Laundry hacks that do not work: These popular tricks just waste money and time!

Wash, sort and dry properly: numerous hacks are circulating on the internet. They often offer simple and clever solutions to complicated laundry-related problems. Unfortunately, in addition to numerous useful tricks, there are also a few that simply do not work. Surprisingly, many of them enjoy great popularity. Read on to learn which laundry hacks just waste money and time!

Getting discolored and yellowed laundry white again with aspirin? It does not work!

The hack: you have to dissolve 5 tablets of aspirin in hot water and soak the laundry in the water to get the discoloration and yellowing white again. After that, the laundry is washed. Another popular version: add aspirin tablets in the laundry drum.

Reality: The effect of aspirin tablets as a bleaching agent has not been scientifically proven. Aspirin contains acetylsalicylic acid, which also has no whitening properties. In addition, there is the question of proper disposal of the drug. Aspirin should not be disposed of in wastewater, but in residual waste. So this curious trick can’t do anything. But then why do many people report positively about the hack? The hot water in which the clothes are soaked for hours or overnight can remove certain stains and yellowing. Or at least help to remove them when washing.

Laundry hacks: Vodka can remove musty smell!

The hack: Many of us have experienced it at least once: the freshly washed laundry smells musty. Vodka, on the other hand, is said to help – if you put the alcohol in the washing machine, you can disinfect it and kill the bacteria that are responsible for the bad smell. About 40 ml of vodka is added into the dosing compartment of the washing machine. Then an empty wash cycle is started at 90 degrees Celsius. Wait for the machine to fill with water and then press pause. Leave on for about 45 minutes and then start the wash cycle again.

The reality: The amount of vodka is too little and is diluted by the water (depending on the load capacity there can be between three and nine liters in the washing machine) so much that it has no disinfecting effect at all. However, what will really kill the bacteria in the washing machine is to run a cycle at 90 degrees Celsius every three weeks and use detergent with bleach. Regular cleaning of the washing machine is also very important in this case.

Salt can prevent laundry from bleeding? No, but it can refresh colors

The hack: a cup of salt is supposed to prevent certain clothes from bleeding and staining the rest.

Reality: Actually, this hack has a scientific background. Salt is regularly used to fix the colors in the fabrics. However, you cannot undo the process once the dyeing is finished. Once the colors are badly set, the garment will always bleed. Also, salt can damage the washing machine even if it is pre-dissolved in the water.

However, salt can do a lot and refresh the colors of textiles that are not machine washable. To do this, first put the textile or item (e.g. decorative cushion) in a sealable plastic bag. Then add 3-4 cups of salt to the bag, seal and shake vigorously. You will notice that the salt will change the color and the fabrics will look fresher.

Laundry hacks: Conditioner can save shrunken clothes?

The hack: Do you have clothes that shrunk in the washing machine and are wonder if they can be saved? According to the next trick, you should put the laundry in a bucket and soak it in the warm water. Add several blobs of conditioner in the water, let it soak for fifteen minutes and then dry on towels.

Reality: Actually, this hack is surprisingly at least partially effective. Much like the conditioner helps with tangled hair by loosening the knots, it can also loosen the knots in the fabric. Of course, the effect is very limited. The conditioner can help, especially with woolen clothing such as sweaters that have only shrunk a little. What it cannot do in any case, is save badly shrunken textiles. Cotton clothing such as jeans, T-shirts or dresses can no longer be saved with leave-in conditioner.

Laundry hacks that do not work: Lemon juice removes detergent stains

The hack: Detergent stains are unsightly and stand out too much on dark-colored clothing. But if you treat the stain with freshly squeezed lemon juice, you will quickly get rid of them.

Reality: It sounds good, but unfortunately the trick doesn’t work. Mainly because the juice of a lemon is not enough to remove the stains. It’s much easier and safer to put the clothes back in the washing machine and start a rinse cycle instead.

In everyday life, it is common to make mistakes when washing clothes. However, the consequences – stains, odors and shrunken clothing – are supposed to be taken care of quickly and easily by certain hacks. Unfortunately, not all tricks work, and some of them are simply a waste of time and money.