LAUNDRY: Laundry Items You Cannot Live Without

Laundry is always such a kill joy. How many times have you or a classmate missed a get together because one of you had to do laundry? And it never ends! It’s always there! This section of the chapter won’t teach you how to make your laundry disappear but we hope it’ll somehow make the chore easier. Arrgh!

Wise Words: Get a three week supply of underwear and you’ll be okay. –Ari Mallare, Cornell University, Connecticut

Laundry Items You Cannot Live Without
1. Laundry Soap
2. Laundry Bag
3. Fabric softener – not only makes towels and sheets soft, it is also great for removing static cling in the winter time
4. Mesh bag for delicates.

Wise Words: My best friend was Woolite, which I used for smaller wool stuff and delicates clothes that had to be hand-washed. I couldn’t escape the dry clean only expense because I didn’t want to ruin my coats and spent on having them done at the drycleaners. –Luli Arroyo, Georgetown University, Washington DC

Tip: When you're machine washing your bras, make sure that you put them in a mesh bag and that the ends of your bras are fastened together. You are: 1)protecting the fastenings from being damaged by the machine, and 2) protecting the rest of your clothes (especially your knits) from the bra hook, which can snag the fabric of your other clothes and create holes. Don't put your bras in the dryer, this is where they do the most damage and are also damaged themselves (your underwires might never look the same again). They dry easily anyway. –Therese Ng, New York University, New York

Sorting Laundry

Dealing with the laundry problem starts with being sensible when you go clothes shopping. Before you buy anything, READ THE LABEL. When you buy clothes, sheets, pillow cases, and comforters make sure you know what you’re getting into. If too much maintenance is involved, resist the temptation to buy it. (Items that are dry-clean only clothes are a pain because dry cleaning is expensive and hand-washing uses up a lot of time.) If you are stubborn however, and end up buying that chic dry-clean only blazer, make sure that when it needs to be cleaned, that it goes into the right pile. You wouldn’t want that expensive new item to be torn in shreds!

There are 5 piles that a laundry person of late needs to know about

1. Dry clean pile – Suits, coats, delicate shirts and blouses
2. Whites
3. Lights (baby blue, beige, apple green clothing)
4. Darks (browns, blacks, navy blue)
5. Delicates (Put lingerie and underwear in a wire mesh bag for better care in the washing machine)

Also, depending on how finicky you are, you might want to wash your bathroom and door rugs in a separate pile.

We both wash about two piles of laundry every other week and then hand wash and send the dry-clean only clothes to the dry cleaners about every other month. Again, dry cleaning is expensive and many of our interviewees, including ourselves wear a suit at least twice before taking it to the dry cleaners.

Wise Words: It’s worth your time to separate whites from colors from darks…remember the scenario of white garments turning pink because of one red sock? It happens. –Vanessa Go, New York University, Northwestern University,Columbia University

Laundry Via Washing Machine

When you are apartment-hunting, the proximity of a laundromat to the apartment should be one of your main qualifications. The closer you are to it, the more time you save. Once you get to the laundromat, if you have not used a washing machine before, don’t be afraid. Although, there are all sorts of washing machines around the world, front loading machines, top loading machines, smaller machines for household use, and larger machines for industrial use, there are usually instructions posted next to it or on the lid that will tell you how to use the machine. Read the machine’s instructions before you dump your clothes in the hole. What you should take note of when reading the instructions is how to change the water settings. If you are washing dark clothes, you’ll want cold water so the colors won’t bleed. You’ll want warm water for whites. If you’re using a washing machine in a public place and are too embarrassed to read the instructions, go early in the morning when there are less people. If you are studying in Japan and the instructions are in Japanese, ask a local for help.


One thing you should remember when washing clothes via washing machine is that the soap should go first. In Tricia’s absent-mindedness, she often puts the clothes in and then the laundry soap. (She uses a top-loading machine.) Her clothes then turn up with specs of detergent on them. Other reminders :

1) You can use a stain remover spray or gel to remove stains

2) If you have time, turn your clothes inside out to reduce abrasion and fading.

3) Don’t overload the washing machine. Make sure your clothes are below the indicated limit of the machine. When over loaded, the washing machine won’t have space to squish the suds out of your clothes.

Tip: For whiter whites. 1) Start the washing machine choosing the warm water setting. Add detergent and Clorox. 2) Agitate the water for a minute or so. 3) Stop and then load laundry. 4) Start washing machine for a few minutes and then stop! 5) Soak for 15 minutes and then resume washing to loosen the dirt. –Hector Tiongson, Georgetown University, Washington DC

Tips for Drying Clothes

1. Select low, medium, or permanent press (depending on the type of dryer) as the drying temperature. Often putting the dryer on hottest setting makes clothes shrink.

2. Remove cotton shirts from the dryer before the drying cycle is complete. Fold or hang them immediately so the wrinkles from drying won’t set in.

3. Let towels and other wet items dry completely before putting them away. Stored damp laundry may cause mildew.

4. A drying rack is a good investment for drying out stuff that you don’t want to put in the dryer.

5. We still can’t figure out what the etiquette is in public laundromats for how long one should wait to take someone else’s clothes out from the washer or dryer. So to be safe, if you leave while your clothes are still being washed or dryed, make sure you get back on time. Don’t you hate it when strangers touch your clothes?

Ironing

Honestly, we don’t iron unless it’s for a super special occasion, like a job interview. Ironing makes you re-live the Philippines in April without the glorious sunshine. There are so many other ways to spend one time than to iron!

To avoid ironing, we buy clothes that are wash-and-wear like cotton-knits (t-shirt material), sweaters, and jeans that if folded right after having come from the dryer, loses its wrinkles.

