By now you all know how much I despise laundry. I talk about it here quite often. I’m hoping that by posting often I might be more inclined to get better at it… so far it’s not working. Ha! But since I’ve been doing my own laundry for about 20 years I have learned a thing or two. Here are some laundry tips that you might not have heard before but that are definitely worth trying.
For stains:
We get more than our fair share of stains on clothes. Ahem. Sometimes you just can’t avoid them. These are some things I do:
- Use Fels Naptha or Zote to pre-treat stubborn stains. I use these for baseball stains (which are the worst!!) before putting them in the washing machine and if they can’t get the stains out, nothing will.
- You can remove spots inexpensively by applying automatic dishwasher detergent to wet fabric. Scrub with an old toothbrush and then rinse.
Avoid losing drawstrings:
Before washing, safety pin the string to the clothing. Ta-da!
We have about 49530 hoodies in our house and are constantly playing chase with those drawstrings. Not anymore.
Unshrink your clothes:
Ever accidentally shrink your favorite shirt or pants? I have before. So sad. One Good Thing Jillee has a tip for how to get clothes “unshrunk.”
To clean whites:
Pour one gallon of hot water into a bucket and then add 1/2 cup of dishwashing soap and 1/2 c. of bleach. Mix well. Then soak clothes overnight. In the morning, dump the solution and the clothes into the washing machine and wash as normal. I have also done this with OxiClean and Tide Sport. We usually have a bucket going at all times because of the white baseball pants.
Or to get the yellow yucky stains on white shirts out:
There are 9 different ways that you can try to get those blasted stains out. I hate when my favorite white shirts are ruined from that. Boo!
Make softener sheets last longer:
After softener sheets have been used twice, keep them in a jar with liquid fabric softener. When drying a load of clothes, squeeze out the excess liquid from the sheets and toss it into the dryer. This will extend the life of those sheets and save you lots of pennies in the process.
Avoid ironing:
My Mom was (and is) a good ironer. I … am not. I feel like my generation isn’t into ironing as much as generations in the past. I’m not sure what that says about us (lazy? pressed for time? both?) but there are a couple things that will help you get those wrinkles out.
- Set the dryer for 10 minutes and toss in a damp towel with wrinkled clothing. This won’t work for suuuuuuuper wrinkled clothes but it does work when things just need a little something.
- Remove shirts/blouses from the dryer while they are still damp. Hang on hangers, smooth them out and spray with starch. Let dry. No iron needed.
A genius tip for washing your bras:
All you need is some baby soap and a salad spinner. Say what?! Seriously.
If laundry is your nemesis like mine, these posts might be for you:
6 Laundry Rooms that Will Blow Your Mind
How to get naturally clean laundry
Which laundry system is right for you?
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I was looking for a good reason to replace the salad spinner I ruined. Thank you for this. I hates washing the bras. Added plus: possible shortened drying time.
Yes the dishwasher soap works well on stains, but you better tell that they contain bleach and your cloths WIOL come out with permanent spots