Bacteria Archives - Page 3 of 4

Stinky Shoe Care

What you may not know is that the actual stink in your shoes is bacteria, and it’s living inside your shoes! It’s not only important to get rid of the smell, but also the bacteria, because over time it can cause an infection or nail fungus.

Deodorizing Canvas or Fabric Shoes

Canvas or fabric shoes can be tossed in the washer and ran through a warm water cycle. To deodorize, add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse. Don’t use fabric softener, because it can trap bacteria in your shoes.

Place them outdoors in the sun to air-dry. UV rays will also help kill any bacteria that may be left. If placing them outside isn’t an option, place them in a sunny window sill or with a fan blowing on them.

Deodorizing Stinky Shoe Inserts

Take them out of the shoes and wash them in a sink full of warm, soapy water. Drain and refill with 2 cups water and 1 cup white vinegar. Let them soak for 5-10 minutes, rinse thoroughly. Finally, using a paper towel, press the insole to remove as much water as possible, and then allow them to air-dry.

Why A Clean Laundry Basket?

We see it all the time here at Sapulpa Laundry. You spend your hard earned money washing and drying your clothes, towels, sheets etc.. Then, without thinking, you place all of your clean belongings back in a dirty laundry basket. Dead skin cells, grime from your sweaty workout clothes, and whatever else hitches a ride on your clothes throughout the day, are all lurking in that laundry basket! Lets don’t forget to mention bacteria, including the dreaded staph bacteria also known as MRSA!

*Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that causes infections in different parts of the body. It’s tougher to treat than most strains of staphylococcus aureus – or staph – because it’s resistant to some commonly used antibiotics.

What To Do:

Wash it. Give that basket a good washing with soap and hot water, or simply use an antibacterial wipe and wipe the basket down thoroughly before putting your clean laundry back in it. You can also use any hard surface disinfectant, but be watchful of anything with the potential to discolor (i.e. bleach). Make sure to dry the basket completely before putting your belongings back in it.

Bag it. Try using washable laundry bags. Wash the dirty bag along with the clothes. Once the bag is dried, place the clean clothes inside the bag to transport back home.

Line it. You can also use a disposable plastic laundry bag, clean trash bag, or a reusable cloth liner to line your laundry basket. Set your clothes inside the bag that lines the basket. Dispose of the plastic bag once you’ve put your belonging away and wash the cloth liner the next time you do laundry.

Time To Recharge Your Towels

Every so often you grab a towel out of the linen closet and notice it’s lost its fresh smell and softness. Let’s face it – no one wants to dry off with a scratchy, musty towel. Here are some steps that will help bring smell good, fluffy towels back.

1) Wash your towels with hot water and 1 cup of white vinegar only.

2) Re-wash a second time with 1/2 a cup of baking soda and hot water only.

3) Dry your towels on the hottest setting until completely dry.

If the odor and scratchiness continues, repeat the steps again only this time use 2 cups of vinegar. If at all possible let the towels soak in the hot water and vinegar for an hour before continuing.

Vinegar is known for removing soap and fabric softener build-up. Fabric softener coats your towels with oils. Vinegar will remove the build-up, while acting as a fabric softener. Baking soda does the same thing as vinegar.

WARNING!

Do not mix vinegar and baking soda together. Be sure to wash in two separate loads. They will cause a chemical reaction when mixed together!

How to Properly Clean a Mattress

Dust, mold, mildew, body sweat, fungal spores, allergens – all make mattresses the ideal breeding ground for bacteria and dust mites. If you’re as grossed out as I am by this, keep reading and learn how to clean your mattress for a better, cleaner sleep.

Vacuum It

Vacuum your mattress every month or so or as often as every time you change the sheets, if you or family members have severe allergies. Run the vacuum very slowly over the mattress, so it has time to inhale the dust and dust mites. Break out the crevice tool for the edges and crevices.

Treat Stains

Treat any stain immediately. The longer liquids sit in a mattress, the likelier you are to foster mold and mildew growth.

This may sound crazy, but use foaming shaving cream for mattress cleaning, in part because of its thickness. Liquids will soak right through a mattress, not allowing adequate time to dissolve the stain. Foaming shaving cream contains denatured alcohol, which is a stain remover, and it’s thick, so it sits on the surface to work on the stain. Wait 10 to 15 minutes, wipe with a damp cloth, and rinse with a 50/50 vinegar/water solution. Repeat if necessary.

