how to clean oil off sheets?

[DOLL]

Does anyone have a tip to keeping my sheets looking new? I have flannel sheets that I just dyed dark brown because the oil stains will not wash out. Even after the dye, you can still see oil spots all over. I don't want people to think I don't wash, but I also don't want to keep buying new sheets.What kind of sheets do you use and how to clean? ???

 

[valdizzle]

I use cream colored sheets that are 60% cotton and 40% polyester. I use Therapro oil that is a blend of grapeseed, sweet almond, jojoba, Vitamin E and natural water dispersants. Then I just use whatever laundry detergent that I have on hand. I don't seem to have any problem. Another therapist I know swears by Dreft detergent. She says that the only thing that smells worse than rancid, oily sheets is a baby's dirty diapers!  ;D

 

[Pompal 09.]

how to clean oil off sheets?

where do you buy your sheets? Oil?

 

[all right giggity giggity]

For getting stains out of sheets, besides using shout (as that can get kind of expensive) I like to put a little Dawn dish soap in the wash, seems to cut grease better than any laundry detergent that I've used. Keeps my sheets looking fresh for almost 1 1/2 years!  

 

[Yourasssmells.]

I use a little bit of Greased Lightning in each load of sheets...... really lifts the oil.I also try to use patterned sheets so that shadows of stains don't show if I have forgotten to use it.Best of all, now I have linens provided by the hospital laundry ---- a cart of fresh ones magically appears at my door each day!  Such luxury!  I still reject some of them --- lordy, what happened here, I wonder --- no never mind, I don't want to know!The only problem with hospital sheets is that they're all white!  Now, which layer is the one to lift to tuck the bolster under...... hmmmm......  blankets are white, too!Yikes!Linda in NC

 

[laurafbbyx3]

Don't know about getting out stains, but you can buy a small, fluffy, soft blanket to go over your sheets to cover up wrinkles or stains you can't get out.  Looks inviting and offers modest clients some additional coverage.

 

[Nekomimi 13]

Also, most stains come from the oil, but the dryer is the one that makes them show up. If you are having a hard time with the stain look, try hand drying them and see if that helps cut down on the oil look. The oil will be there still, but the stain shouldn't be as  noticable.

 

[Pastor Art (((SFECU)))]

question for Staggnant

How much Dawn do you use? With my luck I'll end up wading through a laundry room full of bubbles if I guess. I use hot water with 2 capfulls of Arm & Hammer and I rinse my sheets twice to get all the detergent out. It works, but it gets expensive. I'm always looking for a better way.-Melody

 

[William Y]

how to clean oil off sheets?

Melody, I use 1 capful Arm & Hammer laundry detergent and maybe a small coffee scoop size (2 T) amount of Dawn dishwashing liquid. I use flannel sheets myself, though they are usually a plaid or print... I do try to laundry them within 24 hrs of use, and I've had really good results with the brand of massage oil I'm currently using washing out of the sheets anyway.There are some older threads on this subject, BTW... you might try looking up, "Smelly Sheets." LOL

 

[paja]

how to clean oil off sheets?

I also use about 2 tablespoons of Dawn. I kinda just squeeze out about 2 circles worth (lol, granny measurements, hehehe) in a top-loading washer. I think 2 tablespoons is a better measurement though, lol. ;D

 

[Mindy]

how to clean oil off sheets?

On this thread, I have added a link to an even older thread, both which may be of some help:

oil stains on sheets
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256

This was a good thread: smelly sheets
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=277

 

[julie s]

Pasting this from another thread on MassagePlanet.... about "Zote", a soap that helps get stains off sheets. Top quote is obviously another member... next in line came from a little searching I did on the net.

Seforum.xxxg,

You could also try a bar soap called Zote for this. It's awesome on restaurant oils (mainly peanut). Rub the bar on the stain before you wash and toss it in. Costs about $.60 for a large (14.1 oz.) bar.

*hehe*

I saw this and just had to know more... so I did a search on the internet and found a blog with Zote info on it. *chuckles*

For your reading pleasure:

Yesterday, a mysterious Mr. Zote added a comment to the entry, explaining the uses of Zote. I sent him an email thanking him for making him the premier English-language Zote resource online. He emailed me back to day, giving even more info:

Hi Chris!

