If you want to get more done in less time, try some of these laundry DIY tips and tricks from our editors. Laundry is a necessary thing to do, but it may be less of a pain if you know a few easy strategies.
1. Use a Pool Noodle to Eliminate Creases
When the dryer’s heat is too much to bear, hanging clothes on a rack to dry is a terrific alternative. However, you may find yourself frustrated by the drying rack’s tendency to form unattractive lines.
A simple and cheap laundry hack is presented here. Simply cut a pool noodle in half lengthwise and slip it into your rack. Get rid of wrinkles!
2. DIY Spot Treatment
The ingredients for this do-it-yourself spot treatment are undoubtedly already in your kitchen cabinets. In this case, you can get by with some baking soda and vinegar.
According to Samantha Hart, a home editor at Real Simple, “I pretreat with a sprinkle of baking soda followed by a few drops of white vinegar” to remove oil and makeup stains. Wait a while, then wash as usual.
3. Don’t Have Dryer Sheets? Use Aluminium Foil
Your laundry is done, but you realize you have no dryer sheets left. Try rooting around in the pantry. You can store aluminum foil in the dryer for up to 6 months in a bundle.
4. Remove Grass Stains
Kids are notorious for tracking in grass stains, but thankfully they can be removed. When asked what she used to remove grass stains from her son Walt’s baseball uniform, features editor Diana Dickinson recommended the Fels-Naptha laundry bar ($8, Amazon).
It is also recommended for poison ivy, but I haven’t tried it myself. When you have a stain in the lawn that won’t go away, try this product.
5. Take Notes with a Dry-Erase Marker
Use a gentle reminder to keep fragile goods safe. You can make a list of items that need to be taken out of the washer and dried in the air by using a dry-erase marker to write it right on the washing machine.
When done, just wipe clean. If you’re concerned about your notes getting smudged, you may also place a dry-erase board around your washing machine.
6. Do Not Dry Alert Items
Putting clothing in a jumper bag before throwing them in the wash is a simple laundry hack to keep them from shrinking. Karman Hotchkiss, a magazine editor, shares that she always puts items that need to be line-dried in a zipped jumper bag before placing them in the washing basket.
Because the bags stand out, I never have to worry that someone else would accidentally shrink a valuable garment in the wash.
7. Prevent Color Run
Try this trick to keep your colors from blending if you’re not the kind to wash your garments separately per hue. We recommend purchasing a pack of “Shout Colour Catchers” from Amazon for $9.
When the wash is complete, the color it has absorbed is clearly visible. I always tell my kids to throw one extra in the washer “just in case.”
8. Organise Your Socks
If you have a lot of trouble keeping track of socks, especially the tiny ones that kids sometimes wear, consider this laundry hack: store them in a mesh bag. Put your socks in a delicates bag before tossing them in the wash to prevent them from getting lost.
Put a mesh bag on the outside of each hamper and clip it on so that socks can be gathered as soon as they are taken off.
9. How to Quickly Dry Clothes
Shaking out extra water can help garments dry more quickly. Home editor Brian Kramer says, “When I transfer wet items from the washer to the dryer, I always give them a good shake.”
The fabric, according to Mom and Gramme, dries more quickly and with fewer creases after using this method. You can cut drying time in half by adding a dry towel to a load of wet laundry during the initial 15 minutes of the cycle.
10. Countertop Hamper
There are several options available besides hampers for collecting dirty clothing. According to the managing editor Oma Ford, she stores a basket on a shelf atop her kitchen island to use as a miniature hamper for her dish towels and cloth napkins.
This allows her to transport all of her dirty laundries at once to the washing machine. This clever tip for the laundry room helps to keep soiled kitchen towels neatly organized and streamlines the process of transporting them to the laundry area.
11. Install a Towel Bar
Towel racks are a practical way to put unused wall space to use, especially when drying off after a shower. Make sure it’s mounted at a decent height so that hanging clothes won’t result in splattered floors.
Metal is more durable and reliable than wood, and it won’t rot in the rain. Towels can be stored more efficiently on a rack with more than one tier.
12. Dry Cleaning at Home
Not all dry-clean-only items are truly dry-clean-only. “My aunt gave me Dryel, an at-home substitute for dry cleaning when I went off to college, and I’ve been a loyal customer ever since,” says Katy Kiick Condon, the editor of a home magazine.
Clothes can be dried in a dryer without wrinkles if they are placed in a 2 by 2-foot bag together with a damp Dryel sheet. The time and money you save by doing your own dry cleaning at home are substantial.
13. Cardboard Folding Techniques
Clothes can be folded in half the time with a helping hand. Create a cardboard template to get the youngsters engaged in the folding process. First, the template will assist in folding the sleeves in, and then the bottom of the shirt will be folded up.
There are lots of premade plastic ones available for purchase online if you’d rather not make your own.
14. Organize Your Hamper
Throwing dirty clothes into the same hamper increases the risk of accidentally washing them together. You can avoid this problem by using a hamper with separate sections. Darks, Lights, Jeans, Delicates, etc., can all be stored in their own designated areas.
15. Use Ice Cubes to Dewrinkle
Your clothing will get wrinkled if you leave them in the dryer for too long, and if you’re already running late, you won’t have time to iron them.
Instead, you may use this washing tip: To speed up the drying process, throw some ice cubes into the washer with the garments. Your garments will be free of wrinkles at this point.
