on the paper, but all over her body and any clothing she had on.

Ink stains no longer have to be difficult to remove from your precious clothing, thanks to an awesome article that I found on Tipnut.com. The author gives us 10 ink stain remover methods for your laundry. Along with great tips to follow before you remove the stain, such as testing in an inconspicuous place first so that you don't ruin the fabric, there are 10 ink stain removers that should remove any ink stain from your stained laundry.

Funny thing about men: when it comes to choosing what to wear, you can be just as vain as most women. Surprisingly though, unlike women, most men have no problem wearing those same clothes with the 'just-slept-in-look'. For whatever reason -- cultural, spiritual, X-chromosome deficiency -- men don't like to iron.

Here's why you should make the effort:

Wrinkles can make clothes look cheap, and the way you dress speaks volumes about who you are as a person. Let's face it, clothes talk. Whenever you enter a room for the first time, it takes only a few seconds for people you've never met to form perceptions about you and your abilities. You don't have to utter a word; people peg you one way if you're dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, slacks and a sports coat, and yet another if you're wearing any style in a wrinkled mess.