I actually work at the factory where the Zote soap is manufactured. (http://www.lacorona.com.mx)
To understand the existance of this soap, we need to understand it origin. This soap was used in the past (no washing machines yet) in México, when people used to go to the river and wash their clothes. They simple rub the clothes on a rugged surface (like a rock), and hand wash the clothes. Then consumers started to use a machine called "palangana" that is like the Belly of a turtle (rugged) to wash in home. That´s why no instructions are needed (at least in Mexico) Nowadays, with more washing machines around this technique trends to desapear, but consumers are still finding a way to keep using the Zote soap. We are developing a new Liquid Zote (like a liquid detergent) that you can pour directly to the machine.
Since there are a lot of Mexicans in the USA (Texas), they are demanding this product and that´s the reason you can find it on the shelves in Wal-Mart and other stores.
It is funny, but there are some many alternate uses for this bar, like Mosquito repelent, hair treatment,fishing bite, fabric softener, YOU NAME IT!!
With a 36,000,000 million bars sold last year you can bet we´ll have Zote bar soap for a while.
If you need more information, I´ll be glad to help you!

EDUARDO RUEDA GONZALEZ
INTERNATIONAL SALES
FABRICA DE JABON LA CORONA

I know this seems banal, but I think this a demonstration of the power of the Internet. I posed a question on my site, asking for information that was unavailable in English, and a domain expert found my site and provided the relevant information. He even gave me a little bit of Mexican folklore to further my understanding of Zote's role in the culture. Thank you Mr. Zote!

Posted by: Rachelle at January 8, 2005 07:55 PM
I found zote today at wal-mart in the laundry soap section, I like old fashion type stuff so I bought a bar heck for 66 cents you can't loose. I cut it into bars to wash my hands and It really cleans well and with out the residue other soaps leave behind. to me it smells like ivory. I cut some and added it to my laundry to see if it makes the clothes smell nice, I think I'll go back to wal-mart and buy every bar they have.

Posted by: david at January 26, 2005 12:04 AM
I`m from Mexico, from the Yucatan Peninsula and I'm proud that mexican products are being used not only by "paisanos" in the U.S. but also by American citizens. Zote soap is a very good product with a long tradition in Mexico, there are lots of products from fabrica de jabon La Corona that are leaders in the mexican market and could be interesting for Americans (detergents, vegetable oils even toothpaste). Talking about laundry soap I can tell you that Mexico has lots of interesting products; there are yellow soaps, white soaps, pink soaps even black soaps but here in the Yucatan Peninsula the leader soap is a blue one: Jabon Princesa Azul. This is a wonderful product that has been in the market for over 50 years and sells even more than Zote. It has a white and blue color that makes it look odd, but cleans great, specially white clothes and many people use it as bathing soap, others use it to wash their face because they say is good to fight "acne". It is made from vegetable oils unlike Zote and others that are made from "packer tallow" (oils derived from animal fats). Try it if you can, I don`t know if it sells in the U.S. but it should!!!
David Pinelo - Merida, Yucatan. MEXICO


Posted by: David Pinelo at February 14, 2005 12:27 PM
Zote is awesome! I too found it cheap at big lots... it looked liked what my Nonna used to wash laundry over the summers in Italy... her clothes were always clean (long before Tide-n-cheer!) I love to xperiment on everything w/ it... here's what I found:
Zote is awesome on:
wood floors (finished or unfinished)
plastic/ Tupperware mystery white film: gone
any protein/ food mess
drip pans
stove brown goop
and even...... my long haired shitzu dogs are pleased with the low odor, high shine shorter rinse!
TIP: use your potato peeler and shave a couple flakes into an empty squirt bottle, fill with hot water, shake and now you have a liquid spray!

Posted by: elissa at April 16, 2005 02:58 AM
I've been making my own laundry and dishwasher detergent with Zote. I just realized that the two Walmarts near me just quit carrying it. The recipe goes as following: 1 bar of Zote grated finely, 3 cups of borax, 3 cups of *super washing soda. (found at Publix, or a feed and seed, called soda ash) mix all together. Use 2 tsp. in the dishwasher. Use 2 tblsp. in the washing machine. I love it, and it saves me some money.


