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sarahwroteathing · 6 years ago

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Last Minute Laundromat

Word Count: 3318

Summary: Your laundry ritual is disrupted by a late night arrival

Warnings: None

A/N: I have no idea what this is. I was walking home from doing my laundry a couple nights ago and this just kind of... happened. Let me know what you think?

Last Minute Laundromat at 2am was a very specific experience for a very specific sort of person. Usually that consisted of only you. There was the occasional exception of a frantic stranger with a laundry emergency who you’d see once or twice, then never again, and that suited you just fine.

Initially, you’d made attempts to filter in with the more “functional adult” crowd in the daylight hours and early evening. But your days were largely taken up by work and world class procrastination, and you came to appreciate the odd ambiance that went hand in hand with realizing the potential of a 24-hour laundromat.

To cut back on power use, the guy running the desk during the day usually shut off the bright main lights when he left at 8:30, leaving on the dim emergency lights and the flickering neon signs in the windows. It was good enough for you. Bright enough to see the buttons on the machines, to determine the difference between the washer and dryer tokens, and to sort your laundry into lights and darks. Bright enough to see the faces of the people who walked by the windows or came inside. Dim enough to hide the scuffs and stains on the polished concrete floor, the streaks of detergent dried on the front of machines from unsteady hands, the dust and corrosion on the pipes above your head. Dim enough that you could probably hide in one of the shadowy corners behind a machine if you needed to.

Not that you felt particularly unsafe here. No more or less than you would in any other 24 hour establishment in New York. But still, it was nice to have some options. Just in case. In this city, you never knew what could happen, who could walk through the door.

Could even be Captain America. Apparently.

The daytime lights snapping on was your first clue that tonight would bring an alteration to your usual routine. It startled you more than you’d care to admit, and you jerked in your seat enough to make the metal legs give a grating screech against the floor. Your first thought was that some form of law enforcement was responsible, and to be fair you weren’t far off.

You recognized him from the news, of course, and your history classes in school, but it took you a minute to reconcile the national icon with the figure in front of you. He seemed distinctly different from the sharply-cut noble symbol you were often presented with. This man wasn’t a public figure at all.

The smile he shot you was shy, apologetic. His blonde hair was ruffled and damp with the rain that had been pattering against the windows since early evening. The way he walked, the way he held himself indicated a large man trying very hard to be smaller, to pass unnoticed. So you waved off his silent apology with a smile of your own and tried to focus back on your phone.

You told yourself that your curiosity could stand to go unsatisfied. After all, hadn’t you come in at 2 am to do your laundry in peace and solitude? It was only fair to extend that same courtesy to him.

And so you really truly tried to mind your own business. You adjusted the headphones in your ears, turning up the volume of your music volume once, twice, three times to block out the noise he was making. But on glances up to check the time on the dryer you were using, you caught on to your new companion’s mounting frustration.

The creases between his eyebrows were growing deeper. His restless fidgeting grew more pronounced. After sitting through five minutes of his failed attempts, you shut off your music and stood, taking a tentative step in his direction.

“…Sir? Is there something I can help you with?”

Though his head shot up in surprise, he quickly settled into a grateful smile that encouraged you to approach.

“Steve,” he corrected. “And uh… I don’t suppose you work here?”

“No,” you said with a laugh. “But I’m willing to bet I can tell you what you need to know.”

You offered him your hand and introduced yourself.

“Can you tell me how much it costs for a load? I thought it would be posted somewhere, but I can’t find anything.”

“Oh, God, you didn’t put quarters in, did you? We run on tokens here,” you said, wincing when Steve rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I thought I’d put quarters in until it turned on. Bad plan, I guess.”

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know,” you said kindly, digging through your pockets until you produced a small handful of laundry tokens. “Here. This round’s on me.”

A proud smile overtook your face when he gave a beautifully undignified snort.

“I’ll have you know that line doesn’t exclusively apply to alcohol,” you said defensively. “I’m trying to be wholesome. Here!” But Steve ignored the hand you offered him.

“You really don’t have to,” he protested. “Just tell me where to buy some. Or at least let me pay you for these.”

You let the tokens spill out onto the top of the washing machine with a loud clatter, sorting them quickly into two different piles.

“You’re out of luck. You can only buy them from the person working the desk, which is only covered from 8 am to 8 pm, sometimes 8:30 if they fall asleep. Theoretically, you can buy them from the machine in the corner, but it’s really more of a modern art installation at this point. It hasn’t worked in like six months.”

Steve’s eyes flickered over to the machine you gestured towards, eyebrows raising at the trash bag fixed over it with blue painters’ tape.

“So when they say twenty-four hour service, they mean…”

“Twenty-four hour self service, and only if you’ve planned ahead,” you finished with a nod. “So you’re left with accepting my donation, sorry.”

“Not if you tell me how much I owe you for them,” he countered, placing his wallet down on the machine beside the tokens.

“You don’t owe me a thing. I like helping people. Just pay it forward or something. I’ll pass the torch of laundry guardian angel to you. But first pay attention so I can train you properly.”

Steve cracked a smile, shaking his head with a sigh as he slipped his wallet back into his pocket.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good. First of all, the small tokens are for the washing machines. The big ones with the holes in the middle are for the dryer. Do not pay right away. Normally I don’t ascribe to conspiracy theories, but in this case, it’s warranted. If you don’t follow the right steps in the right order, the machine will eat your token without actually activating a cycle. If that happens, there’s no way to get it back, and there’s no refunds.”

“And there are no signs to tell you the right way to do things,” Steve noted, pursing his lips.

“Of course not. They get more of your money if you have to go through trial and error until you figure it out,” you said with a sardonic smile. “So first things first. This sad little label-less button turns on the machine. And this sad little label-less button opens the door. But on most of the machines, the doors get stuck, so unless you’re a nationally ranked thumb wrestling champion, you have to be very-” You jammed the heel of your hand against the orange button, barely catching the violently-swinging door before it hit you. “Persuasive.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Steve said with a crooked smile.

“Glad you stopped arguing with me about paying for the tokens now, aren’t you?” you joked, making a show of raising your fists in front of your face.

“Oh yeah. You’re terrifying,” he agreed, and you narrowed your eyes at the clear sarcasm in his voice.

“Alright, punk. Less sassing, more laundry. You can load up the machine now.”

You’d second guessed your teasing the second the words left your mouth, but the brightness of the smile that overtook Steve’s face more than made up for the moment of anxiety. The tension that you hadn’t noticed lingering in his shoulders melted away, and his little grin stayed firmly in place as he set about sorting his clothes.

The strength of his reaction made you giddy, so much so that you didn’t think twice about catching his hand to stop a stained shirt from being loaded without pretreatment.

You hardly even noticed that smile slip, the tension creep back up his frame. It wasn’t until you had spread the shirt on the folding table that you recognized the deep reddish-brown stain for what it was. By then, you figured it was too late to back down from your course of action. You’d let him explain, if he wanted. But you wouldn’t ask.

“You’ll have a better chance of getting this out if you pretreat it before throwing it in the wash,” you said, and you were proud of the steady lightness of your tone. “I have some stuff with me. Just give me a second.”

You plucked the correct bottle from the laundry supplies nestled at the bottom of your basket and set about working out the stain. The sound of footsteps, slow and careful, reached your ears, and you felt his eyes on you.

“You know who I am?” Steve’s voice was barely a whisper, but you caught it easily enough. Your dryer must have reached the end of its cycle at some point during your demonstration.

“That’s an odd thing to say to someone you’ve just met,” you answered carefully.

“You’re handling a blood stained t-shirt like it’s no big deal. One that belongs to a stranger who you’re now alone with at 2 o’clock in the morning. You probably should be scared, or at least concerned, but you’re not. What other reason could there be for that?”

“Maybe you’re just a guy who had a nosebleed. I’m sure it’s none of my business either way,” you said. “And you’ve given me no reason to be afraid of you. A grown man who has trouble working a washing machine doesn’t exactly have me shaking in my boots.”

You glanced over your shoulder at him before turning fully, offering him his shirt back with an uncertain smile. He watched you carefully for a few moments before speaking again.

“Just admit that you know me. Please.”

“I’ll admit that I’m… familiar with some aspects of Captain America’s work. But Steve, the guy who does his laundry at 2 am? I’ve only just had the pleasure of meeting him. So, no. I don’t know you.”

The two of you stood in silence again, staring at each other contemplatively, and though you were a bit nervous, you still couldn’t bring yourself to be scared.

“Okay,” he said with a little sigh. “Thank you.”

And you weren’t entirely sure, but you had the feeling the sentiment extended past your help with the t-shirt. You followed him back to the machine where he finished filling the drum and turned to you in silent question.

“Soap in the drawer,” you advised, pulling out the trey. “Then you can close the door. Give it a little kick so it locks. Choose your settings, then put in the token. Don’t change the settings after you’ve paid or it’ll reset, and you’ll lose credit for the payment. Press start, and wait. Washer runs for 34 minutes, dryer runs for an hour and fifteen minutes. Got it?”

“What goes in here?” Steve pointed at a separate compartment with no label.

You smiled and trailed back over to your table for your fabric softener, setting it down in front of him when you returned.

“Fabric softener. You can use some of mine if you want, to see if you like it. It just makes your clothes feel a little softer and smell a little nicer. It’s up to you. But if you’re thinking about turning it down because you feel bad for taking more of my stuff, consider that I’m not in the business of half-assing my niceness.”

You caught the hint of a grin that curled his lips as he picked up the bottle, unscrewing the cap to smell the contents and reading the label curiously. He gave a little shrug and poured some into the drawer before pushing it closed again, carefully following the steps you’d recited and sighing in relief when the machine rumbled to life.

“Congratulations, 2am Steve, you are now on your way to clean clothes.”

“How did I become 2am Steve?” he asked with a laugh.

“It’s not that great of a creative leap. Your name is Steve. I met you at 2am.”

“You could just use my full name. It’s not like you don’t know it.”

“Not officially, I don’t. You haven’t told me. And I haven’t told you mine either. Besides, 2am Steve has a ring to it. Makes you sound like you’ve got a reputation.”

“For what? Public intoxication?”

“Maybe,” you admitted with a laugh. “Your catchphrase can be ‘it’s always 2am somewhere.’”

“Well, I can’t actually get drunk, so we’ll have to come up with something else,” he said, rolling his eyes though you could see the amused glint in his eyes.

“Uuum… Being a public nuisance? Through very well-scheduled streaking.”

Steve choked out a surprised laugh, a slight blush coloring his cheeks when you couldn’t stop giggling.

“What’s the matter? Not your style?” you teased, moving back to your dryer and pulling the still-warm clothes into your basket. “I feel like you could probably run fast enough that no one would even see anything.”

“I don’t think that’s a theory I ever want to test,” he answered. “Maybe we should just let my 2am reputation be failing at household chores.”

“Just because you needed a little help doesn’t mean you failed. The clothes are getting washed now, aren’t they?”

“I guess so…”

You fell into a companionable silence as you went to work folding your laundry.

“Can I ask you something?” Steve asked suddenly.

You looked up at him in surprise, setting down the shirt you had been folding and leaning back against the machine.

“Fire away.”

“You can probably guess why I’m here this late… But why are you?”

“Normal reason, I guess. My apartment doesn’t have a laundry room,” you said with a shrug.

“But you could go during the day. With everyone else,” Steve challenged.

“How do you know that’s not what I normally do? Maybe tonight is an anomaly.”

“You looked comfortable. Before I came in. Like this was your usual routine.”

“Perceptive,” you complimented, earning a shrug in return. “I just don’t like crowds much. People make me nervous sometimes. I feel like they’re watching me, judging me. Even when I know they aren’t. It makes me self-conscious, and I make stupid mistakes like turning my towels pink or forgetting to add soap. I’d just rather do it on my own. I like my solitude.”

Steve nodded solemnly, his eyes a little distant, and you worried you’d hit a little too close to home with your confession.

“Plus I don’t like strangers seeing my undies,” you added, laughing when your words shocked him out of his brooding, glad to see it embarrassed him more than it embarrassed you.

“Understandable,” he muttered.

“You know, what you said before? I actually don’t know why you’re here so late. I mean, the crowd thing probably affects you too, but… I mean, I assume they’ve set you up with a nice place to live, right? Don’t you have your own machines? Or at least a laundry pick-up service or someone who does it for you?”

“I do… Both, actually. But, I don’t really sleep much, and I was feeling a little too… in my head. Had to get out of there. Figured I’d do something productive with the time away.”

“Makes sense.”

“Does it?” He was eyeing you carefully again, and you suppressed the urge to squirm under his watchful gaze.

“Yeah. I get like that too sometimes. I think everyone does. And I always think night air does some good.”

Steve had an odd look in his eye, one you couldn’t quite decipher. But he smiled at you in a gentle sort of way that made you feel appreciated, and you couldn’t help but smile back.

When he didn’t ask any other questions, you dropped your eyes back down to your basket and started folding again. Normally you didn’t fold anything until you got home, but tonight you were reluctant to leave.

“So I… guess you’re done for the night, huh?” He was still watching you, had noticed the lack of effort in your movements.

“Umm… Yeah. Pretty much. But I can stick around if you want. Would hate for the dryer to kick your ass in my absence,” you joked weakly.

“I think I can handle it. It’s the same steps as the washing machine, right?”

“Pretty much. Oh, and the same door process applies at the end of a cycle too. Because apparently these machines think they’re bank vaults.”

“Have a lot of experience with breaking into bank vaults, do you?” he asked, smiling when you rolled your eyes at him.

“If I did, would I be washing thrift store clothes at a laundromat?” you laughed.

“I guess not,” Steve said, and his teasing grin turned soft again. “Anyway, you should get home. Get some rest.”

“It’s a Sunday. I’ve got nowhere to be. I’ll be alright,” you assured him. “I really don’t mind staying.”

“I’d feel guilty for keeping you up later than you have to be,” he pushed.

“Alright,” you sighed, unable to find a good excuse to stay. “If you’re determined to force me to sleep like a normal human…”

You shuffled awkwardly, arranging your laundry and supplies in your basket and balancing it on your hip for the walk home. As you passed him you paused, shifting the weight of the basket again to offer him your free hand.

“It was nice to meet you, Steve.”

“Nice to meet you too,” he said quietly, taking your hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for all your help.”

“Of course. Honestly, it was kind of fun... Which is not something I’ve ever said in this building before. I must be dreaming already.”

He smiled and released his grip on your hand. “Another reason for you to get home as soon as possible.”

“Trying to get rid of me, huh? Fine, I see how it is. You may win for tonight, but I’ll be back.”

