The Top Ten Laundry Tips

I really enjoy washing clothes. I’m serious. I’d be happy washing clothes all day. The wonderful smells, the softness of clothes fresh out of the dryer, the sense of accomplishment…all of it. I love it. Now before you start judging me or pinning me as a weirdo, I need to let you know that there is a part of laundry I hate: putting the clothes away. I can have every piece of clothing in our house washed and dried, every blanket and towel fluffy and warm. Odds are that those freshly washed items are stuffed in a laundry hamper at the foot of my bed or by the couch. After my husband asked me the third time in a week where he could find a pair of socks I realized I needed to figure out a new system. Not only did I find interesting ideas but I discovered some great tips, too. I believe they’ll work for you, too.

• · Too many wrinkled shirts to bother with? Easy! Don’t bother buying a bottle of wrinkle releaser when you can easily make your own (and save about $5 in the process). In a spray bottle add 1 part of your favorite fabric softener to 10 parts water. Shake it up and then spray the item of clothing (just a fine mist). You can then shake the clothing out and let hang until fully dry.
• · Need a laundry booster for super dirty clothes? Pour a little baking soda in with the detergent. Not only will it boost the cleaning power, but it’ll freshen up the clothes and leave them softer.
• · White clothes stained? Put lemon juice on the stain and leave in the sun. Once the stain fades you’ll need to rewash the clothing.
• · Black clothes are fading? Rit! Rit dye is amazing. Read the directions carefully though. Rit also has color removers (i.e. who put the red towel in with the white ones??). They’ve saved my clothes several times. Keep in mind that if you dry your clothes outside on the line you’ll want to hang them up inside out, too.
• · Clothes are starting to pill and are covered in lint? Start washing your clothes inside out. This will help a little. You can also put a half cup of vinegar in your rinse cycle to help.
• · Lint and dust taking over your dryer? Use a fabric sheet to wipe off your dryer to easily remove all the dust on it. You can also use a used dryer sheet to help clean the dryer vent easily and quickly.
• · Almost out of detergent but have several loads of laundry left? Don’t use so much detergent. Washing machines agitate the water enough to clean lightly soiled clothes as it is. I use about half a cap full rather than what the manufacturers recommend. All the clothes come out clean and fresh cleaning and I’m saving money.
• · Sweat stains on your favorite white shirt? Add a cup of salt into a sink full of warm water. Soak the shirt for about an hour and then wash.
• · Need clothes dried quicker? For starters, put the clothes on the spin cycle in the washer an extra time. Then when putting them in the dryer, throw in a dry towel or two. Lastly, don’t open the dryer door to keep checking if your clothes are done.
• · You don’t have a dryer and your towels aren’t soft? Hanging clothes on the line to dry is a lot cheaper than using a dryer, but I remember hating how the towels felt after bringing them off the line. They were anything but soft. Your best bet is to change your detergent to a milder one, add vinegar or baking soda to the rinse cycle, and hang up the towels as soon as they’re done washing. Don’t let them sit.

Now these tips may not have you sitting by the laundry hamper anxiously waiting for it to fill so you can spend your day washing clothes, but hopefully they will make the chore easier.