Posted by: Alicia at June 29, 2005 11:29 AM
Great soap. I have a problem with using soaps with fragrance, but this one dosen't bother me.It reminds me of the old time Laundry soap (bar). Before the days of all this great priceless medicine,we would mix a little with sugar, make a paste and put it on a Boil to bring it to a head. It worked every time.
I found mine at General Dollar. They don't always have it. Will try Walmart.
LORRAINE in Summerville,South Carolina

Posted by: LORRAINE at July 22, 2005 06:11 AM
A friend of mine gave me a bar of Zote last night to wash my son's baseball pants because it gets out dirt so well. My youngest got hold of a sharpie permanent pen and a new shirt. I rushed and tried some Zote on it. It took out the pen and not a spec in site! I'm sold and I'm heading to Big Lots, Walmart and the dollar stores to get more. I'm trashing the rest of the junk on my shelves! I love the smell too!

thanks to my friends from Mexico!


Posted by: lou at September 9, 2005 07:50 AM
I am amazaed at ZOTE soap. I had a sons friend give him a baseball shirt for the team he was on but it was covered with old red clay stains that had been washed & dried in for about 2 years. I used everything to try to get it clean, then tried ZOTE. I wet the shirt and rubbed the ZOTE on, dropped it in the wash and when it came out it was SPARKLING white. When we went to the ballpark his friend said hey is that the shirt I gave you? It's soooo white. It is the only product i found to get out washed in stains out. Just read all the comments and am going to try it on the dog (a 90 lb German Shepard)and see what happens.

Posted by: Laura at October 3, 2003 07:17 PM
I also heard that Zote soap was good for acne if you use it to wash your face. Only used once a day, it can help clear up skin.


Posted by: Theresa at March 17, 2004 01:38 PM
I grate the entire bar on a cheese grater put it in a ziplock bag and put about 1/2 cup in my wash for each load. If you have babies it get's all the spit up right out of those burp cloths. Wonderful for sheets and towels.

Posted by: yag at March 19, 2004 11:58 AM
I PICKED UP A BAR SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS AND BASICALLY FORGOT I HAD IT UNTIL I STARTED CLEANING OUT KITCHEN CABINETS.
I WAS WASHING MY KITCHEN WALLS (LOT OF GREASE)AND DECIDED TO TRY THE ZOTE ON THEM. I WAS AMAZED BY THE RESULTS. I HOPE I DON'T RUN OUT OF ZOTE BEFORE I FINISH WASHING THE REST OF THE WALLS IN MY HOME.

Posted by: C. MARTINEZ at May 8, 2004 04:05 PM
Zote soap is seriously the best!
I use it in the shower, not in the laundry...
I like the soapy smell, not scented like other soaps... and it contains at least 66% fatty acid which is what pure soap is made from... I can't stop using it! If I had $1000 dollars to blow id buy all the zote I could find...


Posted by: christina at February 6, 2005 05:47 PM
I discovered Zote when we were in Mexico and needed to handwash some things - it was cheap and I could take the rest home unlike a liquid. I now swear by it - it is great for treating stains before a macine wash, and I rub a wet rag with it to remove pet stains from carpets - it is the only thing I've found that takes out vomit! It works well on blood too - a bar will last forever. You can grate or chunk it into the washing machine, but you need to let it sit to disolve.


Posted by: sandyb at April 30, 2005 06:57 PM
I make another laundry soap with /Zote and lye: 1 grated bar of Zote, 1gallon cold water, 1/4 cup Red Devil lye ( please be careful not to splash in your eye or on skin) stir, add 4 more gallons of water, stir some more, add .5 oz of an essential oil for scent (rosemary, lavender) you may want to add tea tree oil. This is my best recipe.

--
Washing the Dog with Zote;
I just wet the dog with warm water, rub the bar on her fur, rub her fur to lather it up and work it down to her skin, then rinse her off in warm water. It rinses out easily and leaves her squeaky clean. Needs only two 5 gal. buckets of the warm water, and I have a 55 lb. dog!