You walked backwards to the door, keeping your eyes on him in a playful glare. Steve bit his lip hesitantly, fighting with something on the tip of his tongue.

“When would that be?”

You blinked owlishly at him before your surprise softened into a smile of approval.

“Same time every week,” you answered, all traces of playful energy traded for hopeful sincerity.

“Maybe I’ll… stop by again,” he said, fiddling with the tokens you’d left to avoid meeting your eyes. “If I’m…”

“Conscious?” you supplied, and he met your eyes again with a self-deprecating smile.

“That’s – yeah. That would be helpful.”

You answered his nervous laugh with a reassuring grin.

“Well, I’d appreciate the company. If you find yourself with nothing better to do.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards when your back finally hit the door, drawing a surprised huff from you. “Get home safe, okay?”

“You too.”

Fixing Steve with one last smile, you maneuvered your way out the door, adjusting your basket on your hip and fighting the urge to glance back as you set off for home.

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#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers fic #steve rogers fluff

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anonymoussharing · 5 years ago

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Blood and Sex

I let him do it. I’m 50, and this was the first time I’d had sex on my period, my full on flow period. Sure, I’ve had sex during the beginning or the end, when it’s just a little brown spotting, just the playful waving of my uterus. But this time, oh no, full on, full flow, clots and everything.

I prepared. I put the waterproof sheet on the bed, laid a maroon towel over that. Laid a sheet over that. Hoping that my cunt would land somewhere in the neighborhood of the towel. Removed all the pillows, per usual. For some reason I always end up with a pillow fallen over my face, which then gets thrown across the room. He always laughs at me.

He’s been telling me for the last couple of weeks how hawt he thinks it is to have sex during my period. Slippery and messy. He especially likes the messy part. I’ve never been into the messiness of sex. If I use lube, I need to wipe it off my hand before proceeding. Don’t touch anything till you’ve cleaned your hands. Lately....well...the way he’s been burying his cock in me and knocking on my gspot and making me sooooo wet …well …. cleanliness can take a back seat for that gush of wetness that we can both feel. I warn him it can smell like rotting meat, he knows, he doesn’t care. I warn him it will be so messy, he doesn’t care, he thinks it’s hot.

I did prevent him from going down on me. He asked in advance if he went down on my bloody pussy would I let him kiss me after and I said NO. I don’t want my own blood on my face, no thank you! I think he chose to be able to kiss me rather than taste my blood. And before you get excited that he would kiss me out of some romantic gesture, let me assure you that’s not the case. He doesn’t kiss, he mauls my mouth with his. It turns up the intensity for him, along with my clinging to him like a monkey on a tree. If I bite him or bury my nails in his skin, I just ignite the beast more. And we both like that. So, yeah, kissing.

As usual, he just gets on his knees between my legs and drives his cock home. There’s no discussion of how do you want to do this or anything. I sometimes think it’s not fair that he does all the work as I just lay there taking it, but...I think he likes it that way too. No shower no blowjob no making out no preamble. Just on his knees, sliding his cock in.

I’m not sure what to expect. I’m a bit bloated. I’ve been a bit crampy, I’m bleeding like crazy. Is it going to be sticky/draggy instead of slippery? Is my uterus going to be in the way, expanded somehow, and he reaches my cervix sooner and hurts me?

His cock just slides right in. He’s not #10 excited, so his cock stops just short of hurting me. It’s slick in there. It feels….the same. No better, no worse. He’s hitting the right spots. I’m getting wetter because he’s hitting the right spots, and boy oh boy are we making a mess.

He keeps pulling out and taking a look at the mess. He dips his cock in the blood and uses it to paint blood on my inner thighs. He pokes at the blood with his fingers and finger paints his handprints on my legs. The blood can’t be seen on his dark skin, only on the bed and my white skin. He better pray he doesn’t accidentally kill me right now, with the blood all over the place.

We take video of it. Video that will never see the light of day. He’s having enormous fun, the look on his face is that of a little kid playing. He’s almost giddy. He has dispensed with the challenging questions (You like it, don’t you?) and is simply having fun. I can’t help but laugh with him. It’s more fun than I anticipated, now that I have everything prepared, including my own shyness and squeamishness.

Periods are something I’ve always hidden from my men. Recently, I’ll fuck Eric at the beginning or end, when I’m just spotting, and let him fuck me without a condom, because that always feels better. I don’t mind the mess of boycum because I’m going to be messy anyway. It’s the same for Vic. I’ve been allowing him to fuck me bareback for weeks now, but making him pull out. Tonight I’m letting him finish inside me, because, well, I’m already messy.

The sheet looks like I got murdered when we’re done. The blood had washed off my thighs with his sweat, there was an ass-sized area of blood and my cum and his sweat. His cum hadn’t begun dripping out of me yet. There were handprints and streaks and smears all over the sheet. And there were also a bit of mess up the top, where my head was, that I sweat my fresh hair dye into the waterproof sheet.

He was so excited and happy to have done that. I’m really happy I let it happen, even if it means yet another load of laundry, but this time with lots of pretreat solution. The stains almost came all the way out, and then we used the same sheet the next night for the same thing.

Because he had pushed a lot of the blood out, my period the next day was pretty light. I didn’t wear a pad or regular underwear, I just kept a washcloth in my sweatshorts. I got real lazy (surprise!) and didn’t shower all day, just washed off right after he left. So when he showed up again tonight without warning because his cell phone is turned off, I was not ready for company. I was under the impression I wasn’t going to see him for the rest of the week, so he caught me off guard.

We put the gear back on the bed, we both took quick showers, and got down to business again. Much less mess this time. It’s pretty typical for me to only have one really heavy day anyway, and getting his help pushing it out made that even more true. Not as much mess, he came inside again, twice.

He let me know tonight that he plans on moving away soon, probably at the beginning of next month. I don’t know what he expected my reaction to be, but I’ve been expecting him to move soon, so I wasn’t surprised or sad at his news. I like having him come fuck me. But he needs so much work to be a good companion! It’s just not worth it to me. I’ll be sorry to have to look for another fuckbuddy, but hopefully I’ll find out that I’m more compatible with on other levels too.

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topazshadowwolf · 6 years ago

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Calming Stress

A while back, my friend @goosygander came to me asking if I wanted to do an art trade. I agreed and my end of the trade was to write a fic that followed up on a short role play we did with Goosy’s Red, an Underfell/Gaster Blaster Sans, and an Underfell Torel. The way the request was worded I saw fit to add as much wonderful fluff in along with the angst you often see in those two AUs. The end results Goosy enjoyed greatly. So, here it is: AO3 version

Calming Stress

Underfell/Gaster Blaster AU Soriel fic By Topaz Shadowwolf

Even before the show they were watching together ended, the skeleton beside her had drifted off to sleep. Most days, she would be annoyed and would try to wake him up, but this time she couldn't bring herself to do so. Her poor skeleton friend had shown up in such rough shape, that she just had to let him rest. Besides, having him here, and beside her, was enough to help fend off the past that haunted her thoughts. She shouldn't, but Toriel couldn't help but wrap the skeleton up into a proper hug, pulling him onto her lap in the process. Finding a spot to rest her cheek was not as easy as it would have been if his skull was not semi-spiky. His usual smooth skull looked perfect for this simple act of affection, but her efforts paid off as she found a spot right on top, just before his horns and his skull connect. It felt perfect, like it was meant for her cheek to rest there. His tail, though, was another matter. She had to be careful with it. She knew, from past experiences, that if it curled or bent the wrong way it could cause him a lot of pain. With how long the extra limb was at the moment, it would be easy to wake him in discomfort or pain if she was not mindful. Still, even if some might consider the extra attention she had to pay to his tail annoying, she still loved that part of him when he was in this form. It was far more expressive than he liked to be. It did so many different acts to display his mood, though sadly it was mostly fearful and nervous reactions. But, around her, he did seem to relax enough to display happiness and even annoyance when she teased him. She held him until the cold, haunting memories of being in the Ruins faded and she no longer felt alone within her self-made isolation again. It was unfair to use him as a source of comfort like that, especially since he was sleep and unable to provide his feelings about being a tool for her sanity. But, at the same time, she couldn't help herself. All she could do was hope he didn’t wake and find himself like this. To have him angry at her for holding him like a stuffed toy would break her soul. Losing him in her life is something she could not afford and deeply feared. She was already so alone... She loved Frisk, she really did, but she needed someone else here, someone she could love in a different way. It was getting late, and she picked Sans up and carried him to the guest room. She would have loved to talk to him more, but that will have to wait until morning. Maybe then she could find out why he was had been wearing half the condiments from his hotdog stand. The poor dear looked so stressed and dejected when he showed up at her doorstep. At least she was able to give him a chance to clean up and a change of clothes.

She set the sleeping skeleton on the bed then left to tend his dirty clothes. She could still smell the grease and mix of relish, ketchup, and mustard on them. The mustard smell was one she had grown used to. It was just a part of Sans, as far as she was concerned. Smelling it brought him to mind, and she has found herself using the condiment more. She also kept more stashed away for him. But, as much as that smell was a part of him, mustard didn’t need to be all over his clothes. Some would say she has grown soft, that she is not the terror of the Ruins she once was. But she still had her temper, and she didn’t like strangers, especially around her child. Sans isn’t a stranger; so, she will wash his clothes as promised. She pretreated some areas, knowing if she didn't they would only turn to stains. Once ready, she placed them in the washing machine and started the wash. Toriel then considered her options for a moment before returning to her sofa and grabbed a book to read. She was feeling better just knowing someone else was in the house; but, she couldn’t stand the silence. She turned on the TV but kept the volume low, not wanting to risk waking up Sans. Not that it would. The dear has proven to her he had the ability to sleep through almost anything.

After a while, she heard the sound that signaled that the wash was done. Toriel placed a bookmark in her spot before she stood up to make her way back to the laundry room. She should have put them in the dryer in the morning and tried to get some sleep, but she just didn't sleep as easily as the skeleton in her guest room. Grabbing his clothes out of the machine, she placed them in the dryer. They can at least start drying, and if she decides to go to bed halfway through, she'll stop the load and restart it in the morning. On her way back she heard a noise at her front door and paused. No... no, she was hearing things, she was always hearing things. Her paws moved to her mouth as she tried to calm her breathing. There were no more fallen humans, no more need to venture out to make sure a child isn't killed before she could protect them. No more need to guard the children and keep them from her own people. Her eyes filled with tears, and she struggled to keep calm. She heard the noise again... There really was something there. She wasn't just hearing things. There really was someone or thing there making noise. As to who or what she didn't know, and her mind was already filled with thoughts of the Ruins which prepared her to go on the attack. … No, she needed to stay here, in the present. She doesn't need to dust a monster to protect a human. That isn't the way things are anymore. Not here on the surface. She padded her way to the front door, listening quietly. She then knew what she was hearing. Something was messing with her doorknob. Angry, she got ready to round the corner, open the door, and attack whomever it was. They had no right to break into her house, and she will not stand for it. But as she came around the corner she saw a red light in the dark. The monster in question was already in the house, and it was her skeleton friend. He turned his animalistic head towards her and she could see the panic in his eye lights. Between each joint of his bones, she could see a red light slowly pulsing with growing energy like a soul beat. She had never seen him shift when he lacked control of it before, only the end results of different forms and his testimonial of what it was like. While he has never mentioned the glow before, if she had to hazard a guess, that was what was happening. Her poor friend started to shake fearfully as he again fought to grip the doorknob. It was then she saw the problem. While she has paws, her paws were hand-like, with thumbs and fingers made for gripping. His boney paws no longer had a useable thumb and were covered in sweat, making what weak grasp slippery. To add to it, his panicked mind hadn't noticed the door was still locked. "Hold on, dear," She said as she walked over and unlocked the door. He finally got it open and hurried out, but he came to a stop and hugged himself before looking back at her. "You don't need to run, It's okay, let us walk to my backyard and you can change there, unseen." "y-you s-sure... i d-don't... i might- i will t-tear up your y-yard." He sounded so scared it hurt her soul to hear. Closing the door behind herself, she held her paw out to him. He looked at it for a moment, then up at her as if considering his options. Then he slowly reached out and took her offered paw.

They barely made it to her backyard before his condition worsened. She could tell, while holding his paw, that he was struggling to hold back the magic that was building up within him, but he did. She saw the red light between his joints growing brighter and as they reached the backyard small sparks emitted from him. He was shaking like a leaf, bones rattling as panic again set into him. She wanted to comfort him and reached forward to hug him, but he recoiled back. To her surprise, he actually growled at her. There was nothing really aggressive about it though. She had heard the dogs of Snowdin make a growl like that before, a warning to stay back. She soon saw why. The energy around him went from small sparks to far larger movements of magic between his joints like small bolts of lightly crawling over him. Sans whimpered and moved further away from her, and Toriel respected him. Even at her distance, she could feel the energy and it made her fur stand on end. It was strong, feral, and he couldn't restrain it any longer. His body shifted and grew, popping and cracking while the energy continued to dance around him like a miniature, red, lightning storm. He grew, far larger than she had ever remembered him growing before. His skull grew more horns and his body grew additional spikes that she was not used to seeing. His clothes seemed to tear as they were absorbed into him by his magic. By the time the change was over, he was a boned beast curled up before her, nearly the same size, if not larger, than her house. While he was huge, she couldn’t help but suspect he could grow even larger. Toriel looked at him and he stared back at her with small, red pinpricks for eye lights. She took a few steps closer to him, reaching a paw out carefully to touch him. She saw him look from her paw to back to her before shutting his sockets closed tight. Was he scared of her? Why? Oh, this poor skeleton. He always found things to be nervous about without reason. But, perhaps that is how he survived so long in the Underground with so little HP. Quietly, she began to hum a song she used to sing to her children as she knelt beside his skull. He opened his sockets again and looked at her as she softly ran a paw over his muzzle. She continued to hum, and she watched as he slowly relaxed his body, enjoying the soft petting and her voice. "There you go," she said before she looked him over, "I must say, this form of yours is rather impressive. And I can sense it is stronger. Though, I will thank you for making sure you were outside before taking it." In reply, he made a soft whine and she smiled at him. "You let your stress get the better of you, didn't you?" To her question, she saw him lift his skull enough to nod. "Well, why don't I help you relax, and we can see about getting you back to a more house friendly size."

She smiled a little then sighed as she shook her head. He needed to talk to her more about the things that stress him. Their time in the Underground had caused him to keep his emotions and fears to himself. Even though she had opened herself up to be a person to talk to, there had been too many reminders to him to keep anything that could be a weakness to himself. The best thing she could do for him was constantly remind him that she was here for him and hope he will believe her when she tells him that she would never cause him harm or take advantage of his weaknesses.