We heard from somewhere that if you hang your clothes in the bathroom and put the hot water on full-blast, the steam will make the wrinkles disappear. It does somewhat but not all the way. Nothing really beats ironing for that crisp, well prepared look. So although both our irons and their horses (don’t buy the small ones, they’re hard to use!) are gathering dust, we’re glad we have them.

Ironing Pants
Contributor: Teresita Jose, Xavier University, Ohio
1. Line up the seams of the insides of the pants and hold in place.
2. Line up the outside seams of each leg to the inside seam
3. Place on ironing board
4. Iron the inside part of each pant leg
5. Iron the outside part of each pant leg
6. Put waist part on board, parallel to the length of the ironing horse.
7. Iron waist area

Ironing Skirts
Contributor: Teresita Jose, Xavier University, Ohio
1. Line up the seams of the skirt
2. Place on the ironing board
3. Iron each side
4. Iron waist area

Ironing Long-Sleeved Shirts
Contributor: Christopher Yao, Boston University, Massachusetts
Match heating setting of iron to type of fabric and buy a spray bottle so you can moisten the fabric before you iron. Also, you may want to buy spray-on starch of which there are two kinds. The regular starch has a crisper finish this will be good for cottons. A spray-on starch with a soft finish is ideal for silk and rayon.
1. Iron the back of the collar
2. Iron cuffs
3. Iron sleeves making sure that there is a neat crease on either side of sleeve
4. Iron front of shirt (the side with buttons)
5. Iron the back of the shirt
6. Iron front of shirt

Wise Words: Get a little spray bottle and fill it with water…spray your clothes before ironing and iron away. It augments your steam option on your old plantsa. Get Niagra Starch as well! Don’t leave your clothes in the dryer too long. Buy wrinkle free outfits. When you are at home, watch your maid, mom, sister, brother, gardener, cousin, aunt iron clothes and learn from the experts. –Rhoel Dinglasan, Yale University, Connecticut

Clothing Care Labels

From: http://www.textileaffairs.com/lguide.htm

Helpful Websites

There is so much more information out there about housekeeping! If you want to learn about the proper way to fold bedsheets, what kind of paint to use on your walls, and earth-friendly kitchen cleaning solutions, check out the websites below or go to your local bookstore and pick up a book that best suits your needs.

http://www.allrecipes.com/
http://www.diynet.com/
http://www.epicurious.com/
http://www.foodtv.com/
http://www.hgtv.com/
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/
www.kusinaatbp.com/index.htm
http://www.lutongbahay.com/
http://www.marthastewart.com/
http://www.queenofclean.com/
http://www.realsimple.com/
http://www.recipes.com/

A Man’s Survival Tips for Living in the US

Contributor: Robby Galang, Oxford University, Oxford (After graduating from Oxford, Robby moved to the US.)

1) Must-have cleaning stuff:

a) Febreeze: This spray takes out the smell from any fabric. This sure beats the
cost of cleaning stuff, especially upholstery, sweaters and jackets. Why do the laundry when you can 'Febreeze'?

b) Shout: Amazing stain remover. Buy Shout
Wipes. They are like wetones for stains. Works perfectly when used in
conjunction with "Febreeze". No more drycleaning!!

c) 409: Ultrapowerful
solvent. Will cut through anything. Makes wiping stovetops, refrigerators, alls,
tables, etc, very easy.

2) Rule to live by number 1: Why clean when there are no guests?

3) Rule to live by 2: If it does not look dirty, if it does not smell dirty and if it does not move, it is still clean.

4) Remember: the microwave is your best friend. Though the toaster oven may come in as a close second.

5) Easy to cook meals! Run-down of decent ready-to-cook food.

a) Remember to stock up on our favorite breakfast stuff from our country.
Tocino, longaniza and tapa is always available at the Filipino food store. I
am not sure if they have a Filipino food store in Charlottesville. Pass by the
one in San Fran. If all else fails, Mama Sita's Tocino mix is surprisingly very
good.

b) As I always say, 'live by the instant mix, die by the instant mix.' The Adobo mix is not great but the Sinigang mix is always good. Chicken Sopas mix will be great for cold winter nights.

c) Go Hispanic! Hispanic food tastes so much like Pinoy food anyway. Goya is our trusted brand for good, ready-to-cook hispanic food. Look for Goya in your neighborhood Hispanic grocer. (Oops, baka wala.) If you do find Goya foods, try the ham croquetas,frozen empanadas, and papas rellenos.

d) Hotdogs are always good for any meal. Try the polska kielbasas! YUMM!!

e) Instant spaghetti sauce is always good. Look for a brand that you love.

f) Stouffer's: a brand that we all love! Stouffer's makes great (well, honestly, it is not that good, but its cheap and filling!) microwave dinners. Try the cheese and
spinach manicotti and chicken oriental! YUMM! (Well, not really. Puede na
kung gutom ka!)

g) Go Oriental! Chinese stores always have good ready-to-cook meals. Our favorites: frozen gyoza (I don't remember the brand) and shrimp dumpling.

h) If all else fails, cereal can be a good substitute for dinner! Our favorites: Smart Start, Oreo O's, Cheerios, Kellogg's Country Inn Specialties --specifically Ornsby Hill blend.

6) At the end of the day, who are we really kidding? Fast food is how we all survived America! Papa John's makes the best pizza. Try the gorditas and chalupas at Taco Bell. McDonalds has a good salads. Burger King is always reliable. Try the chicken fingers with honey mustard sauce at KFC -- sometimes they even have Popcorn Chicken. Then you have Chinese takeout: General Tso's Chicken and Orange Chicken are the best.