Tackling Your Laundry

Better living is possible through safe laundry practices.

Program objectives: Create a safe laundry room that protects your families Help choose the right product for the right job Identify ways to remove common stains that tend to ruin our garments Understand the difference between traditional and high efficiency washing machines

Which picture describes your memory of laundry?

Creating a safe laundry room Two key points to remember include: Safety regarding laundry products Safety regarding laundry practices

Laundry products Storage Keep out of the reach of children and pets Keep in original containers with labels intact Use immediately and return to a safe storage place

Laundry products Use Never combine detergents Never use empty detergent containers to store other materials Recycle empty containers when possible

Laundry practices Do laundry without any distractions Clean spills immediately after they occur Pay attention to statements on containers and know, or have posted, the poison control number – (800)

KEY pledge Keep single-load liquid laundry packets out of the reach of children. Educate your family on safe use and storage of new products. You are the key to laundry safety.

Which is the right product?

Detergents General purpose detergents Light duty detergents

Let’s take a closer look at some of these products.

Read the label…

Colorfast test

Stains

Stain solutions Products with enzymes Liquid chlorine bleach products

Washing machines Traditional High efficiency

Comparison of machines HE washers use percent less water than traditional washers Energy use can be as little as percent of the energy used by traditional washers because there is much less water to heat The savings translate directly to long-term cost savings and long-term environmental benefits

Clothes dryer A dryer evaporates water from the clothes and minimizes wrinkling by tumbling clothes. Water evaporation requires heat. Heat costs money!

So let’s tackle the laundry… References: American Cleaning Institute for Better Living Stain Solutions developed by: Susan Taylor –Former University of Illinois Extension Educator

Photos: 123RF Kenna Knight, BS Pendleton County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences March 2015 Copyright © 2015for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for educational or nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice. Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.