Does Ammonia Help in Washing Clothes?

Regular Laundry

• Ammonia boosts cleaning action in regular loads of laundry. Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of ammonia per load of laundry in addition to regular laundry soap. Check the ammonia bottle's instructions for use with laundry, because the actual amount needed may vary slightly depending on the concentration of the ammonia. Ammonia helps keep whites bright and removes sweat stains.

Stain Removal

• Ammonia helps remove dairy, protein and ink stains. For example, it helps take out cream, pudding, stamp pad ink, gelatin, deodorant, egg whites, baby food, blood and mucus. To make a stain removal soaking solution with ammonia, mix 1/2 tsp. of liquid hand dishwashing soap and 1 tbsp. of ammonia in 1 quart of lukewarm water. Soak the stain in the solution for 15 minutes and then rub the fabric to try to loosen the stain. Next, soak the stain for another 15 minutes. If the stain does not come out of the fabric, soak it in an enzyme product before laundering it normally.

Smell Removal

• Experts at Iowa State University Extension recommend using ammonia to remove skunk smell and hog confinement odor. To remove hog odor, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of ammonia to a load of laundry. To remove skunk smell, make a dilute solution of ammonia to soak clothes in. A small splash of ammonia in a sink full of water, or about 1 tbsp. per quart of water, will help skunk smell come out of fabric.

Ammonia Safety

• A mixture of ammonia and regular chlorine bleach releases toxic gas into the air. Never use ammonia with bleach when washing clothes. Always check the label on laundry soap before mixing it with ammonia. When in doubt, always check all soap labels to make sure products are safe to mix with each other. You can safely use bleach on laundry only after thoroughly rinsing all ammonia from the fabric.