 

[Angel Eyes]

http://www.biotone.com/Search.bok?no.show.inprogress=1&sredir=1&category=Clean+Again

thats a product called clean again... it helps get out oil stains as long as the sheets are washed semi soon (couple days) after the sheets have been used

 

[Twilight Fan]

Just an FYI.... I bought a Zote bar (pink) the other day (in a $1.00 store). I just peel back the wraping, and rub the bar on the dry sheets. It is somewhat waxy yet soft and you can see the area of the sheet you have rubbed on. Wow did it get them cleaned up / no more stains .... and only a teeny bit of the soap bar was used. I am sold!

All of us should have this in our laundry cabinet!

 

[MAR2009]

isn't it a hassle to rub down each sheet with this bar? can you cut a piece and put it in the washer? sorry if that sounds like a stupid question but i'm not familiar with this product.

 

[Pompal 09.]

isn't it a hassle to rub down each sheet with this bar? can you cut a piece and put it in the washer? sorry if that sounds like a stupid question but i'm not familiar with this product.

It's really not hard at all to rub them down... but then, I usually don't have stains all over my sheets. Sometimes just a stubborn area or spot. I use lotion though. -- I put them on top of my dryer and just rub it in a little in the spotted or stained area.

Also... this is the original blog that I found on the zote, before the above response was written to it. I couldn't copy and paste it, and just never typed it out, but since you asked the exact question that started all of that "blog", here is what happens when you cut off a chunk! (I went ahead and typed it!)

And last, I wasn't familiar with it either until I started looking into it!


From: http://home.actlab.utexas.edu/~m4dd4wg/archives/000123.html

Is it dissolving?

Last night I was starting some loads in the complex laundry room, when I noticed a bar of Zote sitting on the washer. I was a little bewildered by the pink bar, wondering if it was for washing clothes. My cute neighboor walked in a few moments later, and I asked, "Is that laundry soap?"

"Yeah, it was really cheap, but I didn't know it was packaged like this," she said as she struggled to cut a chunk off with a butter knife.

"It looks really interesting."

"It didn't come with directions and I'm not sure how to use it."

"Maybe it's for hand-washing?"

She plunked a chunk into the washer and started it.

"You can use some of my liquid detergent if you want." I continued to load clothes into the washer.

A few moments later she asked aloud, "Is it dissolving?" and opened the lid to find a big pink chunk happily floating in the hot laundry water. "Can I use some of yours?"

I chuckled and said, "Hey, I wouldn't have offered if you weren't welcome".

But, I'm still curious about zote, but it appears I'm on the wrong side of the digital divide; I imagine most Zote users pass the instructions on orally and probably don't get online much. My powers of online research are not yet yielding any directions for using the big pink bar. Any ideas on how to use zote?

 

[Matilda]

Found this on another massage group on myspace.com......

"I read some comments about oil-stained linens..... just a note, one of the best stain removers is Coke. You would be surprised how much you can clean with just a can of Cola "

Someone else in the group confirmed it's usefulness saying he used coke on his army uniform after deployment. Anyone ever hear of this???

Steph!

 

[johnny fettcakes]

Found this on another massage group on myspace.com......

"I read some comments about oil-stained linens..... just a note, one of the best stain removers is Coke. You would be surprised how much you can clean with just a can of Cola "

Someone else in the group confirmed it's usefulness saying he used coke on his army uniform after deployment. Anyone ever hear of this???

Steph!

On mythbusters, a show on the discovery channel, they ran a bunch of tests concerning the use of coke as a cleaner and most of them proved to be false. If you have a bumper that needs cleaning coke & alumimum foil will do the trick this one proved to be true.

 

[asian-hater >=)]

stains out of sheets

There is a product called N-Zyme made by the makers of Myo-Ther Lotion in Canada. We sell a lot of this product and it works great. They are at http://www.myo-ther.com

 

[Do You Belive]

SunSign Oils Massage Products

Hello,

We offer 100% all natural massage oils at SunSign Oils Massage Products. STAIN RESISTANT AND WON'T GO RANCID!

http://www.massageoil.net/

We also offer free samples (1 per customer) for you to try out.

http://www.massageoil.net/free-massage-oil-lotion.html

We are a family owned business that has been manufacturing massage products for over 30 years.

Thank you,
Matt Buttrey
SunSign Oils

http://www.massageoil.net[url]/free-massage-oil-lotion.html