To keep your whites bright without using bleach, add one cup of baking soda to each cycle. Whirlpool suggests adding it directly to your wash rather than using the detergent dispenser to avoid clogs.

The Boston-based healthcare worker needed clean scrubs, and with a snowstorm sweeping through the city and no time to make it to a laundromat, he resorted to what he calls “the old-fashioned way.” So ...