Laundry day. It strikes fear into the heart of even the most organized of people. Stains, grease, dirt… it’s all so time-consuming.
If you’ve been eyeing up the ever-growing hamper pile, fear not. As professional, experienced cleaners… we’ve picked up a few tricks along the way. Here are our best laundry hacks available to ease the load.
Laundry Hacks List
First things first, you need to get organized. Half the battle is staying one step ahead of the hamper.
Presort
Digging through dirty clothes trying to make up a laundry load has to be one of the worst parts of the job. So don’t.
Buy an extra hamper, or two, and split clothes as you put them in the hamper. It will save you hours over the years. Plus you’ll never have to try and find the sneaky colored sock in the whites again.
Wash Faster
If you’ve never used the quick wash setting on your washer, try it. It’s a huge time saver and lets you get through loads much faster.
Of course, if you’re washing gym clothes or you’ve been in a casual mud wrestling fight, then the quick wash won’t do the job. But for the vast majority of clothes, it will work just as well.
Dry Faster
It’s unlikely there’s a quick dry setting on your dryer. If you do, we envy you! But for the rest of us slumming with normal dryers, there is a way to quickly dry your clothes.
Next time you’re throwing a load in the dryer, make space for a towel. A dry, fluffy one works best, but mostly just make sure it’s dry. It will absorb the moisture faster, getting your clothes dry quicker.
Dryer Balls
These magical little orbs will save you money and time. They cut the drying time considerably. But best of all using them means you no longer need to use fabric softener.
Fabric softener, great though it smells, can cause build-ups in your dryer and breakages. Dryer balls are better for your dryer and the environment as an added bonus.
Get a Laundry Folder
We really can’t rate these nifty little gadgets enough. They save loads of time, helping you get through piles of clean clothes fast. A lovely little bonus for the OCD inclined is the uniformity of folded clothes in the drawers.
Clean Your Washer
Keeping your washer cleaned and maintained means it lasts longer and performs more efficiently. You don’t need to do anything fancy to clean it either.
Add a quart of white vinegar and a cup of baking soda to your drum. Then turn your washer on to the longest and hottest setting. This will disinfect your washer and keep your clothes smelling better.
Quick Iron
All ready for a big night out and realized the outfit you planned to wear is wrinkled? No worries. Throw it in the dryer with a small wet towel for a couple of minutes.
Pleats Pains
On the topic of ironing, ironing pleats is a pain. Whether it’s slacks or skirts, getting the fold right is time-consuming. So use bobby pins to hold the pleats in place while you iron, works a treat!
Wrinkle Releaser
If you don’t have time to iron or throw your clothes in the dryer for a minute, this laundry hack will help. Grab a spray bottle and fill it with two cups of water, a teaspoon of conditioner, and a tablespoon of white vinegar.
Spray the mixture onto your clothes, then stretch the wrinkles out.
Family-Sized Lint Roller
Our one complaint about lint rollers is they’re too small. Especially if you’ve got pets, you end up going through half a roller on one black top. Up your game with a bit of crafty cleverness.
Simply grab a paint roller and wrap duct tape on it, sticky-side out.
Hand Wash Woes
Everyone hates hand wash only items. They’re usually our favorite pieces of clothing, so well worth doing, but it doesn’t make it any less of a chore!
Fortunately, you can speed things up a little with a salad spinner. Throw your item of clothing in with some water and a gentle soap and get spinning. You can also empty the water and use the spinner to dry them off a little after.
Sock Savior
Losing socks to the washer is an accepted part of life… but it doesn’t have to be. Get a mesh bag to put all your socks in and leave it near your hamper. Then when it’s laundry day, just tie it up and throw the whole bag in the wash.
Unshrink Sweaters
We know it sounds like voodoo, but it is possible. Fill a bucket with lukewarm water and a couple of tablespoons of baby shampoo, then chuck your sweater in.
Remove after around 20 minutes to drain and flatten. Then lay it out as taut as you can to stretch it back into its original form.
Laundry Tips for Stains
Now you’re organized, we’ll cover a few quick hacks for particularly stubborn stains. From grease to pit stains, we’ve got you covered.
Red Wine Stains
A dangerous beverage when you’ve had a few too many, red wine stains are a nightmare to get out. Your best chance is to get them while they’re wet. Use kitty litter, milk, salt, or club soda.
Lipstick Stains
Blot lipstick stains with white bread. The center part, not the crust. It won’t look like it’s doing much until you put it in the wash when it should all come out.
Blood Stains
Much like red wine, you need to remove blood stains while they’re still wet. Cold water and hand soap to start. If it’s on whites, use hydrogen peroxide when it dries as well.
Grease Stains
You can use chalk to get grease stains out. Whether they’re on your clothes or you’ve spilled drive-through food in the car, chalk will work. Baby powder is another easy alternative.
Ink Stains
Take a little hand sanitizer or hairspray and apply it to an ink stain. You need to allow it to rest for a little bit before washing when the rest should come out.
Underarm Stain Removal
Mix equal parts lemon and water and scrub those pit stains. For best results, leave clothes to dry in the sun.
Try House Cleaning Services
We hope our laundry hacks will help you tackle laundry day with a little more ease. But if you’re still struggling, it’s well worth considering a cleaning service like Scrub N Bubbles. Just get in touch with us to find out more!