Or... well, not in a way he wouldn't find enjoyable, at least. Her paw continued to move over his muzzle and Sans sighed deeply, she could feel the tension he had held in left as he exhaled. "There you go, my dear friend," she said before she continued to hum. Toriel leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his skull, her unbroken horn made a soft tick as it touched bone. There was a sound of thumping as his tail started to wag in response to this contact. She smiled, enjoying that sound as it meant he was happy; it was such a beautiful sound. She remained, cuddled to his skull, offering sweet words and humming gentle tunes and as the saying goes, the music calms the beast. She could feel him tense his body again as she heard the popping and cracking of his bones. Once again his joints became alive with bright red magic, but the light show was muted, compared to before, by tiredness. His magic was too worn to make the change back as dramatic as it had been. It was sad to see him so tired during a time like this, but she understood and just tried to keep him calm with slow and gentle pets over his muzzle and talking softly.

The entire process was slower, most likely spurred on by his exhaustion and overall discomfort. While she has seen him change before in the past with little or no issues, this was a change he didn't mean to have occurred, it was more or less against his will and uncomfortable. So, she did what she could to ease the process. Once his skull was small enough, she lifted it and placed it on her lap, making far longer, gentle and slow sweeps of her paw from his snout to the end of the tallest horn on the back of his skull. He looked up at her with dim, red rings in his sockets, and she could see something in them, a soft look that warmed her soul and made her feel loved. That look, she had seen it before, but at the moment, it encouraged her to lean forward and place a kiss right over his left socket. He gave a soft whine as if to show displeasure at the act she did, but his tail showed otherwise as it began to wag showing he enjoyed her expression of love. Her dear friend continued to shrink, eventually becoming the same small size he was when he showed up at her house this evening and once again dressed in the clothes she provided him. Scooping him up, she pulled him onto her lap and he made the most adorable sound of a squeak in the process. But, even with that noise, he began to cling to her, his claws lightly pressing against her skin. "It is alright, dear. Let us go inside and see how much further you change back." "ok," Sans replied and she gently moved her paw under one of his sockets, wiping away a tear that had formed from the pain he was feeling. With his simple approval, Toriel stood and carried her small friend back into the house.

Toriel took Sans over to her couch and she held him again as he clung to her. She felt Sans nuzzle against her neck, finding comfort there. She continued to rub his back in slow, calm circles and in reply he softly purred to her. It was such a pleasant sound to her, that she couldn't help but hold him closer. The faint vibration his body made as he purred could be felt through him and she gave into her own instinct to purr in response. She could feel him flinch, startled by her making such a noise. If she were being honest, she had surprised herself as she had not purred in a very long time. Making such a sound just felt like the right thing to do at the moment, and the proper sound to make to him. So, they both cuddled together, purring to each other as Sans continued to slowly shrink.

Soon, his face was looking more like that of his usual skeleton self as the horns on the back of the skull continued to disappear. She could also feel the spinal processes on his backbone were no longer as pronounced as they had been when she first started rubbing his back. His tail was shrinking down to a far more manageable size and the claws no longer lightly dug into her as he held on. Still, she took the moment the lightly rub his cheekbone and pet over his skull as if admiring the difference.

"tori...," Sans started, but he lost his nerve and looked away. Toriel looked at him, seeing the monster who saved her from her boredom and loneliness that was caused by her isolation within the Ruins. The monster who brought her so much joy talking to, even though, at first, she was harsh and rude. She didn't know who he was or why he chose to keep her company, even though she invited him to. As she got to know him, this skeleton now in her arms, she had started to understand he was as lonely as she was. Not only that, but he had also been scared. His fear was made painfully clear when he backed away from her as she opened the Ruin doors to share a pie with him the first time. The pure look of terror in his eye lights would have amused her had she not grown to care about him. He was just so weak and small, even the pathetic monsters of the Ruin could easily dust him. The door between them gave him the opportunity to make a friend without the monster on the other side seeing how weak he was and choosing to be cruel.

They talked, laughed, joked, and share what they could. Toriel made sure to let him know she would protect him from threats. He had found a place to feel safe from others. And she learned to love again...

As much as she loved him, she never expected it back, but the way he looked at her challenged that. The way his eye lights still showed such care, compassion, and love for her, they made her think that maybe, just maybe, he did think about her that way. That maybe, just maybe, he loved her the way she loved him. And as his features finally returned to their usual skeleton self, a hand reached up and his phalanges slipped into her fur. Toriel purred again, feeling his fingers move and ruffle her fur in such an enjoyable way. For a moment, her eyes closed as she soaked in this feeling. His fingers slowly traced over her scar with such tender care, it was as if he were examining a fresh wound. She could feel his sympathy and concern radiating off his soul.

"tori...," Sans repeated and she looked at him again as she softly ran her paw over his skull. He closed his sockets and hummed contently as if he meant to purr. He seemed intent on saying something, though, as he opened his sockets and looked up at her a focus to get his words out. "tori, i...," he said, getting further this time but still falling short of getting his words out. From his soul, she could feel his fear and she wondered about why he was so afraid. It caused her to worry if perhaps she had done something wrong.

"It is alright, my dear... if you... if you need to say something, feel free to. You have no reason to fear me," she said, hoping that would give him the confidence to finally get his words out. Tori looked down at the skeleton in her arms, his cheekbones had a light dusting of red for a blush. It was amusing to see, but still, she couldn't help but shake her worry or fear that she was being too forward with him.

Her words did seem to have the needed effect as he took a deep breath and started again to try to talk. "tori, i lo... i love you." In response to those simple words, her eyes open wide with shock. She felt her face warm, knowing that with how hot her face felt, there would be a hint of blush through her fur on her nose and cheeks.

Did he really love her? This skeleton she adored loved her? He didn't just like her or think she was a good friend, but he actually loved her? The notion that this could be true was shocking to her and she couldn't help but stare down at him without a word. This was what she wanted, was it not? Was she not just considering this thought? So why was she so startled? She just wasn't expecting it, that's why. She also saw no reason for him to love her. All of the opinions Toriel had of herself were negative. She was stubborn and, according to many, selfish. Toriel was not a leader, a horrible mother, and could not be trusted as a wife, let alone a lover. The guilt she lived with for abandoning her ex-husband in the manner she did ate at her all these years. The two had nearly torn into each other during their argument over his policy. And yet, Toriel, a monster least deserving of love had somehow earned it from the skeleton friend she loved so dearly.

After thinking it over for a moment, Toriel held him close and nuzzled him on the skull. Again, Sans made the soft, nervous, squeak of a sound; which, as cute as it is, she hoped he will stop making as he got used to this. If Sans truly loved her as he said he did, then she was going to fill his life this sort of affection. In her mind, he deserved it for all that he had done for her. The skeleton will deny it, she knew he would, but she will not let that deter her from doting on him. She eased her grip on Sans only slightly so she could look at him better. His red eye lights were staring up at her, nervous but still ever so full of love.

"My dear, I love you as well. I have loved you for a long time now, but I have feared that you would never feel the same for an old woman like myself," Toriel's voice was jaded as she spoke those words. The weight of the world and all the reasons why this relationship had been avoided came to mind.

"you're not old, you're magic keeps you young," Sans corrected and then he snuggled closer to her. That act warmed her soul as it showed he was starting to get comfortable with this type of behavior. For the longest time, he would shy away from the slightest touch. Eventually, he allowed her to touch him, though he would sometimes flinch. She had always taken the initiative, but she never minded. So, for him to choose to cuddle closer without her encouraging him to was a big step.

"I suppose I am younger than I give myself credit for. Still, there is much here for one to dislike," Toriel said as she again gave him reason to take back his earlier statement of love.

Her protest was met with a stare as he again looked up at her, clearly unsure of what to make of her comment. Sans then shifted on her lap to look at her in a more serious way. For a moment, he just stared into her eyes as if searching for something before he finally sighed. "tori, no one's perfect. heh, i'm far from it. so ya did somethings some other folks say ya shouldn't have. i don't care. never did. all i see when i look at you is someone i love... my best friend and maybe more?"

Toriel felt tears fill her eyes at his words and she again held him close. “Yes,” Toriel replied before she continued, “you are my best friend as well, and so much more.” His arms then went around her as she continued to cuddle him. She still didn’t know what brought him here this evening, or the stresses that had caused him to change as he did. But, it was good to know that she could help him relax enough to change back. Though the best thing she learned was that he loved her the way she loved him.

#underfell #gaster blaster au #soriel #sans #toriel #gaster blaster sans

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atc74 · 7 years ago

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Hard To Love

I was listening to Lee Brice today, Hard To Love, and this happened. I was assured by @d-s-winchester that it wasn’t crap, so hope you like. Feedback is appreciated. Not beta’d, so apologies in advance if there are errors.

Tis but a drabble, just under 600 words.

Mentions of a hunt, death, angst a la Dean, fluff,

Dean x Reader

Another hunt down. Another case closed. Another person that couldn’t be saved. Dean grabbed the closest bottle of whiskey and stomped down the hall. You sighed deeply, picking up the duffles he dropped and carried them to the laundry room. You would go to him, but knew he needed time so you busied yourself pretreating the blood stains and tossing what couldn’t be salvaged.

Checking the time, you slowly made your way back down the hall to your room, seeing the door ajar and Dean on the bed, his back to you.

‘Dean, please don’t push me away; don’t shut me out. I have told you before, I am not going anywhere; I will always be here with you and for you. Tell me what is going on in that head of yours, Babe,” you spoke softly to your boyfriend of three years, your friend for longer than that. Dean had his back turned to the door, shoulders slumped as he sat on the bed you have shared since finding the Bunker.

“I am insensitive, I have a tendency to pay more attention to the things that I need. Sometimes I drink too much, sometimes I test your trust, sometimes I don't know why you stay with me. I'm hard to love, Y/N,” Dean’s voice broke as he spoke and his shoulders fell even more.

“Baby, you are not insensitive. Yes, maybe you drink too much, but so do I, so does every hunter we know. Dean, you test me in the best ways possible and I trust you with my life, just like I know you trust me with yours,” you placed a hand reassuringly on his shoulder, pulling slightly until he turned toward you.

“I am a short fuse, I am a wrecking ball, crashing into your heart like I do. You're like a Sunday morning full of grace and full of Jesus and I wish that I could be more like you. I'm hard to love, Y/N,” his eyes filled with unshed tears, waiting for the final push over the edge.

“Hey, you listen to me Dean Winchester. You are the single best thing that has ever happened to me. Without you, I would be lost or most likely dead. I need you and you need me; we need each other. And you are not hard to love; loving you is the easiest thing in the world. Do you hear me?” your voice rose just the slightest until you knew you had his attention.

“You say that you need me. I don't deserve it, but I love that you love me. You've given me a million second chances and I don't ever wanna take you for granted. I'm just a man,” his voice trailed off.

“You are not just a man. You are a hero, Dean. We save the people that need saving and no, we can’t save everyone. But you are more than all that; you are mine and you make me the luckiest girl in the world,” you wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling his head to your chest, comforting him like he had done for you so many times before.

“I couldn't do it if I stood where you stood, Y/N” Dean whispered. “But thank you for staying. Thank you for loving me,” Dean pulled back and gazed into your eyes.

“We are quite the pair aren’t we?” you laughed, looking down into his eyes, red rimmed and shining with tears. You swiped a thumb across each cheek, wiping them away. “I am not going anywhere.”

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Dean/Jensen: @anokhi07 @perpetualabsurdity @txp87 @akshi8278 @iamabeautifulperson18 @suzannebeaketa @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @deandoesthingstome @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @boxywrites @deansangelgirl @sparklesuperwholock88 @ericaprice2008 @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid @winchestersnfriends

#dean x reader #dean winchester #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester fluff #dean winchester angst #supernatural fanfiction #spn fanfic

