HELOISE: Battling stinky T-shirt odor

Dear Heloise: Hello! Thank you for your insight, sense of humor and research! Having had five children, three of whom are boys, I have a question/problem that I have never encountered before. Is it possible to get underarm odor out of T-shirts that have been washed and dried?

My solution is to either throw them out or burn them (the shirts, not the kids)!

My worst nightmare has been realized: clean clothes that smell like body odor. I am a woman on the edge, Heloise.

Maureen A., via email

Maureen, don’t despair, and step away from the edge! This type of laundry problem is one of the most-asked questions! Here are some helpful laundry hints for you:

Turn each T-shirt inside out, put liquid detergent on the area and rub the material together a little. Don’t use too much detergent. Don’t stuff the washer full; do only a normal load.

Soak several of the T-shirts in the hottest water that’s safe for the fabric, and add 1 to 2 cups of household vinegar. The vinegar works to dissolve the sweat stains and helps cut the odor. Then, launder as usual. Good luck!

Vinegar is one of my favorite household cleaners. Cheap and readily available, it is a real help around the house! I have compiled a pamphlet containing my favorite uses for vinegar. If you would like to receive one, send $5, along with a self-addressed, stamped (64 cents) envelope, to: Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Visit my website, www.Heloise.com, for many more helpful household vinegar hints. To keep paintbrushes soft, soak them in vinegar and water for an hour or two.

Heloise

Dear Readers: Items that should NOT be flushed down the toilet:

Facial tissues.

Feminine-hygiene products.

Paper towels.

Disinfecting wipes.

Hairballs.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I always enjoy your column in The (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) Tribune, but I am concerned about the abundant usage of plastic bags. As handy as they are, they do not biodegrade. Freezer bags are even thicker. Perhaps a mention of reusable containers would be a worthwhile reminder. Thank you!

Adrienne, via email

Yes! Happy to do it! Reusable containers certainly do help in keeping the landfills ... well, less full!

Heloise

Dear Heloise: An expired credit card or one of the many gift cards I have makes a free, easy-on-the-hands-and-fingers pot scrubber. The card bends easily to fit into grooves, corners and rounded shapes. It cleans burned-on gunk easily, and it scrubs about anything you can think of.

Linda in Arkansas

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate