I've also tried boiling kitchen cloths in a pot with lots of water water and about a tablespoon of dishwasher detergent. They get clean and sanitized. And I'm not wasting paper towels.

I gotta try this! Thanks for posting!

Thank you.
I also use dishwasher detergent to remove food stains on some of my clothing before I wash them.[check for colorfast]

Great idea!!!! I saw something similar to that on the today show a few month's back, i use the dishwasher detergent, my laundry soap (about half of what i normally use) and hot water cycle close the cover and put it on soak. My kid's socks are always so nasty that this gets them sparkling clean again. I let them soak for about 20 minutes. great tip!!!

Thanks for the idea about socks. My 3 sons play a lot of sports and their white socks are always ground in dirty. If I bleach them (socks that is, not kids :) ), they fall apart in no time. I will try soaking in dishwashing liquid before washing.

Also on the dish cloths - when mine get gross I just head to Dollar Tree. I can usually find nice ones for 2/$1. Then the gross ones go into the rag bag & I use them to clean the floor.

So what's in the dishwasher soap that cleans white things so well? If it's not bleach, what is it?

What type of detergent are you using? Liquid or powder? And you are talking about the stuff that goes in the dishwasher, right?
I have got to try this. Thanks!

I have to see if this works. In addition to kitchen towels that no longer get clean even though I wash them in hot water/detergent/bleach, I have white washcloths that won't come clean. I buy tons of cheap white washcloths for removing makeup and doing face masks, etc. The face masks are green or brown, and I remove them with warm water and these cheap washcloths. Even though they are repeatedly washed, the stains still remain.
I use Electrosol tabs. Should I smash these up in a bag first before adding tot he not water soak? I really hope this works as I have some favorite old tea towels that are too stained to be seen by the public!

I used the cascade liquid. I don't even have a dishwasher I bought it just for cleaning and the liquid is easier for that purpose. Before this I used it to clean grout and to get the tea stains out of my sink. I love it for both of those tasks too, works great.

I guess if you use the tabs you probably would want to crush them and get them to dissolve in the water. I think the reason it works so well is the detergent has enzymes to break down stuck on food. I think the enzymes get rid of the stains.

I have Coscto brand dishwasher detergent that I hate so I may put that in the laundy room for soaking whites and then I can move on to better detergent for the dishwasher.
Thanks!

I've used an enzyme dishwashing detergent as a laundry booster for years with great success. Borax will whiten/bleach too. Also, hanging things in the sun will bleach them white, or whiter anyway.

I forgot to add she put in a cup of color safe bleach as well. I was doing that from memory - which fails me from time to time.

Hi jenica. That is a great idea. When I had a dishwasher I used to just throw a rag in with the dishes. Worked well if done regularly, that is before the rag dries and stains set.