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hamletlaundry · 5 years ago

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How to dry clean clothes at home - https://hamletlaundry.com/blog/2020/04/20/best-dry-cleaning-in-my-area/ You can give an order for the best dry clean your clothes. We provide free collection and delivery with 30% discount offer. · Dry cleaning is often recommended for suits, wool coats, and thick knits, and for fabrics like silk, wool, cashmere, and even raw denim. · But dry cleaning can take a big bite out of your budget and time. · Here are the best at-home dry cleaning tips and products so you can save some money and protect your clothes. · Read more: Everything you need to know about buying and using a portable washing machine Unless you're lucky enough to have a local dry cleaner that readily offers pick-up and delivery with just a quick phone call or online order, there may come a time when you need to clean a dry-clean-only garment at home. One such time for me was when I discovered my then-high school senior son's rumpled and soiled suit late at night, only to find that he needed it the next morning for a scholarship interview. Thankfully, I had a dry cleaning kit on the laundry room shelf so a crisis was averted. I spot-cleaned stains with the kit, gave it a tumble in the dryer and a good press with an iron, and the suit was presentable for the next day. And he got the scholarship too. Why you should dry clean clothes at home Emily May/flickr dry cleaning kits I spent many hours in university labs learning how different fibers and fabrics react to cleaning methods and solutions. And while detergents and washers have evolved, some fabrics just don't hold up well when exposed to water for long periods. So to save money, I began using different brands of at-home when they first hit the market in the 1990s. Will an at-home dry cleaner eliminate your need for professional dry cleaning? No. Will an at-home dry cleaner help you remove small stains, freshen, and remove wrinkles so you can get another wear out of your clothes before a more thorough professional cleaning? Yes. When you look at the pros and cons of at-home dry cleaning, you'll quickly see why keeping a kit on hand is valuable for more than last-minute needs. · At-home cleaning is less expensive than professional dry cleaning and can cost as little as 50 cents per garment. · The kits are safe for most fabrics, convenient and take only around 15-20 minutes to use. · The kits can remove small stains, freshen fabrics by helping to remove smoke and body odors, and help you get another wear from a garment before taking it to a professional cleaner. · At-home dry cleaning creates a smaller environmental impact since the cleaning chemicals are less caustic, you have less waste from protective plastic bags and extra hangers, and no time is spent on the road to pick up and deliver clothes. A downside is that-home dry cleaners don't thoroughly saturate fabrics like the solutions at your professional cleaner, so they aren't great at removing large areas of heavy soil, especially grease and body oils. And while the kits are perfect for freshening knit sweaters, jeans, and unstructured shirts and blouses, tailored clothes like suit jackets and pleated skirts won't come out of the dryer with a crisp, freshly pressed look that you get from a professional cleaner so you'll need to press them with an iron afterward. At-home kits are not suitable for cleaning sequined or heavily beaded garments at home because heat from the dryer can damage the decorations. Skip them for leather or suede garments too. These have special cleaning requirements and should be taken to a professional cleaner who specializes in leather. Even if you use an at-home kit every time after wearing a garment, to thoroughly remove stains and body soil and odors, you should take your clothes to a professional cleaner, especially at the end of a season. How to use an at-home dry cleaning kit There are two leading brands for at-home dry cleaning: Dryel and Woolite. Their kits both use a stain-remover to pretreat specific stains and moist toilettes with heat-activated ingredients to freshen clothes in the dryer. Both are simple to use, particularly effective for knits, and can help reduce your dry cleaning bill. Here's what's included in each kit: · Dryel: four moist cleaning towelettes, a reusable dryer bag, an odor and wrinkle removal booster spray, and a stain removal pen. You can also purchase refill kits of the towelettes and stain removers. · Woolite: six moist cleaning towelettes and three stain removal wipes for spot-treating hard-to-remove stains. The kits are very similar, but the biggest difference is that Dryel kits include a reusable dryer bag. The soiled clothes are placed in the bag with the cleaning towelette before they are tumbled in the dryer. The Woolite towelettes are placed directly in the dryer with the clothes that need to be cleaned. Other than a kit, you'll need a tumble dryer (at home or the laundromat). I would also recommend that you have a sturdy ironing board, steam iron, and pressing cloth for structured garments to give them a more professional "straight-from-the-dry-cleaner" look. The basic steps to using any of these two kits are to pre-treat stains and then tossing a few items of clothing into the dryer bag if you're using Dryel or directly into your dryer if you're using Woolite with the cleaning toilette. Set the timer according to the kit's instructions, and hang or lay the clothes out to dry afterward. In my experience using the Dryel bag, I find that the clothes are exposed to more steam and cleaning ingredients, so they come out fresher and with fewer wrinkles than using just a towelette alone in the dryer. In today's large dryers, the steam level vents away too quickly and doesn't activate the Woolite towelette's cleaning ingredients to penetrate the fibers as well. Tips for successful at-home dry cleaning Shutterstock · Read the instructions. The steps are simple but if you don't follow them or try to clean your entire closet at the same time, you're not doing it right. · Check each garment for stains before you place it in the bag or dryer. Spot-treat the stain and wait at least 10 minutes before you add it to the dryer so that the cleaner has time to begin breaking down the stain. · Close zippers and secure buttons before cleaning to help garments hold their shape and prevent snags. · Group similar types of fabrics and colors together in the load. Don't place a heavy wool coat in the dryer with a delicate silk blouse. · Clean out the dryer lint filter before beginning the cycle to prevent overheating in the drum. · Set the dryer timer and don't forget to remove the clothes promptly when the cycle is finished. The longer they sit in the dryer, the more wrinkled they will be. · When the dryer cycle stops, immediately hang the garments or lay knitted items flat. They will be damp and need some time to dry completely. Do not wear clothes until they are fully dry to prevent set-in wrinkles. The best Dry cleaner in London is Hamlet Laundry Ltd. Who provide free collection and delivery to your door with reasonable price, Give an order to test Hamlet Laundry, over 1270 customers are happy to get quality service in every week. Why not you? test hamlet laundry You can give an order for the best dry clean your clothes. We provide free collection and delivery with 30% discount offer. · Dry cleaning is often recommended for suits, wool coats, and thick knits, and for fabrics like silk, wool, cashmere, and even raw denim. · But dry cleaning can take

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whittlebaggett8 · 6 years ago

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How to clean stains on clothing or fabric and the tools you need to do it, Defence Online

Insider Picks writes about merchandise and solutions to assist you navigate when purchasing on the internet. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate companions when you buy by our links, but our reporting and tips are constantly impartial and aim.

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Clothing stains are a point of life, but with suitable treatment, several stains have to be a everlasting aspect of your wardrobe.

The quicker you treat a stain, the a lot more conveniently you can eliminate it, but even older stains can be lifted with the proper instruments and approaches.

If you only remember one particular point from this write-up, allow it be this: In no way run a garment through the dryer until finally the stain has been taken off.

We advocate you have the pursuing products on hand to struggle stains: Shout Wipes, Tide to Go, white vinegar, white toothpaste, Colorx 2 Laundry Stain Remover, and Dawn dish soap.

Irrespective of being a relatively nicely-coordinated grownup human currently being who is frequently very good about correct serviette use and is as useful as any individual with frequent eating utensils, I have a preternatural skill to stop up with a food stains on my thighs. I also, inexplicably, virtually usually get a location or two of oil proper in the heart of my shirt when I’m cooking on the stovetop, some thing I do numerous periods every week.

Also, my wife and I have a preschooler and a child, so my personal troubles aside, we offer with a lot of stains in this domestic. Whilst an annoyance, to be confident, I have arrive to discover that outfits stains necessarily mean the require for a little bit of tactical cleansing, not the need to have to relegate these pants to the yard operate clothing class or that shirt to nights in only status. Virtually each and every outfits stain can be taken off, regardless of whether induced by wine, pasta sauce, grass, coffee, mustard, and much more.

By the way, carrying all around a stain location cure product or service, like Shout Wipes or a Tide to Go stain pen is probably your one best weapon in the combat from stains.

The 3 keys to right stain mitigation

If you want to breathe new, thoroughly clean lifetime into a stained garment, there are three parts of protocol by which you have to abide.

Go rapidly: The more time a stain sits, the far more it sets. Previous stains can be eradicated, but it absolutely sure would make the course of action more difficult. The second immediately after a stain takes place, you ought to be operating to mitigate it.

Don’t scrub: Rubbing at a stain just is effective it further into the cloth, earning its removal far more difficult and likely difficult. Moisten and dab, and then get onto employing the supplies strategies coated below.

Beware the dryer: Really do not ever … at any time put a stained garment by way of the dryer. The heat all but ensures permanence. If you have previously place cleaned and/or laundered the sock, turtleneck, sweater vest, or other piece of apparel but you nevertheless see the stain, it’s time for a further round of cleansing! Line dry or lay flat to dry until you’re certain the stain cleansing labored.

You can also look at out our guides to the greatest laundry detergents and stain removers for additional excellent cleaning merchandise tips.

Go through on in the slides under to find out how to thoroughly clean stains on clothing and cloth and which tools you will need to do it:

How to thoroughly clean grass stains

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Getty Photographs

Small grass strains will in all probability just clean out, but must you want to be sure you conserve all those trousers (or shirt, if factors bought more dramatic outdoors nowadays), there are two fantastic strategies to do so.

To start with, you can use vinegar. Just make confident to use white vinegar – balsamic will make factors so significantly worse.

Soak the stained portion of the garment (generally the knee) in undiluted vinegar for at minimum a half hour.

Launder as usual, but, of training course, really don’t use the dryer!

If stains persist, let the garment to air dry, then check out all over again with vinegar, or use our next strategy.

Acquire a 64oz Bottle of White Household White Distilled Vinegar on Amazon for $10.44 or $10.99

Thoroughly clean grass stains with toothpaste. Just make confident it is a white paste.

Spread a slim layer of white toothpaste about the stain

Soak a toothbrush in clear drinking water, and then carefully scrub at the stains. Certainly, this does contradict the previously admonition not to scrub. It is the only time I’ll do so, but the reality is, that stain is already worked deep into the cloth.

Launder as common.

Acquire a two-pack of Arm & Hammer Progress White Extraordinary Whitening Toothpaste on Amazon for $5.49

How to clean beverage stains

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Getty Photographs

Believe it or not, the procedure for most beverages stains is the exact same, no matter if you’re working with coffee, cola, or the dreaded pink wine.

Soak the stained region in awesome drinking water for a 50 % hour. If you simply cannot do that, continuously moisten with an ice dice or a dampened fabric or napkin

Deal with the stain with a item like Shout or apply a slender layer of liquid laundry detergent right to it

Launder as typical, and then test to see if the stain is gone

Browse our guides to the greatest laundry detergents and stain removers listed here.

How to clear bloodstains

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First, think about no matter whether or not the blood at hand is a felony subject. If it is, do the job on your alibi or connect with the cops, depending on where by you stand in the condition. Then…

Soak the stained part of the garment in white vinegar for 15 minutes. If you don’t have vinegar, use club soda. If you really don’t have that, use h2o, just make positive it’s chilly.

Launder the garment, and do so on its possess if the stain was significant.

If the stain persists, you will want to clean the piece all over again with shade secure bleach.

Obtain a 66oz Bottle of Clorox 2 Laundry Stain Remover and Colour Booster on Amazon for $9.98

How to clear sauce stains

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OxiClean

Sauces arrive in a extensive wide variety, from BBQ sauce to ketchup to pasta sauce to mustard. These stains can be difficult to cleanse up due to the fact a sauce is made from a range of components, just about every of which may on its own merit a different cleansing tactic. But when you go stage by action, you will do just fantastic.

Scrape absent as significantly sauce as you can with a thoroughly clean spoon or butter knife, and really don’t dab at the rest, as it will only spread and/or be labored into the fabric.

Run cool drinking water more than the influenced spot for a moment or soak the stain in great water for 10 minutes.

Address stain with a place treatment method product or apply liquid laundry detergent and allow sit for 15 minutes.

Launder as typical, and you know the offer about the dryer by now.

Read through our guides to the finest laundry detergents and stain removers here.

How to clean oil stains

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Getty Pictures

For the history, I indicate like olive oil, not crankcase oil. You get that stuff on your chinos, and buddy … you’re likely buying. Oil stains are pernicious and demand a unique pretreatment whereby you get rid of as substantially of the stuff as doable.

Gently dab at the stain on each sides of the garment, lifting as a great deal oil as you can.

Use a generous dose of salt to the oil stain and let it sit for a quarter of an hour the salt will attract out even much more oil.

Apply a thin layer of liquid dish soap like Dawn, not detergent, and enable sit for a couple minutes.

Launder as common.

And just like that, you’re in the very clear. Or the clean, somewhat.

Acquire a 2-pack of Dawn Cleaning soap on Amazon for $12.99

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lindawood · 6 years ago

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How Permethrin Can Help Protect You From Ticks

As reported in The New York Times (Wirecutter’s parent company), the CDC recently announced that insect-borne illnesses have more than tripled in the US in the past 14 years. Those numbers are for mosquitos, fleas, and ticks combined, but if you’re going to get an insect-borne illness in this country, you’re statistically most likely to get Lyme disease, carried by black-legged ticks, aka deer ticks, and most prevalent on the East Coast and in the Midwest. As we say in our bug repellent guide, a 25 percent picaridin repellent works pretty well—against mosquitos. It’s not as effective against ticks. Plus, ticks that simply walk to a part of your body without bug spray can avoid DEET-treated areas, according to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (PDF).

The best thing to keep ticks from biting you is permethrin. As an insecticide, permethrin will actually kill ticks, not just keep them away, and it’s different from DEET in that you put it on your clothes rather than spraying it on your skin. If you need to get serious about tick protection this summer, we’ve done the research on where to find permethrin, how to use it, and what safety concerns may arise.

What you can do now

You have a few ways to use permethrin. You can buy a spray and treat clothes you already own, buy already treated clothes, or send your clothes to a service for treatment.

If you go into tick-infested areas only occasionally, we think buying a permethrin spray is the easiest way to quickly take action. The Sawyer brand has worked well for me. It has a concentration of about 0.5 percent permethrin, plus inactive ingredients to help bind it to fabric. Although we haven’t put Sawyer’s spray through the usual Wirecutter testing wringer, it’s what the TickEncounter Resource Center suggests too, and Amazon customers seem to dig it, with 4.5 stars out of five across 3,471 reviews at this writing.

Other permethrin sprays intended for personal use should be equally effective, but don’t get sprays made for a yard or for agricultural use. Since those formulas are meant to be sprayed on plants, they won’t stick to your clothes as well, according to Thomas Mather, aka The Tick Guy, director of the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease and the TickEncounter Resource Center. Depending on what brand you end up with, treating clothes yourself means that the permethrin will last anywhere from four to six washings. Even if you don’t wash your treated shoes, Mather recommends re-treating them about once a month.

Pull Quote

Buying a permethrin spray is the easiest way to quickly take action against ticks.

Sprays are a great everyday fix, but if you’re a dedicated outdoorsperson, looking into pretreated clothes might be worth your time (and remember, they also keep mosquitoes from biting you). If you want to buy pretreated garments, you have a ton of options: Amazon, BugBeWear, Insect Shield, L.L.Bean, and REI all sell permethrin-treated clothes; Insect Shield also sells clothes just for kids (and a few things for dogs). These treatments last for about 70 washes.

Insect Shield can also treat clothes you already own. This is the same treatment the company applies to clothes it sells, both under its own brand and others (such as ExOfficio). Insect Shield charges per item of clothing but offers bulk discounts. Getting your treated clothes back takes about two weeks.

Pretreated is the way to go from a cost effectiveness standpoint, Mather told us. “Seventy washes probably gets closer to the life of the clothing for the most part. Four or five doesn’t.” And it can be hard to remember to treat clothing yourself every month, he added. Buying it pretreated solves the upkeep problem.

Where to spray it and when

Ticks are less likely to bite if you’re wearing permethrin-treated clothes, and by far the most important thing to treat is what you’re wearing on your feet. Although studies have found that wearing a treated shirt or shorts makes ticks about two to four times less likely to bite, if you treat just your shoes and socks, you’re about 74 times less likely to be bitten by a tick than if you’re wearing untreated footwear, which is a pretty big deal.

“We’ve done tests with clothing, and we can watch the ticks fall off and die. So there is good scientific evidence that this works and it actually works pretty well,” said Mather. However, you have to be strategic about what treated clothes you wear and when.

Pull Quote

In the spring and summer, it’s best to treat your socks and shoes. That could make you about 74 times less likely to be bitten by a tick, according to one study.

For the spring and summer, it’s best to treat your socks and shoes, Mather said. The immature, or nymph-stage, ticks are in the leaf litter at that time of year, and they’re most likely to get on your shoes and crawl up. They’re also so small that they can actually crawl through the weave of your socks, Mather said. “So spray your shoes the first of May, the first of June, first of July, first of August, and that will help you against the ticks that you can’t see.”

