Thursday, March 27, 2008

Spaghetti Sauce & Chocolate Milk & Red Jello - Oh My!

The other night one of my daughters got spaghetti sauce on one of her favorite shirts. She immediately began to cry. And it's all my fault. You see, I'm terrible at laundry. I make sure to sort darks, lights (I call them mediums, as in pink, and in our house they make up the bulk of our laundry) and whites. I also sort them into warm and cold, which baffles my husband, but it's what the tags say so I do it. And I search for stains and dutifully spray treat them.

But half of those stains never come out. Even if I scrub the stain spray in, no matter what brand, the stains stick. Chocolate for instance, particularly chocolate milk: that never, ever comes all the way out. Nor does red spaghetti sauce. Or mud. Sometimes even red jello leaves behind it's mark.

Which makes dinnertime a stressor for my kids. I'm thinking I should just designate "eating clothes" for everyone and let them enjoy meals again. I try not to moan or gripe or harangue them (although chocolate milk spills nearly send me over the edge every time). But they know my lack of laundering ability. When they slop on a treasured piece of clothing, they're aware it may be that way forever.

It makes me feel like a bad mom. After all, what are my primary duties? Feeding and clothing my family. Cuddling and reading. And when I can't properly perform one of those jobs, well it just makes me feel bad.

So I'm making an apeal: just what on earth does it take to get chocolate milk out of a shirt? Any hints? Any?

4 musings:

L.L. Barkat said...

I like the idea of an eating shirt. Maybe I'll have to try that myself. ;-)

Tanya said...

Eating shirts are always a great idea, though my kids prefer to eat naked. :)

With chocoloate milk, spaghetti sauce, jello, even blood -- the trick is to get soak it in COLD water right away. My daughter fell, splitting open her chin last summer. She was wearing her favorite shirt at the time: WHITE with red cherries embroidered all over it. After rushing her to the hospital, getting stitches and finally making it home, I soaked the bloodied shirt in cold water over night. The next morning I brushed it with spot remover. We had to wash it twice, but it all came out. In fact, we gave it as a hand-me-down to a friend recently. She had no idea the stain had ever been there!

When all else fails, try dish soap. It will get out almost anything.

Hope this helps! :)

ffitch13 said...

My 3 year old spilled chocolate milk on a white cotton skirt I was wearing. I immediately took it off and soaked the spot in white vinegar and water. Just filled a bowl with it and submerged the spot. It sat for about an hour. Then took a whife towel and dabbed until i got most of the liquid out. Spray with Stanley Steamer Spot Remover ($15) a bottle from Stanley Steamer. Let it sit about 5 minutes and then dab until you get as much color out as you can. Then you can rub a little at a time until the color all comes out. Throw in washer with the towel and wash with detergent in hot water. If you can still see some of the stain wash again. Hot water does not set the stain but the dryer will. Both will come out clean.

Amusing Mom said...

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to remember that.