After a weekend out of doors, whether chopping firewood, gardening or learning to skateboard or ski, there's a pile of laundry that requires special care.

When laundering heavily soiled clothing, a soak cycle followed by a wash cycle will do a better cleaning job than just lengthening the wash time, according to Julie Bundy.Bundy, manager of consumer education for Maytag Co. in Newton, Iowa, says if heavy soil is ground into the fabric, a prewash spray may be used to treat spots and stains. Another pretreatment option is to rub liquid detergent or a detergent paste - soap powder and water - into the soiled area before laundering.

For grease or oil stains, rub detergent into the dampened stain. Launder in hot water with plenty of detergent. Use chlorine bleach if the fabric is bleachable. If the stain persists, sponge thoroughly with safe cleaning fluid and then rinse.

Grass stains require the same treatment as grease, except rubbing alcohol should be used instead of cleaning fluid. If colorfastness is questionable, dilute the alcohol with two parts water.