#ACEforSchool Challenge

"I'm never letting you do my laundry. Again."
"I didn't know the red towel was in there, " Prophet protested.
"You did it on purpose to get out of doing laundry."
"Maybe. But it worked."
S.E.Jakes, Daylight Again

This amusing little quote made me chuckle, as I remember dying all our whites pink, when a rogue red sock sneaked into the washing machine. We were just newly married then, and though I didn't do it on purpose, I couldn't stop laughing, looking at my husband's pink undies. He forgave me, well, he had to, otherwise it would have been his task.
We do split home tasks and chores, and washing is one of mine. I haven't done that mistake again, though I might have shrank a few woolen jumpers to the doll's size but that's a different story.
Washing is an everyday occurrence in our household.

When I read about some super organised parents doing their laundry once a week, I'm left in awe and amazement as to how they manage. I load my washing machine every single day.
Having a child with special needs who doesn't care about the state of his clothes and wipes his hands on his school jumper and trousers every time he eats something, does not make my life easier. There is no point in trying to explain to him that he must stop doing it. He would listen, but do it again. And again. And again.
It also doesn't help that the schools use poster paints or glue which are a total pain to get rid of. In fact, we have many ruined white shirts and school jumpers.

Let's just say, stains are unavoidable when you have children in school. It's just a matter of accepting the inevitable and organising the daily routine - as soon as my boys come home from school, they have to change their clothes.
I inspect the stains and treat them before loading into the washing machine.

The evening is my ironing time, now often accompanied by my younger son's reading. Being a victim audience, I have no say in the reading material though, so it's mostly The diary of the wimpy kid no. 10,000 or Horrid Henry, or some other impish character.

And that seems to be my lot in life - to send them off to school in clean ironed uniforms - only to see them returning home all dishevelled, with dried leaves in hair, and a rainbow of stains on clothes, from mud to poster paint, from glue to tuna pate. And don't even mention the PE clothes...

Recently BritMums appealed to blogging parents to take part in an #ACEforSchool Challenge.
We received ACE for Colours and ACE Stain Remover Spray to tackle the stains and keep clothes bright and clean.
I'm always up to any challenge which will make my life easier.

ACE is no stranger in our house. I do often buy one ACE product or another.

ACE for Colours promises to remove stains, clean hygienically and eliminate odours. A new formula has a higher power to remove stains from food, grease, body soils, drinks, vegetable oils, cosmetics, trapped dirt and outdoors.
You can use it either straight in the washing machine, pouring it directly into the drum, or as a pre-treatment on tougher stains.
It definitely keeps the colour of clothes bright.
It also works well as a household cleaning product - just dilute a capful to 5 litres of water.

ACE Stain Remover Spray has  been specially formulated to include an active oxygen which helps to remove dirt and difficult stains gently without ruining the fabric.

ACE works well on many types of stains, but there are some kinds of stains which I find very tricky to get rid of, whichever stain remover I use (and I think I tried all the known brands) - it's poster paints (black paint on white shirts anyone?) and blood.
My elder son is prone to nose bleeds in the night, and unfortunately these stains are tough to eliminate. You need to scrub them with soap under the cold water, or use a bit of white vinegar.

Poster paints... a bane of my life. The water-based ones are OK, they are not impossible to get rid of, but some of the poster paints they use at school stay on clothes after several washings, pre-treated or not, they just fade, but are still pretty much visible.

It's obviously not just the school uniforms that get stains. Just yesterday we went to see Johnny English 3. We laughed so hard, that some of the psychedelic-coloured ice cream ended up on somebody's top. I managed to get rid of the stain, thanks to ACE.

Overall, top marks to ACE for helping to make parents' lives easier.


This post is an entry for the BritMums #ACEforSchool Challenge, sponsored by ACE. Get help for all kinds of stains with the ACE Stain Helper. http://www.acecleanuk.co.uk/ or to buy head to your local Tesco's, Morrison's, Waitrose or Sainsbury's.