Why Our Grandparents May Have Put Black Pepper in The Washing Machine

I love sharing secrets from previous generations.

If you want to really learn things about life I suggest that you speak to those who have been around a bit longer than you and me.

The older generation has so many "secrets" to share and they have so much insight into daily living.

I recently came across a homemaking hack and it involves washing your clothes.

Did you know that your grandparents may have once used black pepper when it came to washing their clothes? Yes, the same type of black pepper that you use to spice up your food.

One of the reasons why older folks used black pepper in the washing machine is because the pepper helps set the dyes in clothing. This prevents your clothes from "bleeding" and therefore preserving the color.

Another interesting reason why some of our grandparents may have sprinkled pepper into the wash is due to the fact that black pepper can help remove stains from clothes. Look, we have all stained an article of clothing once or twice, and the black pepper allegedly helps remove food or even grass stains.

In addition to those two reasons for using black pepper in your laundry, some elected to use black pepper in the wash to help remove odors from the clothes. According to an article that I read, pepper has fantastic deodorizing properties.

Black pepper in a washing machine can also break down soap residue, and that leads to softer and more fluffy laundry. Who knew?

Look, I can't say that this works all the time, but it may be worth the try. And if you do elect to sprinkle black pepper in your wash, make sure that the pepper is fine ground and don't overuse it.

We should probably also note here that black pepper should not be a replacement for laundry detergent, but more as an added value.

I'd also suggest that if you wish to try this home hack that has been passed down for generations, try it with a small load of laundry first and see if you see any positive results.

One more thing about this secret in the laundry room, only use the black pepper on dark clothing, not whites, as it may tend to stain the white fabric.

So, who's trying this in the next batch of bath towels?