Other helpful solutions for common mattress stains:

Blood: A 50/50 hydrogen peroxide/water solution.
Urine, fecal matter, or vomit: An enzyme cleaner, such as Bac-Out by BioClean, or Nature’s Miracle, available at pet stores.

Freshen Fast

Use a mixture of cornstarch and baking soda to remove smells. Place in a colander and just shake the mixture on to the mattress, let it sit for a few hours or longer, then vacuum. The cornstarch will absorb body oils, while the baking soda will work on smelly odors.

Sheet Strategy
Don’t put new sheets on until evening. This will allow the mattress to air all day discouraging dust mites and bacterial growth.

Pad It
Remember, mattress pads aren’t just for comfort. They keep your mattress cleaner, too. Wash monthly in hot water, and machine dry thoroughly, unless the tag instructs otherwise.

Removing Muddy Water Stains and Mildew Odors

In light of the recent flooding in Oklahoma, I’ve decided to post with some helpful tips to help get rid of mildew odor and mud stains that have most likely affected many of you.

Mildew Odors

Washing your belongings a few times on a normal setting may get rid of the odor, but if that isn’t enough to combat the mildew smell, we’ve found a way to get your belongings back in shape and get that unpleasant smell out quickly. Here is how:

Place your smelly belongings in the washing machine and fill with the hottest water possible. Add in 2 cups of white vinegar. Do not add any other products (detergent, softener etc.). This will allow the vinegar to penetrate the material without interference. Run a full cycle.
If the odor persist, repeat step 1, only this time use baking soda instead of vinegar. Run a full cycle once again.
Dry until they are fully dry.

Muddy Water Stains

Using the same method as above with vinegar works, but in case you don’t like the smell, you can always use a color-safe bleach and the warmest water your belongings will allow.
Baking soda will also work. Add approximately a 1/4 – 1/2 cup of baking soda to your load of laundry along with your favorite laundry detergent. Do not add any softener, this will allow the baking soda to penetrate the garments. Wash on the hottest setting your clothes/belongings will allow.
If possible hang them out to dry to make sure all of the stains have been removed. When hanging them out to dry isn’t an option, inspect them carefully before drying. If needed, wash them again.
Once all evidence of the stains are removed, dry them according to the label recommendations.

Proper Care For Your Sneakers

Have you ever looked down at your white sneakers and been self-conscious? If you have, then follow these easy to do steps and feel good about your white, almost new looking, shoes.

First of all, start with preventative care. Grab a bottle of stain repellent at the shoe store, or anywhere they carry shoe supplies, and spray your shoes. Simply spray the repellent evenly on the surface of your shoes and let them dry overnight. Give your shoes a nice cleaning every few weeks to ensure they stay looking brand new.

Next, clean the soles. When the soles or the rubber part on your favorite pair of shoes needs a good cleaning, give them a good scrub. Try this one spot-cleaning method that’s sure to work – and it’s probably not what you think. Pick up a Magic Eraser next time you’re in the store, because it will soon become your go-to for keeping your sneakers white. Simply wet the Magic Eraser with water, and rub your shoes in a circular motion to watch the eraser work its magic.

Last, but not least – don’t forget the shoelaces. Remove your shoelaces from your sneakers. Fill your sink with hot water and add a few dashes of your favorite laundry detergent. Massage the laces between your thumb and index finger. You can also use the detergent and a toothbrush to get a deep cleaning. Squeeze the laces in a towel or paper towel to get out excess water, then hang them to dry.

Specialty sneakers. Sometimes sneakers have a different type of material that needs to be cleaned a little bit differently.

How to Clean:

White canvas sneakers: Combine baking soda with an equal amount of a mixture that’s half water and half hydrogen peroxide until it forms a paste. After making sure all excess dirt is brushed off your sneakers, apply the mixture. Let your shoes sit for a few hours until the mixture has hardened. Shake off the hardened mixture and use an old toothbrush or crumpled up paper towel to remove the excess paste. You’ll notice those sneakers are way whiter! If the sneakers are still damp or wet let them dry before wearing them.

White leather sneakers: It might sound too good to be true, but getting your favorite white leather sneakers looking good-as-new, is as easy as taking a toothbrush with your favorite white toothpaste to the surfaces of the shoe. Use warm water with the toothpaste. You can even add sugar to the toothpaste to create an exfoliate effect for any areas where dirt seems to be caked on. Wipe with a clean towel or paper towel. Again, if the sneakers are still damp or wet let them dry before wearing them.