In the fall, the adult-stage black-legged ticks come out. They tend to crawl up on plants and get on your body higher up, usually around your shins or knees, Mather said. “Then you would like to have treated pants, and you’d like to tuck your shirt tail in so that the ticks stay on the outside of your clothing longer.” If you’re still wearing shorts at that time, make sure to spray them both inside and out if they’re not pretreated.

In the winter, black-legged ticks can still be active as long as they’re not frozen on the ground, Mather told us. “These are the first to emerge in the very early spring, followed fairly quickly by the American dog tick adults and the Lone Star tick, both nymph and adults.” So put those permethrin-treated pants back on when the snow melts.

Safety concerns

Some people worry that since permethrin is an insecticide, it will harm them. This is pretty unlikely. It kills ticks by interfering with how neurons fire in bugs’ little brains, causing them to spasm and die. But how our neurons fire is slightly different, plus we’re much larger and can metabolize permethrin before it can get to our nervous system (permethrin is over 2,250 times more toxic to ticks than to humans). Obviously, you shouldn’t eat it, but even if you’re exposed to a lot of permethrin, it’s unlikely to hurt you. According to the TickEncounter Resource Center permethrin fact sheet, a 140-pound person would have no adverse health effects even if exposed to 32 grams of permethrin in a day, and a bottle of clothing treatment has less than 1 gram of permethrin. (If you’re pregnant, know that animal studies have found no evidence that permethrin is harmful. The government gives it a Category B rating since there haven’t been meaningful permethrin studies with pregnant women.)

Permethrin can potentially harm bees, fish, and aquatic invertebrates. And oddly, cats—but only when it’s wet. When the permethrin spray dries, it’s okay for your cat to be around. This goes for fish too—if you step in a stream wearing permethrin-treated shoes, it won’t wash off and hurt the fish, Mather said. “Once it’s dried onto the fiber, it doesn’t come off very well. That’s why it can go through the wash five or 70 times, depending on the mode of application, because it’s stuck.”

But will it come off in the laundry and pollute the environment? That’s a much bigger question. Permethrin is a type of molecule known as a pyrethroid. These substances are pretty widely used: They’re in more than 3,500 registered products, including those used on pets and in treated clothing, in mosquito control, and in agriculture, according to the EPA. It’s also the main ingredient in some over-the-counter lice treatments. Permethrin spray for clothing is designed to stick to fiber and comes off only minimally in the wash. Still, research into pyrethroid pollution is ongoing.

Our favorite tick-check method

If you do get a tick, it’s important to remove the insect relatively quickly. Once one crawls onto your body, it can be hours until the tick attaches its horrible sawlike mouth onto you, and then another 12 hours until it starts transmitting disease—except for deer tick disease, which took only 15 minutes in a study on mice (yikes). Remember, black-legged ticks are tiny when they’re nymphs, about the size of a poppy seed (thank you for ruining all poppy seed things forever, CDC), so they can be hard to see.

Because ticks often attach in areas you tend not to pay much attention to—which makes finding them harder—Mather suggests doing tick checks fairly regularly, perhaps during one of life’s most intimate moments. “I noticed that I could see a lot if I just paid attention while I was sitting on the toilet,” Mather said. “I can see down the inside of both of my legs and behind my knees by doing a little twisting. I can push my junk to the left and to the right, and I can kind of check it out to see if I see any ticks there.” He did note that it’s hard to see your own butt, and you might still need help in that area. “But if I do that once or twice a day, I’m doing a pretty reasonable tick check just while I’m multitasking.”

If you do find a tick, don’t panic. First, get some fine-tipped tweezers. Grab the tick as close as you can to your skin, and pull it straight out. Rub the bite with alcohol and wash your hands. Take deep breaths. Eat a poppy seed muffin. Mather said you should try to ID the tick before doing away with it. The TickSpotters program can help identify the type of tick and give you a risk assessment if you send in a clear picture. “If the tick is a risky tick, attached long enough to transmit any germ they might be carrying, then we suggest that people might want to have the tick tested, for peace of mind, and to have more information to pass along to their primary care or veterinary care provider,” Mather said. If you come down with a fever a few weeks later, call your doctor. But remember that if the tick is on you for less than 24 hours, your chances of getting a tick-borne disease are small. And if you remember to wear your summer socks, you have a good chance of killing ticks before they attack.

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miavortice · 7 years ago

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QWE: The Man She Left Behind - 5

Title: The Man She Left Behind

Summary: Eight years earlier, Ursa divorced and left a man she thought could not love her or their children and returned to the arms of her first love. Unfortunately, things did not work and Ursa decided to leave Ikem. When the jilted man comes back for her while she is staying with her friends, Ozai - the man she left eight years ago - reappears.

“What does my dad like to eat?” Zuko asked as he sat on a stool next to the counter, peeling some root vegetable with Katara for her dad.

“Ozai pretty much eats anything,” Hakoda said from the stove. “He like spicy things.”

“Like me!” Azula piped. She was seated at the kitchen table, drawing.

“I hope they pick up that sauce....” Hakoda stirred some meat around a large wok. “It’s so hard to find.”

“You just have to know where to find it.” Ursa walked in balancing a reusable shopping bag on her hip as she placed her keys on the counter. “Here’s your hot sauce, Hakoda.”

She dug into the bag and out a large red bottle with visible chilis inside. Azula gasped. “What is that?”

“Black lava pepper sauce,” Hakoda said. “Your father always had this at his place back in college. He’d put it on everything back then.”

“Is it hot?”

“Your father is the only one we know who could eat it,” Ursa said. She shook her head at the memory. “I don’t know how he could stomach it.”

“I want to try!” Azula said.

“Later, at dinner,” Hakoda said. “They should be getting here soon.” Just as he said it, the garage door sounded.

“Mom’s home!” Katara said. A minute later, the garage door was closing and Sokka burst in, still wearing his soccer gear.

“How’d the game go?” Zuko asked, turning around in his stool.

“2-1, ended in a shootout,” Sokka said as he trudged past. He grinned. “But we won!”

“Did you score any of the points?” Katara asked.

“I did an assist, but Suki scored all the points this time...again....” He headed to the stairs to get ready for dinner.

“Who’s Suki?” Zuko asked.

“The girl he has a crush on but won’t admit,” Katara said, proud that she had figured it out. “She goes to our school and is a year above him. She’s pretty and really nice, so she’s popular.”

“My boy has a good eye,” Hakoda puffed out his chest. “Just like me.”

“I wish I had a good eye,” Kya said as she walked in.

“Hey....” She laughed as Hakoda looked mocked insulted. He saw someone behind her. “There you are! I thought you’d be here by now. The meeting ended an hour ago.”

“One of the sales people caught me before I left the office. You know how they are,” Ozai said as he walked in.

“Dad!”

“Hi, Uncle Ozai!”

“Hi, kids.” He placed his laptop bag by the coffee table and walked to the kitchen, shrugging off his suit jacket. “I was going to to home and change first, but Kya waved me down on the street.”

“I’m hungry and didn’t want to wait for you to drag your butt here,” Kya said as she stopped in the kitchen, behind her husband. She wrapped her arms around Hakoda’s waist and over his shoulder. “Ooh...looks good.”

“Thank you, it’s a new recipe.”

“Okay, kids, set the table,” Ursa said. “I’ll put my bag upstairs.”

“Same,” Kya said, tugging off her pony tail.

Hakoda began to place the food on dishes. “Want a beer?”

“No,” Ozai said, taking the stool Zuko vacated as he, Azula, and Katara went to set the table. “Is it spicy?”

“No, but I had Ursa pick this up while she was out apartment hunting.” Hakoda motioned to the bottle on the table and Ozai sat up straight.

“I’ve been looking all over for that. They don’t sell it at the supermarket.”

“She said it’s not hard to find if you know where to look.” Hakoda put the wok down. “You should ask her.”

Ozai picked up the bottle and studied it. “I just might....” He screwed off the top and removed the seal before taking a whiff. “It burns...just like I remember it.”

“There is something seriously wrong with you.” Hakoda shook his head. He turned around and saw Ozai squeezing the bottle. “You can’t wait?”

“Just a taste. It’s been so long.”

“Well, be careful or you’ll-” A squirting noise came from the bottle and the two men watched in silence as a dollop of dark, red sauce spurted from the nozzle and landed on Ozai’s shirt. “I knew it.”

Ozai swore. He put the bottle down. “I need to soak this. The sauce stains if it’s not soaked immediately.”

“Go to the laundry room. I have some clean shirts on the rack. Dunk that thing in the sink.”

“Thanks.” Ozai was already halfway done unbuttoning his shirt. Hakoda sighed and eyed the bottle.

“I should just put it in a bowl....”

She tossed her bag on to her bed and turned around, briefly catching her reflection in the full body mirror as she tugged off her beige blazer. She stopped as she caught the white streak against her black blouse.

“Oh no....” Ursa walked closer to the mirror and narrowed her eyes. She lifted her arm and tugged on the shirt. Deodorant on her blouse. She turned around and checked her other side. Another chalky white strip greeted her Wonderful.

She shook her head, relieved that she hadn’t taken her blazer off until she returned so no one saw the streak, but at the same time growing frustrated. She was in a rush when she left to go apartment hunting and her impatience got the best of her. She tugged at her collar, unbuttoning it as she opened her closet door.

Nothing was left on the hangers and she cursed her earlier lethargy. The clean laundry was still downstairs in the laundry room. She removed the pins from her hair and ran her hand through. She’d carry the laundry up later, but needed to change first.

Grumbling, she walked to the door and opened it just enough to peek outside. The hall was empty and from where she was standing, the stairs were clear as well. She kept her arms at her side, hoping they hid the white streaks as she tip toed across the hall, past the bathroom, and to the stairs.

She heard Hakoda telling the children to make some space for the food on the table and she quickened her pace to change before dinner or before anyone could see her.

As soon as she reached the foyer, she bolted to the laundry room around the corner, hoping that no one saw her.

She nearly threw open the laundry room door as she stormed in, walking straight to the back where her and her children’s laundry was folded in a plastic laundry basket near the ironing table. As the door creaked closed behind her, she tugged off her blouse, tossing it into a nearby empty basket and began to pick through her clothes for a replacement.

“Ursa?”

She jumped and let out a gasp before she whirled around and dropped whatever pair of clothing she had her hand. Across the room, a man in a white sleeveless undershirt had his hands in a sink. He looked equally surprised to see her.

“Ozai!?” Her hands flew to her chest. Thank the gods she hadn’t removed her bra yet. “What are you doing here?”

He turned his head away and shook his hands over the sink to get rid of water before facing the opposite wall in a clear action to give her privacy. The sink was behind the door and he had jumped when it flew open, but didn’t see who came in until it closed.

“I got some sauce on my shirt,” he said. “I needed to soak it before it stained and Hakoda said to just use a shirt from here.”

Her chest was rising and fall with heavy breaths as her heart beat almost painfully in her chest. He saw her. He saw her in her bra. Logically, she knew he’d already seen it all, but it had been near a decade and she wasn’t even wearing a nice bra.

“I didn’t see you.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know it was you, either,” he said. He hesitated, but remained looking at the wall, his back to her. “Are you changed?”

Right! She was there to change. Ursa turned back around. Her trembling hands went through the basket of clothes until she found a regular red t-shirt from a volunteer event she once did.

“Almost! Don’t turn around, yet,” she said as she pulled it over her head. She tugged it past her stomach and waist before turning around. “Done! All done!”

“Once again, I’m sorry. I had no idea you’d come down here,” Ozai said. He waited a second or two longer before carefully looking over his shoulder. Once he saw she was fully dressed, he turned around and went back to the sink.

“No, it was an accident. I didn’t know you’d be here either.” Did that sound like she was trying to avoid him?

He nodded, paying more attention to the splashing in the sink. “Can you go out and ask Hakoda if he has anything to pretreat it?”

It struck her then that he was doing his laundry. She remembered him usually taking care of his laundry, either at home or to the dry cleaner’s. When she was pregnant, she never did it. Ozai took care of it and when he was away, had a maid come.

Why was she remembering that now?

Ursa looked towards the shelf beside the washing machine. She walked over and grabbed a bottle. “Use this.”

He lifted his head and she stopped beside him, extending the bottle. He looked from her face and down to the bottle in her hand before slowly reaching up to take it.

“Thank you.” He tried to twist the top open and frowned. His hands were too wet.

“I’ve got it.” She moved closer, standing beside him as she took the bottle from his hand and opened it. She squeezed the middle and a clear liquid gathered at the top. She reached into the sink and began to smear the liquid across the a discolored stain she recognized. She sighed. “You got the hot sauce on you.”

“I did.”

“You couldn’t wait?”

“It’s been a while. It was just a taste.”

“Honestly, Ozai....”

“If you’re going to lecture me, I can do it myself.”

“I’m almost done....there.” She looked pleased as she pushed the shirt back into the sink half filled with water. She lifted her hand and wiped her brow, looking satisfied. She turned around and realized just how small that corner of the laundry room was.

Ozai jerked his head back to make some distance as she practically pinned him to a table. The bottle dropped from her hand as she felt both mortified and hot. It was one thing to have him catch her yesterday and be touching him.

It was another to be touching him and looking him right in the eyes. It was her fault and they both knew it.

Ursa didn’t know what to do. Her mind went blank and all she could do was remain standing in front of him, his hips and stomach pressed against hers as she struggled to find an apology and strength to move away.

Nothing was coming and Ursa wasn’t sure if she should cry out in frustration or not.

Ozai didn’t say a word, but as moments passed and she remained as frozen as a horrifed mannequin in front of him, he spoke.

“Why do you look so scared?” She watched the lines across his face deepen as he frowned. His eyes searched hers and she felt her heart race when she couldn’t look away. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

She knew that. Ozai never intentionally hurt her. It was his own negligence, but it was never intentional. He was strict and firm. He was serious and restrained. But he wouldn’t go out of his way to hurt her. No biting criticism about how she raised her children or kept up her appearance. No insults made to impress his friends. No withholding attention when he was displeased for the slightest infraction.

She felt her eyes water and choked back a muffled, pained cry. At the very least, Ozai didn’t want her to suffer.

Ursa spoke before she could stop herself. “Why didn’t I fall in love with you ten years ago?”

His eyes widened as she whispered and Ozai’s expression saddened. A warm hand cupped her face and stroked her cheek. “Ursa....”

Her trembling hands clung on to his thin shirt and she tilted her head up to meet his.

HIs arms went around her and pulled her closer, tighter against him as she opened her mouth across his. She could smell his cologne and the faint shampoo in his hair as his hot breath whispered her name against her neck.

She tilted her head back as his mouth moved against her flushed skin and sucked at the base of her neck.

