It had been a rough day. I just wanted to get the laundry all done before Karl got home so we could all get out to the Rodeo together. I had been delayed, which was fine, so I was pulling the last load of the day out of the dryer while Karl and Mirah got ready.
I slowly realized there was something on all of my WHITES.
Blue and Orange crayon.
On ALL of my garments, Mirah’s tights, new baby cloths, new crib sheets…
Even her favorite bathing suit, she had JUST gotten for her birthday:
I had a totally breakdown over the pile of clothes while my family looked on at it in horror. It will go down as one of the most humiliating moments of my life.
As I sat and cried and tired to asses the damage I found this little guy.
But where was his brother…
Ah ha!
In the front pocket of Karl’s church shirt. And the mystery of how these little beauties got in the wash is solved. Karl had put them in his church shirt at the end of sacrament meeting.
It was my fault for not checking the pocket!
Well, we had places to be that evening, and I just couldn’t face it. So we left to the rodeo and I spent large portion of the next day trying every trick the internet and the laundry section of the grocery store could give me.
I started with a remedy that I had used once before that MOSTLY worked. Yes, two weeks ago, Karl had left a crayon in his church pants…I am learning, like I said, it was my fault for not checking.
I found it on this blog:
1) Put the clothes in the washer, and set the water to hot. I’m thinking as hot as you can get it to get the wax melting. If you are worried about your water getting hot enough consider adding a pot of boiling water. I didn’t, but I like things to be easy.2) Add your laundry detergent (I just used what I had on hand which was All Free and Clear), a 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 4-6 Tbs. of dish liquid (the stuff sitting on your counter that you would wash dishes by hand with). 3) Let the clothes soak for 10-15 minutes.4) Let the wash run normal.
I had read another blog that suggested hydrogen peroxide AND borax so I threw that in too.
It all looked a little better. None of my garments were better. Neither was my favorite maternity shirt, or Mirah’s bathing suit, Karl’s church shirt…
So I tried this one for spots:
NO apparent effect.
I washed them again with this one.
A little better on the cottons.
Finally I tried this guy:
MOST of the stains form the cotton ribbed things like all of my undershirts, the baby cloths, Karl’s curch shirts, Mirah’s cotton tights were saved!
Anything made with any kind of synthetic material didn’t really make it. None of my garments were salvaged. Mirah’s bathing suit looks the same. Her church tights were ruined…BUT about 80% of this huge load were saved! Feeling better.