When it comes to cleanliness, your clothes are probably the biggest culprit. Maybe that’s why washing machines have become so efficient. But even though your washing machine removes 99.9 percent of germs, there are still lingering germs and bacteria in your clothes. Over time, these germs build up and eventually wear down your clothes, causing them to look dingy and unappealing. While you can’t completely prevent grime and dirt from building up, you can take steps to prevent your clothes from looking dull and dingy. These steps include using vinegar to tackle tough stains, washing your clothes in cold water, and using fabric softener to keep your clothes soft and fresh.

Here are some of the natural solutions that you can use when cleaning your clothes and removing hard stains:

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is a great laundry additive. It's chemical-free and inexpensive, and safe to use on all sorts of fabrics.

Have you tried hydrogen peroxide for laundry? If you have, then you know that it works like a charm. There are lots of reasons to use hydrogen peroxide for laundry, despite the fact that many people are a little skeptical. No, hydrogen peroxide is not bleach. It's not even close to being as harsh on your clothes as bleach. It's so powerful that it can whiten your clothes!

Borax

Laundry is the bane of every household's existence—until you figure out the suitable laundry detergent. Borax is one of the most effective laundry products, and we've all used it as laundry detergent at one point or another. And to add, it's natural, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly.

White Vinegar

If you dislike doing laundry, then good news: there's one more thing to hate about it: the smell. Laundry has a bad habit of getting smelly. Every shirt, towel, and pair of underwear has a chemical smell that lingers even after washing the garments. Add in kids' dirty clothes, and you've got a smelly laundry problem. To fight the odors, you don't need to buy expensive detergent. You can make your own laundry detergent with common ingredients you probably already have in your home, like white vinegar. It is a good odor control solution for your clothes.

Lemon Juice

Laundry can be a chore, but you can get back to more important things once you get past it and wash your clothes. One trick to washing your clothes that you may not be aware of involves adding lemon juice to your wash. The juice’s acidity can remove static cling, brighten colors, and keep whites and colors whiter for longer. You can even add white vinegar to the washing machine to make your clothes smell fresh. Lemon juice may not be your only option for keeping your clothes clean.

Baking Soda

Baking soda has been used for years as a stain remover, and since baking soda works as a natural water softener, it also works wonders for washing clothes. And in addition to reducing the amount of water you use to wash your laundry, using baking soda can reduce your detergent use as well.

Talc

Try as we might; sometimes, our clothing is put through the wringer. Whether it's sweat, grease, food, or dirt, our clothes can get dirty on a regular basis. Unfortunately, this can cause stains, especially if they are old and set in. But there are products on the market that can remove the stains, and one of those products is talc.

Salt

Can you freeze salt? Yes, but this salt should be added to your laundry about a week before you plan on washing it. Add one cup per wash load. Let that sit in your washer while you do the rest of your laundry, and then pour it into your dryer along with your laundry. It will give your clothes a sparkling clean feel without the added cost.