He remembered, a small voice in the back of her head said. She let out a gasp and squirmed against him as he nipped at her neck. Did he remember all her erogenous zones?

His hands pressed against her rib cage and she let out a pathetic whimper, nearly melting against him as he stroked skin beneath the shirt she had just put on. He did remember.

Her head felt light and she wasn’t sure if she was standing on her own power or being held up by Ozai. It didn’t matter as long as she was against him and could flood her senses with him.

As his lips caught hers once more, she felt his hands swept past the swell of her butt and down to her thighs. Strong hands gripped her and suddenly, she was pulled up, her legs on either side of him as she pressed against his hips.

His skin was so hot against her and she only wanted to get closer.

“Ozai,” Hakoda’s voice came from the hall. “Dinner’s almost ready!”

Panting, Ozai broke his connection to her and fixed his eyes on hers as he answered. “I’m almost done.” His voice was low and steady, not showing any sign of embarrassment or urgency. “Just soaking the shirt.”

Ursa felt her heart still pumping hard against her as she loosened her hold on his shirt and pulled away. Ozai’s carefully lowered her back and moved his arms away once she was standing on her own.

He looked away as she squeezed past, her own eyes diverted.

“I’ll...um....” She cringed at her shaken voice. She could feel her hands trembling at her sides as she tried to comprehend what had just happened - what she had initiated. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Ursa.” She stood up straight, but couldn’t bring herself to turn around.

She tried to use the normal voice she could muster. “Yes?”

“Perhaps I should go out first,” Ozai said. She heard cloth shifting behind her and glanced over her shoulder. He was tugging on a navy polo that seemed a size too big for him. “They can’t see you coming out from here from the dining room. Just give me a minute to get there first.”

She felt a small pain in her heart as he spoke. She wasn’t sure if she was sad and disappointed because he knew she her discomfort or because he, who had kissed her so fervently moments early, didn’t have much more of a reaction.

“Good idea,” she said, shoving down her disappointment. She stood across the room, arms crossed over her chest as she leaned back against the washing machine.

Ozai wiped his hands on a spare towel and spared her a small glance, pausing by the door.

He lowered his eyes. “I’m sorry about that. I was carried away. My apologies for making you uncomfortable.”

Her eyes crinkled up as he turned around and walked out. As the door closed part way behind him, Ursa lifted her hand to her mouth and felt as if she had done something terrible.

She kissed him. He kissed her back, didn’t he? Did he regret it? He must’ve. But what was worse...she all be declared that she wanted to love him. That she regretted her decision and wished she had stayed with him.

Her face felt hot. What was she thinking?

What was Ozai thinking?

Her eyes went back to the door, staring at it with disbelief as if Ozai would return and state his thoughts on her sudden and confusing confession. She almost willed him to return. She didn’t want his apology. If anyone crossed a line, it was her.

“Ursa!” she heard Kya’s voice call from the foyer. “C’mon! Dinner’s going to get devoured if you don’t get down here!”

Careful to stay out of view, Ursa looked out the gap between the door and frame just enough so she could see the top of Kya’s head bob out of sight as she returned to the dining room.

She took a deep breath. No need to cause a scene. Even less need to let everyone know she was making out with her ex-husband like a couple of teenagers. She just needed to act normal.

Ursa perked up. Why would this even be a struggle for her to hide? She studied theater for years and was surrounded by actors the last several year so of her life. Her last few years with Ikem had been a complete act she had simply fallen into.

She forced her discomfort down, determined to make it through dinner without uncomfortable shifting and wary glances at Ozai. She could speak to him later about what happened, if he brought it up again.

“Sorry about that,” she said as she walked into the dining room. Everyone had already taken their seats and she took hers next to Zuko and Kya.

“Okay,” Kya said. “Now you can start.”

Several hands began to go around the table, lifting dishes and scooping food into plates. Ozai was putting a small dollop of his sauce on to Azula’s plate.

“Try it with the potato first to see if it’s too much. We can always dilute it if it’s too strong,” he told her.

Azula had a look of determination on her small face. She eyed the small dollop of dark red sauce as if it were an obstacle to be conquered.

“Can I try some, too?” Zuko asked from across the table.

“Oh, but Zuko, it’s very spicy and you’re usually not too fond of spicy,” Ursa said. Her son’s face fell and Ozai reached across the table with a spoonful.

“He won’t know until he tries. Besides, it’s not exactly the same kind of spicy we’re used to,” Ozai said.

“Yeah, you’ve tasted it,” Hakoda said with a smirk. “There is spicy for normal people and then spicy for monsters.”

Ozai shot him a glare.

“Okay, here I go!” Azula announced with pride as she brought a small piece of potato half covered in sauce to her mouth. Everyone seemed to pause and watch, awaiting her reaction. Her face began to turn red and her eyes crinkled up, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes.

“Azula!” Ursa gasped.

“I’ll get her some milk,” Kya said, shooting of her chair.

“No....” Azula kept her mouth shut tight, refusing to spit out the burning vegetable, but at the same time, not chewing it. “I can....” She managed to say behind gritted teeth.

“Azula, it’s too hot for you. Spit it out,” Ursa said with a frown, about to stand and round the table to get to her daughter. She could see sweat collecting on Azula’s forehead. “Azula-”

“Azula,” Ozai sounded stern. “Spit it out. If you don’t chew it and swallow, it’ll start to burn your sinuses-”

“Your nose is running!” Katara gasped. She reached for a napkin and shoved it in her friend’s face. “Azula, spit it out!”

“There’s no shame in spitting it out. We can dilute the flavor and work you up to the concentrated one,” Ozai said.

Finally, Azula grabbed the napkin Katara held up to her and spit out the vegetable. She made a face, both disgusted and frustrated as she looked at the piece of potato coated in sauce and saliva.

“Here, drink this,” Kya said as she placed a small cup of milk by Azula. The child seemed to guzzle it down, her face returning to normal.

“I couldn’t do it,” she said, sounding angry. She glared at the remaining dollop of sauce. “Yet.”

“You’re crazy,” Sokka said from across the table.

“Sokka....” Hakoda gave him a look.

Sokka smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. He turned to Zuko. “So are you going to try - huh?”

The red dollop on Zuko’s plate was smeared off, the last remaining bit of it on a piece of potato he brought to his mouth and began chewing at once. He was a little flushed, but didn’t look as irritated by the heat as his sister.

The table seemed to stare at him, both in amazement that he tried and confusion, as normally he wouldn’t have after seeing what it did to his sister.

He swallowed and nodded with satisfaction. “If you chew it, the potato mixes with the hot sauce and it doesn’t spread and and linger on your tongue. As long as you don’t breath while it’s in your mouth, you don’t smell that burning spice. It’s pretty good; the aftertaste is nice.”

“Well...,” Hakoda said. “You’re braver than me, Zuko.”

“There was only one other person I knew who could take it undiluted,” Ozai said. “My late mother, Ilah.”

Zuko nodded. He seemed to understand that Azula was frustrated and seemed content with his father’s words without pressing for further compliments.

“Dad, I’ll be able to eat it, too,” Azula insisted.

“Of course you will,” Ozai said. “But little by little. Go about this strategically, Azula.”

She seemed to understand and nod. She looked at her mother. “Mom, do you like the sauce.”

“It’s a bit too spicy for me, sweetheart.”

“Oh...well, you should work at it, too.”

Ursa took a deep breath. Her daughter didn’t know half of what she had to work at in regards to Ozai.

The rest of the dinner seemed to pass without incident, save Sokka trying some sauce on a dare and ended up choking. Ursa kept a placid smile on her face, speaking only when spoken to or occasionally to her children and Kya. The children were ushered to the kitchen for dessert to leave Ursa and Ozai some time to find a suitable date for a visit.

It seemed very professional: Ozai had his tablet out and was skimming through his calendar, reading out prospective dates and across from him, Ursa was going through her phone.

There really wasn’t a need for her to. Aside from meetings with lawyers and realtors, she didn’t have much planned.

“Azula brought up visiting nearly half a dozen times,” Ozai noted as he kept his eyes on the screen. “Is it possible to simply bring them over tomorrow to look at the house?”

Tomorrow? That was a little soon wasn’t it? Her thoughts must’ve been written all over her face as Ozai glanced up and then back down.

“I can get dinner and finally pay back Hakoda and Kya for always having me over,” he said. “Azula and Zuko can pick a room. I’m sure Katara and Sokka might have opinions they want to voice. We can schedule another time to go look at furniture.”

“You don’t need to order new furniture for them,” Ursa said. “I’m sure whatever’s there is fine.”

He scrolled through his tablet. “There isn’t any furniture in the rooms.”

Ursa looked up from her phone. “I thought you kept the house.”

“I did.”

“What happened to the furniture?”

Ozai seemed to release a heavy breath and turned to look at her. “One room used to be a nursery, the other was just transitioning to a toddler’s room. There were cribs and diaper changing stations and mobiles, but not children. What use did I have for that furniture?”

She could hear some bitterness in his voice and tore her eyes away. “Well, what about the other rooms?”

“I gave the spare bedroom set to Lu Ten when he moved out of the dorms since it was new and never used,” Ozai said. “We never did much with the last room.”

He once asked her if she wanted a home office, but pregnancy side tracked her plans to put one together. Still, she had picked the room she thought would’ve been most convenient. Ursa could only imagine that the others were just as vacant as it had been when she left.

“It worked out then,” she said, almost forcing herself to speak. “Azula and Zuko can pick out what they like.”

“You might as well pick something you like for the third spare. If they’re staying over and I’m not there, they should have a guardian with them,” Ozai said. It was practical. They did need to get another bed for her for such a reason.

It wasn’t like she could stay in their old bedroom.

She fidgeted in her seat. Did he keep their master bedroom the same? That massive four poster bed with the matching bedside tables and dresser, and vanity table in her little well lit corner. Ursa couldn’t bring herself to ask about what happened to it.

“Good point. What about the kitchen? If we need to cook. I doubt it was efficient for you to cook with your schedule,” Ursa said.

“The cooking sets and what not are in storage. I’ll get them out,” Ozai said. “This coming weekend, I’m free to go look at furniture with the children. I should bring Hakoda...he’ll take measurements of everything.”

“That’s a good idea,” Ursa said. “It’ll be good to know how much space we’re working with.” And it was good that she wouldn’t be spending an entire day with him. They’d look too much like a family and she didn’t want to have to correct people’s assumptions.

How would that look? Ozai probably wouldn’t care and ignore it, but it would bother her. She also didn’t want the children to think there was something going on between them, which there wasn’t.

She felt her face warm up and she fought it. There wasn’t anything, regardless of what happened in the laundry room.

“Excellent. I’ll book that day,” Ozai said. “By the way, Hakoda said you went apartment hunting today. How did it go? Did you find anything?”

“I got to see some places, but nothing definite. I’d like their school to be close, so that they could walk home.”

Ozai cocked his head. “Are you taking them out of boarding school?”

Ursa shifted in her seat once more and diverted her eyes. “There’s no reason for them to continue there. I want them closer to home, where I can spend more time with them.”

Ozai took a deep breath and leaned back against his chair. “I’m glad to hear it. I was concerned that I’d only see them during school breaks and with my schedule, that could’ve caused issues.”

She looked surprised to hear that, but nodded. “Yes, well...Kya suggested enrolling them at Yang Chen Primary Academy, but...”

Ozai raised a brow. “Is it the cost?” He sat up straight and met her eyes. “Ursa, you know I will spare no expense for my children’s sake. Yang Chen is an excellent school and is a feeder into their preparatory secondary academy. The children can even secure their spots early. Both Sokka and Katara are on track to move on to secondary and have spots waiting for them. It’s a good school”

“I know,” Ursa said. “And it’s convenient. The kids can carpool and if they need to walk home, they can do so together, especially in an off sporting season.”

“Yes, I would feel more comfortable with that. Katara has to wait for Sokka in the hall and he has to wait for her in the spring, after their respective practices because Kya and Hakoda don’t want them walking home alone.” Ozai rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Have Azula and Zuko tested in?”

Ursa shook her head. “Kya helped me to arrange transfer papers and get acceptance spots based on their grades, behavior, and recommendations from their previous school. She said she wanted to keep the option open.”

“And what about the children? Would they consider it?”

“Zuko hinted at it and Azula doesn’t seem to care.” She smiled. “If it’s by your house, I’m sure she’ll be all for it.”

She saw the corners of his lips move up in a small smile. “Then it sounds like it’s the best course of action. You can use my address if you wish, in case you move apartments if you find one better.”

“Thank you.”

He dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand. “Now, regarding the apartment. I spoke to Lu Ten.”

“Ozai, no,” Ursa sat up straight and frowned. “I can’t trouble him.”

“Let me finish. He said he’s willing to rent it out on one condition,” Ozai said. Ursa narrowed her eyes. “He’d like to meet his cousins. He hasn’t seen them since they were babies and said he wanted to see them again.”

“Oh...well, of course he can see them,” Ursa said. “Even if he doesn’t want to rent. I’d like the children to meet other family....” She looked towards the kitchen. “Zuko! Azula! Can you come in for a moment.”

There was a small grumble about finishing their dessert, but the two walked in. Azula still held on to her bowl of half finished ice cream.

“Yes, Mom?”

“Your father and I have made a schedule-”

“When are we going?” Azula’s face lit up.

“We’ll be having dinner tomorrow at my house,” Ozai said. “Hakoda, Kya!” he shouted over their heads. “Did you hear that?”

“Free dinner at Uncle Ozai’s, kids!” Hakoda said loudly. “Bring your appetites!”

They heard Katara and Sokka, as well as Kya, let out a gleeful ‘yay’. Ozai nodded in his head, satisfied.

“Tomorrow, while we’re waiting for dinner, you two can look at the rooms and pick the ones you want. We’ll go look for furniture this weekend,” Ozai said.

“Yes!” Azula beamed.

“I can’t wait to get my own bunk bed,” Zuko added.

“We also need to schedule one more date,” Ursa said in a calm voice. “We’d like to schedule some time to meet with Lu Ten. Do you know who that is?”

“Lu Ten!?” Katara came skidding out of the kitchen, a hopeful, eager look in her eyes. “Is he coming?”

“Who’s Lu Ten?” Zuko asked.

“He’s Uncle Ozai’s nephew,” Katara said, her chubby brown cheeks heating up. “He’s really nice and tall and can throw you in the air really high-”

“Wait, wait,” Zuko said. He looked back at his parents. “We have a cousin?”

“Yes,” Ozai said. “Lu Ten is my older brother’s son. He’s your cousin and would like to see you again.”

