Adding an aspirin to your washing machine might sound unusual, but it’s a clever laundry hack that can yield impressive results. This simple trick is especially useful for keeping your white clothes looking bright and stain-free. Let’s dive into why this works and how you can use aspirin to enhance your laundry routine.
Why Aspirin?
Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, is well-known for its pain-relieving properties, but it also has another surprising use in the laundry room. Here’s why it’s effective:
- Stain Removal: Aspirin contains mild acidic properties that help break down grime, sweat, and other stains, making it easier to lift them from fabrics.
- Whitening Effect: The acid in aspirin also acts as a whitening agent, helping to restore the brightness of white clothes that have become dull or yellowed over time.
- Gentle on Fabrics: Unlike some harsh chemical cleaners or bleach, aspirin is relatively gentle on fabrics, reducing the risk of damage to your clothes.
How to Use Aspirin in Your Washing Machine
Ingredients:
- 5 to 6 uncoated aspirin tablets (325 mg each)
- A load of white or light-colored laundry
- Your regular laundry detergent
Instructions:
- Crush the Aspirin:
- For faster dissolving, you can crush the aspirin tablets into a powder using a mortar and pestle or place them in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- If you prefer, you can also use whole tablets, but they may take a bit longer to dissolve completely.
- Add Aspirin to the Washing Machine:
- Place the crushed aspirin or whole tablets directly into the washing machine drum before adding your laundry.
- Load your white or light-colored clothes into the washing machine.
- Run the Wash Cycle:
- Add your usual amount of laundry detergent.
- Set your washing machine to a hot water cycle, as hot water helps activate the aspirin’s whitening and stain-removing properties.
- Start the cycle as usual.
- Dry as Usual:
- Once the washing cycle is complete, remove your clothes and dry them as you normally would.
Results You Can Expect:
- Whiter Whites: If your white clothes have become dull or yellowed, you should notice that they look brighter and fresher after using this aspirin trick.
- Reduced Stains: Stains, particularly from sweat, should be significantly reduced or completely removed.
Additional Tips:
- Soak for Tough Stains: For particularly stubborn stains, dissolve 5-6 aspirin tablets in a basin of hot water and soak your clothes for 6-8 hours or overnight before washing them in the machine.
- Use Uncoated Aspirin: Make sure to use uncoated aspirin, as coated varieties might not dissolve as easily and could be less effective.
- Avoid on Dark Colors: This trick is best suited for white or light-colored fabrics. Using aspirin on dark clothes may cause lightening or bleaching effects, which you might not want.
Precautions:
- Check Fabric Care Labels: Always check the care labels on your garments before trying any new laundry trick. Some delicate fabrics may not respond well to certain treatments.
- Test First: If you’re unsure about using aspirin on a particular item of clothing, test it on a small, inconspicuous area first to ensure there’s no adverse reaction.
