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Squeaky
Clean Tips
For many families, clothing represents the largest share of backto-school expenses each year. The amount of money that goes
into a new school wardrobe paired with the reality that kids tend
to be careless about their stained clothing can be daunting, but
with proper care, you can take steps to better protect your investment.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately $8.5 billion
was spent in family clothing stores in August 2012, the latest
data available. This compares to approximately $2 billion spent in
bookstores during the same timeframe, highlighting the significant
investment families make in new clothing to send kids back-toschool in style.
You can keep your family’s clothes in tip-top shape year-round by
following the advice of the maker of OxiClean™:
Start fresh. New clothes, especially those that are deeply hued,
are notorious for bleeding dye during their initial washings.
Protect new garments, and old ones too, by grouping like-colored
new items and washing them according to tag instructions. Even
clothing that is not at risk of bleeding should be washed before
wearing to remove any potential irritants and germs accumulated
through handling on store racks.
Take pre-wash precautions. Give clothing a quick scan before
tossing it in the washer to identify and pretreat any stains before
they’ve been washed, dried and set into the fabric. Also check
pockets for any overlooked items. Shredding tissue or a leaking
pen can lead to more time spent washing and cleaning clothes.
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FAMILY FEATURES
Help keep clothes looking like new longer. Kids’ clothes attract
stains like honey attracts bees. With a quality detergent, you can
keep your whites bright and colors vibrant while fighting even
tough, dried-on stains. For getting rid of stains such as grass, soil,
chocolate and tomato sauce, try OxiClean™ Laundry Detergent in
liquid, single-dose paks or powder. It combines powerful, colorsafe OxiClean stain fighters, whiteners and a long-lasting fresh
scent to deep-clean and freshen your whole wash.
Sort and learn. Get the kids involved after school or on the weekends and invite them to help out with simple, age-appropriate
laundry tasks. Have them help sort clothes by colors or match
pairs of socks when they come out of the dryer.
Share the load. Most families have a fairly consistent way of
grouping loads of laundry – whites, darks, linens and so on. Make
a list of your most common loads and instructions for handling
each, and post it in your laundry room so others can help when
the need arises. Be sure to include details such as the proper
detergents and pre-treaters to use and settings for temperature
and cycle for both the washer and dryer. As safety is first, always
triple-check that all de tergents are out of reach of children.
www.oxiclean.com