“We’ve met him before?” Azula asked, finishing off her ice cream. “I don’t remember him.”

“You were a baby when he last saw you,” Ursa said. “So, would that be okay? I think it would be nice for you to meet your cousin.”

Zuko agreed, but Azula hesitated. She looked at Katara, who urged her to agree, and finally nodded her head.

“Then I’ll ask him when he’s free,” Ozai said. He made a show of glancing at his watch. “It seems it’s getting late and I have an early video conference tomorrow. I should get going.”

“Already?” Azula pouted.

“I’m afraid so. We’ll see each other tomorrow,” he said. He pushed his chair back and stood up.

As he put his tablet into his bag, Kya came out of the kitchen with Hakoda. “You wantus to bring your shirt tomorrow?” she asked.

“Yes, I’d appreciate it.” He slung his bag over his shoulder and headed to the door. The children bid him good-bye, with Azula reaching up for another hug.

“You still need to work on it,” Hakoda said as he held the door open. Ozai gave him another glare. He walked to his car parked in the driveway.

Azula and Zuko lingered by the door, waving, not willing to leave until his car backed out of the driveway. Hakoda then herded the children back to finish their desserts and put their dishes away.

Kya closed the door and looked towards Ursa. She stood alone in the living room, looking out the window.

“Are you okay?” Kya asked. Ursa turned her head towards the doorway and nodded.

“It was a very business like conversation. And you were right; he’s all for Yang Chen.”

“The kids will be excited to know Azula and Zuko will be going to the same school,” Kya said. She reached her friend’s side and hooked her arm around Ursa’s. “You did great, you know. It was a normal conversation.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re still a great actress.”

Ursa stiffened and turned sharply towards Kya. “What are you talking about?” Her friend leaned forward and smirked. “You know how your hand lotion smells like citrus?” Ursa reddened. She knew where this was going. “Well right now, it smells like mens’ cologne.”

Giggling to herself, Kya slipped away. Ursa, flustered, reached out to her. “Kya, wait! It wasn’t anything serious!”

All her friend did was turn around and seemed to smile with sadistic pleasure. “Remember what I said all those years ago, back when we were in college and I had just introduced you to Ozai?”

How could Ursa forget? Kya’s quiet comment to her after she met Ozai for the first time made her hyper aware of him.

Back then, Kya gave her knowing smile and winked. “He’s single,” she whispered. “Get it.”

“Is this it?” Azula sounded confused. She stood in the half circle driveway of a large, brick house, and looked down the street. “I can see your house from here.” The slate gray, white bordered house was clearly visible from the brick one. Katara nodded, holding a tray of brownies she and Zuko made that day. “Yeah...I don’t know why Uncle Ozai keeps driving.”

“Your Uncle Ozai’s weird, that’s why,” Hakoda said, passing the two girls to get to the front steps. They all just walked, figuring that the weather was good and that the walk back at night would be refreshing.

Ursa was bringing up the rear of the little group, with Kya at her side. Zuko and Sokka were examining the front of the house, trying to figure out which window had the better bedroom.

“Does my dad have a lot of cars?” Azula asked, noticing the black luxury sub SUV parked at the edge of the drive. “University of The Republic...” She read the license plate frame. “Law. A...lu...m-nee?”

“Alumni,” Kya said. “It means that the owner of the car graduated from that university’s law school.”

“Dad’s a lawyer?” Zuko asked, looking back at his mother.

“No,” Hakoda said as he waited for someone to respond to the doorbell. “But Lu-”

“Uncle Hakoda!” The door was thrown open and a handsome, tall young man in a stylish gray sweater and dark jeans appeared. “Good to see you again!”

“I thought that was your car,” Kya chuckled beside her husband.

“Auntie Kya and...Katara!”

A plate of brownies were shoved into Zuko’s hands as Katara darted forward and threw herself at him. He caught her easily and picked her up, tossing her into the air just outside the door.

“Hi, Lu Ten!”

“That’s your cousin,” Sokka said, stating the obvious to Zuko. “He’s great with video games, too. He’ll play if you ask.”

Katara was placed back on the ground as he gave Hakoda a hug and ushered them in. As each person passed the threshold, Lu Ten greeted them. Sokka got a fist bump, making him feel somehow cooler. Kya got a hug and a kiss on each cheek.

Behind her, Azula and Zuko stopped and looked up at their new cousin.

Lu Ten’s gold eyes softened. “Oh man...” he said as he looked at them. “Look have big you guys have gotten. Last time I saw you....” He trailed off and bit his lip. “Azi’s eyes were barely opening. And Zuzu....”

“He calls you that, too,” Azula whispered, smug.

“Whatever, AZI,” Zuko said with a snort.

Lu Ten chuckled. “Well, let me introduce myself,” he said as he stood to the side and waved them in. Ursa gave him a small nod as she walked through the door. “My name is Lu Ten, son of Iroh. He’s your dad’s older brother and current head of Souzin Enterprises. I work in the legal department at one of its subsidiaries here. I’m also your first cousin.”

“My name is Zuko-”

“He knows that already, dum-dum-”

“Azula...,” Ursa frowned.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Azula said, doing a little bow.

“Aw, a bow? That’s it?” Lu Ten laughed. “Can I get a hug?” He looked at Ursa, as if to ask if it was all right. Ursa nodded.

Zuko stepped up as Lu Ten knelt down. “Do you like brownies? I made some with Katara.”

“I love brownies, cousin,” he said with a grin. He leaned closer. “And Uncle Ozai likes them, too, but he pretends he doesn’t. He has a reputation to maintain.” He winked.

“My turn!” Azula said. She stepped back.

“Azula?” Ursa asked. Her daughter shot forward, raising her arms. “Azula!”

“I got her, Auntie!” Lu Ten assured her as he caught his cousin and threw her in the air, just as he did Katara. Azula yelled with delight.

“Thank gods the foyer has a vaulted ceiling,” Ursa muttered to herself. Azula seemed pleased with her cousin’s greeting and gave him a hug as he put her back down.

“Your dad’s in the kitchen. We were just working on an old family recipe he wanted to make for you guys,” Lu Ten said. “Go on and greet him.”

Azula and Zuko followed Katara and her family down the hall. Lu Ten watched as they disappeared into the kitchen, yelling at Ozai about something. He turned around and gave Ursa a wry smile.

“Aunt Ursa,” he said, giving her a small bow of his head. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You, too, Lu Ten,” Ursa said. “You were just starting college the last time I saw you.”

“Yeah,” Lu Ten said. He seemed cautious, as if unsure what to say. “Aunt Ursa...I’m glad that Azula and Zuko are able to see their father again. Thank you for that.”

“No.” Ursa shook her head. “It was a long time coming. I should’ve brought them to him sooner. He is their father and I made a mistake.”

Lu Ten didn’t voice his agreement, but she knew he did. “Aunt Ursa, it isn’t any of my business - what happened between you and Uncle Ozai, but I just want you to know that it really hurt him when you left. He had the house remodeled...he nearly sold it. I know you probably don’t believe it considering your grounds for divorce, but he was devastated.”

Ursa wasn’t sure how to take the news. “Lu Ten-”

He held up his hands. “All I’m asking is that you don’t hurt my uncle again,” he said in a serious voice. “Everyone knows how much he loved you.”

She drew her head back. Did Lu Ten even understand what he was saying?

“Lu Ten!” Ozai was calling for him. They heard his footsteps against the tile floor approaching. They looked towards the hall as Ozai, wearing casual clothing and a maroon apron. “Can you set up your video game system for Zuko and Sokka?”

“Sure, Uncle,” Lu Ten said. He had a smile on his face once more and walked past, patting his uncle on the shoulder as he did.

Ursa watched the young man leave, his words still resonating in her head.

Ozai loved her.

It just didn’t sound...plausible?

“Ursa.” She snapped back to attention as Ozai said her name. “Are you coming?” he asked, heading towards the back of the house.

She blinked and nodded slowly. “I’m coming.” She wanted to ask him and spoke before she could stop herself. “Ozai.”

“What?”

“Can I talk to you later?”

“Sure-”

“Alone.” He paused just before stepping out into the large, open kitchen. He looked over his shoulder, a frown on his face.

Ozai seemed to think it over for a moment longer before giving her a small nod. “All right.”

Notes:

I thought I’d get this up early since I’ll be at a convention all weekend. I’m enjoying my little story and hope you are, too. I’m just rolling along, trying to build up their lingering attraction so I could get to some more drama. Thoughts are always welcomed! Thanks again for reading!

#ursai #urzai #ursa #ozai #au atla fanfic #fanficiton #atla fanfic #miavwrites #qwe #miavortice

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pixiedane · 8 years ago

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I wonder if you can do laundry in a sonic shower?

Okay, with the caveat that I am no kind of engineer, let’s talk this through. I think that if we accept that a sonic shower (using sound vibrations to remove dirt from a person’s body) works at all, it could be used on clothing. But it would have to be calibrated differently? And maybe pretreated?

Now, if people are cleaning their clothes and themselves at the same time, I suppose that saves energy – though I think it would still be more energy to clean both even if done in the same amount of time. But if it requires two cycles, or if it’s preferred because who wants to take a shower with their clothes on?, would it save more or less than some kind of laundromat or dry cleaner??

And if it’s the latter, I wouldn’t want some poor ensign (or Neelix) to get stuck doing the crew’s laundry for the entire voyage so I’m thinking they institute a schedule where everyone is cycled in for a shift every 2-3 months or something. And now laundry shift shenanigans (!!) can be added to my at-this-point-needs-to-be-written series of laundry fic (maybe I should make it a prompt meme, so you all can request scenarios?).

#response #anonymous #starfleet laundry

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luxuryhomecleaners · 5 years ago

Text

How Often Do you Change/Wash Your Shower Liner?

If you’re like many people, the answer is not that often. You may not even be aware that it’s possible to wash plastic shower curtains, which means you probably replace like we do when they start to get dirty.

🧽Good news: You can wash a plastic shower curtain and the process isn’t that difficult.

We have tips below to discover how to get a clean shower curtain so that you don’t have to toss out every few months.

🧽Pretreat Your Shower Curtains

Pretreating your plastic shower curtains can do wonders in preventing nasty buildup from soap scum.

When you get a new plastic shower curtain, run it through the rinse cycle of your washing machine with a little bit of distilled white vinegar. You’ll want to set the water to warm—not hot—because the last thing you want is a melted shower curtain inside of your washer. You may also want to look in on the curtain after a few minutes to check the temperature.

After the rinse cycle is complete, simply hang the clean shower curtain or liner on the shower curtain rod to dry. The pretreatment should keep your shower curtain from getting scummy as soon as an untreated curtain would.

🧽How to Wash a Shower Curtain

There are two different methods you can use to wash a plastic shower curtain, and both are fairly painless.

📌Method 1 —

The Washing Machine: Wash your shower curtain in the washer using warm water combined with vinegar, baking soda or gentle laundry detergent. Note: Pick one of the three cleaners listed above. Do not use all three at once. You don’t want to cause a science experiment volcano or a nasty chemical reaction in your washing machine. Afterwards, hang your clean shower curtain back on the shower rod to dry.

📌Method 2—

Handwashing: You can also wash your plastic shower curtain using baking soda and a microfiber cloth. Dampen the cloth and then sprinkle some baking soda on it. You’ll use this cleaning solution to scrub the entire shower curtain. After scrubbing, rinse with warm water and revisit any patches of soap scum or hard water stains that are left with the cloth and baking soda. Rinse again until you have a clean shower curtain. This process also leaves a nice fresh scent in the bathroom.

🧽How Often Should I Wash My Plastic Shower Curtain?

More often than you think. After all, you come face to face with your shower curtain or plastic liner on an almost daily basis. Ideally, you should be washing it once a month. At the very least, however, you should aim to clean your plastic shower curtain once every three months. When you think about it, four to 12 times a year isn’t really that often and the process shouldn’t take long at all now that you know how to wash a shower curtain.

Keep in mind that washing a shower curtain will help keep it free of soap scum, but mildew is another story. If you’ve noticed mildew on your shower curtain be it plastic or cloth don’t fret.

Use these tips on banishing mildew from shower curtains so that you can bathe in peace.

#shower #window cleaning #housekeeping #luxuryhomecleaners #home & lifestyle

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batvish-blog · 5 years ago

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How to Treat Your Lingerie

Labels are important. I am not talking about the stereotypes and prejudice kind like all underwire bras are a nuisance. I am talking about the labels on your lingerie that tell you how to wash and treat your lingerie. I know what you are thinking, “my underwear is going to be hidden, so it does not matter how I treat them. But if you want your lingerie to retain their quality and fit for a long time, you will have to start treating them well. How to take proper care of lingerie is not common knowledge, and that is why we have compiled this handy guide on how to treat your lingerie that you love.

How to wash your lingerie:

Rule No. 1: Handwash your lingerie

After a long and tiring day, the last thing you want to do is hand wash your lingerie. You’d instead just stick them in the washing machine and do something important like binge Netflix. Unfortunately, the best things in life do not come easy. Here are the steps that you need to follow if you want your favourite bra to outlive you.

Fill a bucket or the sink with warm water.

Add two caps of mild detergent or detergent that is specially made for lingerie.

If you have a few pesky stains on your bra, then it is essential to pretreat them by dabbing a little detergent on them.

Gently swish the delicates around in the water for a few minutes. Do not scrub hard.

Rinse each garment out and lightly wring out the excess water.

A few tips while handwashing.

Do not mix and match your lingerie. Separate your whites and coloured garments. If the label on your underwear says hand-dyed or pigment-dyed, wash them separately because they tend to bleed colour.

Another thing to keep in mind is to wash garments with similar fabrics together. Materials like lace tend to absorb colour from other darker coloured materials.

Bras that are lacy, sheer, and have lots of ornamentations or gel padding should only be washed by hand.

Bras that have an underwire should also be only washed by hand as twisting and turning in the washing machine can cause the underwire to break. Some detergents can also cause rust to form on the underwire.

If handwashing is absolutely not possible and you are using the washing machine, then here are a few rules that you should follow.

The first and most crucial step is to hook your bras! This prevents them from sagging and the hook from snagging in the mesh lingerie bag or with other delicates.

Always wash your delicates separately from the rest of your laundry.

Always use a lingerie bag. It helps in making sure that your delicates don’t get too much of a beatdown in the washing machine. Never overload it and make sure that the garments have enough place to move.

Another important rule is to use warm water and a gentle cycle.

Putting your lingerie in the dryer is a sin that you should never commit.