Keeping Pillows Clean

Over-sized, bulky and awkward – sometimes it’s hard to know how to wash your pillows. Just remember with all of the germs, kids, pets, and guests it’s important to remember to wash them.The best way, plain and simple; machine wash your pillows. Most down and synthetic pillows can be machine washed and dried on low heat, but check the label to be sure.

You’ll want to wash and dry at least two pillows at a time to keep your machine balanced, but take care not to stuff too many in at once. Pillows need plenty of water to get thoroughly clean, and plenty of space to get thoroughly dry. Just follow these simple steps and you’ll have clean, fluffy pillows.

NOTE: Foam pillows should not be washed! Sprinkling them with cornstarch, letting them sit for an hour or longer, then vacuuming thoroughly instead.

Detergent / Water Temperature

Make sure you use something that’s fragrance-free and will rinse clean. Homemade laundry soap is always a good choice: 2 cups soap flakes and 1 cup each baking soda, washing soda, and borax. Water needs to be 140 degrees or higher to kill dust mites, so make sure your water heater isn’t set too low. It’s good to consider an extra spin cycle to squeeze out as much dampness as possible.

Drying

Make sure you dry pillows completely, even a little dampness could reintroduce the very mildew, bacteria, and dust mites you’re trying to avoid. Dry on low, checking them every 20 to 30 minutes to ensure even drying. For extra fluff, dry with dryer balls or a tennis ball in a sock.

Freshening Between Drying

Put your pillows in the dryer on “air fluff” every few months, to get rid of much of the dust. If you can handle a little bit of the smell until it dissipates, you can include a vinegar-dampened washcloth, since vinegar is so good at killing mold and mildew.

Pillow Protectors

Removable pillow protectors buy you more time between full-on pillow cleaning. Simply remove and machine-wash protectors in hot water once a month.

Always Wash Before You Wear

With the gift giving season upon us we thought we would share this post again. Surely some of those gifts will be new clothes. Keep reading to find out why it’s so important to wash before you wear.

There are three good reasons to wash new clothes, especially those that are worn in direct contact with your skin, before you wear them.

One is to wash out extra dye that can be transferred to your skin or other garments. Most fabric made from synthetic fibers (polyester, acrylic) are colored with azo-aniline dyes. These dyes can cause severe skin reactions for those who are allergic to them. If the allergy is severe, the rash will be similar to poison ivy. But even less severe reactions can cause dry, itchy inflamed patches of skin.

It is possible to transfer lice, scabies, bacteria and fungus from person to person when clothes are tried on. Dressing rooms can become breeding grounds for everything from viruses to athlete’s foot.

And, most importantly, to remove the chemical finishes that manufacturers put on clothes to enhance color or texture. The finishes won’t bother everyone, but if you have sensitive skin you can develop a rash especially in constant contact areas like armpits, collars, cuffs and trouser waists and thighs.

Urea formaldehyde is often the chemical used to prevent mildew on clothes that have to be shipped long distances in hot, humid containers from overseas to the United States. It has a very strong odor that will remain in the fabric until the garment is washed. One washing will not remove formaldehyde completely but you will reduce the build up significantly and it will continue to be removed with each wash.

It is especially important that children’s clothing, especially clothes for babies, be washed before they are worn. Babies are particularly sensitive to chemicals and skin rashes can occur. Select a detergent that is fragrance free and dye free as these can also cause skin reactions. Washing the clothes for children will also make them softer and more comfortable for them to wear.

Washing new sheets/blankets and towels is also important to remove chemicals since these come in direct contact with skin. Washing will also improve the absorbency of the fabric by removing surface fiber coatings.

If you have a tag on the garment that reads “wash separately before wearing”, beware of dye transfer and color bleeding. Washing will help remove the excess dye but check the rinse water. If color remains in the water, it make take several wash cycles to get rid of the excess dye so continue to wash separately or with similar colors.

The Importance of Washing Your Laundry Basket

What To Do: Wash it. Give that basket a good washing with soap and hot water, or simply use an antibacterial wipe and wipe the basket down thoroughly before putting your clean laundry back in it. You can also use any hard surface disinfectant, but be watchful of anything with the potential to discolor (i.e. bleach). Make sure to dry the basket completely before putting your belongings back in it.