How to dry your lingerie:

As it turns out, there is a proper way to dry underwear. I know this whole process is turning out to be tedious and seems like a big hassle. But if you want your Brawati (the hypothetical name of your favourite bra) to be brag-worthy, then you’ll have to go through this long process.

As mentioned above, putting your delicates in a dryer or tumble drying them is a cardinal sin.

The best way to dry undergarments is to air dry them. You can even dry them in the shade so that they retain their colour.

Drying your delicates on a flat surface helps them retain their shape.

Wrapping your delicates in a towel before air-drying them is also a good practice to follow if you want to expedite drying as the towel absorbs excess water.

How to iron your lingerie:

I know, I know it’s on the inside, but you never know who might see it. There is one step that you need to follow (well 2, but we’ll come to that later) before removing your delicates from the drying rack and stuffing them in the dresser. That step is ironing.

Follow these steps to get a wrinkle-free bra.

Hold the wrinkled part of the bra between your forefinger and thumb and smooth out as many wrinkles as you can by rubbing the fabric gently.

Hang the bra by the two steps from a hanger and hook the bra at the back. Next, fill a clothes steamer with water and set it in a low or delicate setting. Hold the steamer about two inches away from the bra and move it over the wrinkled fabric. Use your fingers to smoothe over the freshly steamed material. Keep using the steamer till all the wrinkles are gone.

An alternative method to using the steamer in hanging the bra in the bathroom and setting the hot showers to full blast. It is a pretty effective method to get wrinkles out of nylon bras.

The following steps help you fix the wrinkles on your underwear.

The first step is to find out exactly what kind of fabric you are ironing because different types of cloth respond to different temperatures. Do not forget to check the label to see the ironing instructions. Often times the label would suggest that the garment should not be ironed.

If the label does not give a setting for the iron, it is a good rule of thumb to use the “low” setting for lingerie.

Use the creases and folds as guiding lines and iron along these.

Carefully fold your underwear and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

How to store your lingerie:

Storing lingerie correctly is a way of extending the shelf life of the lingerie by a few years. This preserves the cup shape, elasticity of the bra, and ensures a great fit.

The first step is to do an inventory. Throw out all the old bras that you don’t use anymore or that don’t fit you properly. They just take up valuable drawer space.

If your lingerie collection is extensive, then it might be a good idea to invest in a lingerie trunk. If you don’t have the space for a lingerie trunk, then drawer dividers made of acrylic are an excellent alternative.

There are a lot of ways to segregate lingerie. If you are big on time-saving, then a good idea is to keep your underwear in sets. Fold one cup into the other and tuck your underwear into the cup and arrange them according to colour. Make sure that you don’t fold the bra cup inwards. A simpler method is to get drawer dividers and arrange your delicates according to colour. Keep your underwear and bras in separate sections. Place the bras behind one other.

There you have it- a complete and extensive guide on how to properly take care of your lingerie. Lingerie is called delicates for a reason. Therefore, a good rule of thumb is to be gentle always when handling lingerie. Extreme temperatures, rough handling, and careless storage can significantly reduce the shelf life of your lingerie.

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davidqescobar-blog · 6 years ago

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How to Clean Sports Equipment {and Get Rid of the Smell!}

Learn how to clean sports equipment and get rid of the smell with these simple tips and tricks. Easy ways to prevent your sports gear from stinking as well as cleaning tips for when it's getting out of control!

My youngest plays hockey almost year round {he's a goalie} as well as lacrosse during the spring time. He plays hard and he sweats even harder! I honestly can't believe how much his gear STINKS!!! Some days I don't even want to let him in the car.

How to Clean Sports Equipment

Over the years, we've come up with some good tips and tricks for how to clean sports equipment and how get rid of that horrible “rink stink”. I think we've pretty much tried it all! So, if you have kids in sports or have some stinky sports equipment of your own, check out these easy ways to clean your sports equipment and keep it smelling {relatively!} fresh. If you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Why do you need to wash sports equipment?

Honestly, my son could pretty much care less if his sports equipment stinks. So gross, but true. If you've been in a hockey locker room, you're probably very familiar with the smell. It's kind of universal hockey room stench that seems to be there no matter what locker room you're in. For some reason, hockey players seem to be immune to it. But, there are actually some very valid reasons to wash that sports gear…

To get rid of the smell. That sports equipment smell is caused from something known as bromidrosis. It's basically a byproduct of the body's natural bacteria when they feed on sweat and other bodily secretions {“B.O.”}. Sweat that's left on sports gear continues to produce the BO byproduct and the equipment continues to smell.

To get rid of the bacteria and prevent infection. In addition to the disgusting odor, the sweat filled pads, clothing, gloves, etc. are a prime breading ground for bacteria, molds and fungus, and there are actually many diseases that can be spread from untreated sports gear. There are actually over a million living organisms in the average set of hockey equipment! For this reason, you want to pay extra attention to equipment that has direct contact with the skin. If your child happens to have a skin abrasion or cut and it's in contact with the sports gear, the bacteria can enter the bloodstream and can potentially cause serious infection.

To protect your sports gear. Let's face it. Sports equipment is not cheap – especially as a goalie Mom! Sports gear that is cleaned regularly will last much longer and can hopefully be passed down to younger siblings {or sold second hand} once your child grows out of it.

How to prevent sports equipment from smelling.

There are some quick and easy ways to help prevent sports equipment from smelling in between uses. Remember that it's much easier to prevent smells than to get rid of really nasty odors that have been there for a while. So, take a little time after each use to keep your sports gear smelling its best!

Tips to get rid of the smell some sports gear.

Remove gear from the sports bag after each use. Shake it out to remove any loose debris and hang to air it out. There are a number of hanging racks on the market designed specifically for sports gear, but you can come up with whatever set up works best for you. Our hockey gear station ends up being our garage.

Allow gear to dry as soon as possible after use. Not only does this help with the smell, but it also helps to prevent the growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew.

Spray down your gear as soon as possible with an odor eliminator spray like Febreze. Some products such as Live Luv Lavish also contain antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial properties for an added benefit.

Place a dehumidifier by the sports gear. This will help to suck out the moisture and allow the gear to dry faster.

Use the power of the sun. If you have nice weather, spread the gear out on the driveway or back deck and allow it to dry in the sun. Not only does this allow it to dry with a nice, natural scent, but the UV rays from the sun have the added benefit of being able to kill bacteria that's lurking on your gear.

Wear a layer of clothing between your body and the sports equipment. This helps to keep the sweat away from the equipment itself and the clothing can be much more easily washed. Look for material that wicks sweat away from the body and is fast drying.

Use a sports gear disinfectant spray every few uses to kill any bacteria that may be on the equipment.

For smaller items like shoes or shin pads, place them in big ziploc bags and put them in the freezer for 48 hours. Just make sure they're sealed! This helps to get rid of the bacteria that's on them and can really help with getting rid of smells.

Can you wash sports equipment in the washing machine?

While you do have to do a little bit of sorting, there are a lot of items that can be easily washed in a standard washer with just a few precautions. This is pretty much the quickest and easiest way to wash your gear when possible. Generally, we'll throw in the elbow pads, shin pads, jerseys, regular gloves, neck guard, pants, and even his chest protector. If you have a top loading machine with an agitator, it's best to hand wash the pants and chest protector as these can get snagged on the agitator. Hockey pads, goalie gloves and goalie blockers should NOT to be washed in the washing machine. Check labels when possible or ask at your local sports shop about specific gear if you're not sure.

Tips to clean sports equipment in the washing machine.

Once you have your items sorted as to what can be washed in the washing machine and what can't, here are a few other tips to follow;

To be safe, use a cool water setting on the gentle cycle for most equipment. If you have extra stinky items that you're not concerned about shrinkage, you can put it in on a higher temperature setting for extra disinfecting. The higher temperatures and heavy cycles are obviously much better at killing bacteria and getting rid of the stains and odors, but it's also much harder on the equipment. If you don't get a good result with the cooler settings, you could try a second wash on a little more aggressive setting. You have to balance out the good and bad!

If your hockey pants have removable pads, take these out prior to putting the pants in the wash. Using a sponge, scrub down the pads with dish soap and warm water without fully submerging them in water. Rinse well with clean water and dry completely.

Hockey pants and chest protectors can be hand washed if you prefer using a sponge and mild detergent. Scrub gently and be sure to thoroughly rinse all of the detergent off.

Don't add too much detergent. I know the tendency is always to add extra detergent with stinky loads, but too much detergent will cause a residue that your washing machine cannot rinse out. This residue builds up in your clothing and can actually attract more dirt and sweat in the future, leading to more smell.

You can add a laundry booster, but just make sure you're only adding the recommended amount.

Don't use fabric softener. Fabric softener will coat the fibers and actually lock-in the smell rather than removing it. It can also be damaging for fibers in stretchy athletic clothing such as lycra. If you would like a fabric softening effect, just add some vinegar to your fabric softener dispenser. It can help with the prevention of smells and disinfecting too!

Do not use bleach or bleach products.

Hang equipment or place out to dry and allow it to dry completely. For gear with internal padding especially, it may need a while to dry, so ensure that you're giving it enough time.

Jersey's should be washed inside out. Pretreat any stains.

Can you dry sports equipment in the dryer?

Although it's VERY important that you let your hockey gear completely dry out after washing, most of it should be air dried – not dried in the dryer. Jerseys, jocks, neck guards, and socks can all generally go in the dryer but use a low dryer heat setting. High heat might dry your clothes faster, but it also cooks in any lingering smells and is harder on the fabric fibers. Hockey gloves or other gear with leather components should NEVER be put in the dryer and always allowed to air dry. Workout gear that is made of lycra or other stretchy materials will also do best when air dried. If you still notice smells when your gear is removed from the washing machine, try spraying them down with Febreze Fabric before letting them dry for a nice, light scent WITHOUT the lingering sports stink.

How to clean and deodorize helmets.

If your kids like sports, you likely have more than one helmet around your home – bike helmets, ski elements, hockey helmets. The list goes on. Like anything else, helmets gets dirty over time and can quickly start to smell. Unfortunately, they can't be thrown into the washing machine, but there are still a few things that you can do to keep them looking and smelling their best.

Tips to Clean Helmets.

As with the other sports equipment, always allow your helmet to air out in between uses. If you're worried about your helmet smelling, a few quick sprays of an odor eliminator on the inside padding of the helmet can trap the odor and lock it away. Get in a habit of doing this regularly to keep the odors away.

For a more deep clean, fill a basin or bathtub with warm water and add a little baby shampoo. The baby shampoo will be gentler on the equipment and, on the off chance that you don't get rid of all the residue, will not sting if it mixes with sweat and gets into the eyes.

Use a sponge or old toothbrush to really get into all of the little grooves and crevices and give the chin straps a good scrub. Spray the chin strap with vinegar for some disinfecting power or use a sports equipment spray.

Some helmets come with a removeable “sweat band” that can be removed and washed in the washing machine. These can also be replaced when worn.

Scuff marks on the outside of the helmet clean off nicely with a Mr. Clean magic eraser.

While you're washing your helmet is also a good time to inspect it for any damage and ensure that all of the screws are tightened. Masks should not be altered or continue to be used if damaged is noted.

How to Clean Skates, Cleats and Other Sports Shoes

Perhaps one of the smelliest pieces of equipment is the foot wear. For footwear such as hockey skates or cleats that can't go in the washing machine, keeping the odors away can be tricky. The best tip is to be proactive and air out your shoes on a regular basis BEFORE the smells start to come. It's so much easier to prevent smells than to get rid of them!

Tips to clean sports footwear.

Ice skates should always be wiped down and dried after each use. Cover the blades with skate guards.

After each use, loosen the laces and pull the tongue forward to better air out the inside of the skate or shoe.

If the skate or other footwear is quite wet inside, many insoles can be removed to allow better air flow and drying. The insoles can then be washed or replaced as needed.

Crumple up newspaper to place inside the shoe or use an old rag rolled up to absorb wetness if the insoles do not easily come out. You can also purchase shoe deodorizers to go into the shoes that will do the same thing.

Spray down the inside of the skates or shoes {and any other soft surfaces} with an odor eliminator regularly. Pull the tongue forward to allow it to air out and dry completely.

Use a microfiber towel, warm water, and a few drops of dish soap to wipe down harder surfaces. A Mr. Clean magic eraser works great on scuff marks.

How to clean equipment that can't be washed.

If you have equipment such as goalie pads, blockers, and gloves that can't really be washed, they can still use a little TLC. Using a microfiber cloth, wipe them down with a little bit of warm water and dry completely with another cloth. For scuff marks or puck marks, a Mr. Clean magic eraser works wonders! I find that the heavy duty kitchen magic eraser holds up the best for this. Pads, gloves, and blockers can also be treated with a water-proofing agent for longer wear.

Get Your Kids Involved

And one last tip before you go. I highly recommended getting your child to do these tasks with you, and eventually take over the process as soon as they're capable. Not only does it mean one less job for you, but it also teaches them about taking care of their own gear. I know it seems like a lot of work when you read everything, but the regular cleaning tips should only take a few minutes to do after each use. It's really just more about habit. I definitely wish I had started earlier with mine!

More Cleaning Tips

If you love a good cleaning hack, check out these popular cleaning tips…

Free Printable Cleaning Labels

How to Organize Cleaning Supplies

Daily Cleaning Routine Tips and Free Printable

The post How to Clean Sports Equipment {and Get Rid of the Smell!} appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

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whatchamagadget · 6 years ago

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How Permethrin Can Help Protect You From Ticks

As reported in The New York Times (Wirecutter’s parent company), the CDC recently announced that insect-borne illnesses have more than tripled in the US in the past 14 years. Those numbers are for mosquitos, fleas, and ticks combined, but if you’re going to get an insect-borne illness in this country, you’re statistically most likely to get Lyme disease, carried by black-legged ticks, aka deer ticks, and most prevalent on the East Coast and in the Midwest. As we say in our bug repellent guide, a 25 percent DEET repellent works pretty well—against mosquitos. It’s not as effective against ticks. Plus, ticks that simply walk to a part of your body without bug spray can avoid DEET-treated areas, according to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (PDF).

What you can do now

You have a few ways to use permethrin. You can buy a spray and treat clothes you already own, buy already treated clothes, or send your clothes to a service for treatment.

Pull Quote

Buying a permethrin spray is the easiest way to quickly take action against ticks.

Where to spray it and when

Pull Quote

In the spring and summer, it’s best to treat your socks and shoes. That could make you about 74 times less likely to be bitten by a tick, according to one study.

Safety concerns

Our favorite tick-check method

#Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World

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