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Doing laundry doesn’t have to be the worst part of your day. This may be one of the most dreaded chores on your list, but there are ways to do it with your help washing machine something you really look forward to. With a few clever tricks, you can make your clothes look cleaner, brighter and fresher than ever, and solve a few frustrating problems while doing it. It’s time to say goodbye to missing socks, stubborn stains and faded white clothes once and for all.
The 10 tips below can also help you save some time and money while doing laundry—or at least simplify and streamline your laundry.
For more laundry tricks, check out the tips on how to kill mold in your washing machine, energy saving ways for laundry and how to stop liquid detergent from spilling everywhere.
1. Make your laundry smell great without dryer sheets
We love to use dryer sheets for all household purposes, but we’re kind of done with using them in the dryer: they can create a sticky film that coats the lint trap and drain hose, blocking airflow. Ultimately, the dryer runs less efficiently and you use more electricity to dry your clothes.
If static cling isn’t a problem, a drop or two of your favorite essential oil is a much easier, customizable and eco-friendly way to make your laundry smell great. Wet an old, clean sock and put two drops of rose, lavender or peppermint extract on it, then turn it inside out and toss it in the dryer with the rest of your clothes. The oil will only leave residue on the sock, not on your clothes or lint trap.
We love to experiment with Plant Therapy oils and customize by mixing and matching their extract combinations.
2. Place foil in the dryer
If you have problems with static cling, you don’t have to resort to dryer sheets just yet. They are disposable products that produce excess waste and release potentially harmful chemicals in the air.
Just to tame the static in the dryer toss a few balls of aluminum foil. The balls release built-up static electricity, preventing your clothes from sticking together. They are chemical free and the same dryer balls can be reused dozens of times.
Tumble dryer balls can prevent static electricity in the dryer.
Depending on the size of the load, you will need two or three foil balls, each between 2 and 3 inches in diameter. Use approximately 3 or 4 square feet of foil for each ball, pressing it as tightly as you can with your hands, making sure to press down any pieces that might catch on clothing or unfasten the ball.
3. Never lose a sock again
Don’t settle for ending up with mismatched socks. Simply collect all your dirty socks and throw them into a mesh laundry bag before putting them in the washing machine.
Never leave a sock out again.
Keep them in the sack when drying them and remove the socks only when putting them away. This is a foolproof method of not leaving a sock.
4. Add some blue to the white of your cargo
Adding a light blue dye to very white items can actually make things appear whiter.
If you want your whites to be super white, try blue. The blue shade—sold as blue, laundry blue, doll blue, or laundry blue—can be found in most grocery store laundry aisles and adds a little blue dye to the laundry.
Mrs. Stewart’s concentrated liquid bluing is one of the most popular brands and dates across the board back to 1883.
Now, this isn’t like accidentally dropping a red washcloth into a white load: Adding a light touch of blue tricks the eye into thinking the wash is whiter and brighter.
Bluing is a great way to brighten up bedding, towels, button-down shirts, and even yellowed curtains.
Bonus tip: Hanging white laundry out in the sun to dry can bleach it naturally without dyes.
5. Turn the top inside out
Keep your favorite little black dress or frayed jeans from fading by simply turning them inside out before tossing them in the washing machine. This ensures that the part no one will see gets more abrasion from the wash, spin and rinse cycles than the outside.
Pro tip: To keep your dark clothes vibrant, wash them in cold water and hang them to dry. This will fix the dye on the fabric so it doesn’t run into the wash water and fade.
Read more: Tips to protect your clothes from bleaching
6. Restore a shrunken sweater with baby shampoo
In the rush to do the laundry, we’ve all accidentally thrown a favorite wool sweater into the washer or dryer—only to find it came out four sizes smaller.
You can still save that shrunken sweater.
Don’t send it to Goodwill yet. Mix a solution of lukewarm water and baby shampoo—or hair conditioner—in a bucket or sink and submerge the shrunk garment for at least 30 minutes. The shampoo will relax the wool fibers, allowing you to (gently) stretch the garment back to its original size.
However, this is not a reliable method: if the fibers are fully matted (ie curled and tightly smoothed together), they cannot be stretched back to their original form.
6. Dry clothes faster with a clean towel
Turning up the heat on the dryer will make your clothes dry faster, of course. But the more heat you use, the faster your clothes will shrink and wear out. And higher heat uses more electricity.
If you need to dry something in a hurry – especially a smaller load – add a few dry bath towels to the load to absorb some of the moisture.
7. Use chalk or shaving cream as a stain remover
A grease stain can feel like a mortal wound to a favorite blouse or t-shirt. But if you rub some chalk on the stain when it appears, it will absorb a lot of oil before you have a chance to throw the item in the wash. It’s like having your own Tide pen at home.
Shaving cream is great for removing blemishes if you’re on the go.
If you don’t have chalk, baby powder works in much the same way: sprinkle talcum powder directly on the affected area and let it sit overnight before washing.
Shaving cream is another great stain remover from your medicine cabinet, especially if you’re traveling and short on supplies. Dab a generous amount onto the blemish, let it sit for at least 20 or 30 minutes, then blot it off.
8. Use ice cubes to remove wrinkles
No time or patience to iron? Remove wrinkles from your favorite dress by throwing it in dryer with a handful of ice cubes and running the drum on high for about 12-15 minutes. The steam from the melting ice cubes acts as a natural wrinkle remover.
The ice cubes melt in the dryer, acting as a natural steamer for clothes.
When the cycle is complete, hang it up and iron the cuff, collar and seams by hand.
You can also throw a wrinkled item or two in the dryer with a damp bath towel and set the timer for five minutes on medium heat.
The important thing about both tips is to remove the garment immediately or it will simply wrinkle again:
9. Wash your pillows to make them even fluffier
To wash a synthetic pillow, toss it in the machine alone with detergent and a little fabric softener. Set your washing machine to the “sanitize” setting – or the hottest wash cycle and fastest spin cycle available.
When the cycle is complete, place the pillow and clean bath towel in the dryer and run it for 30 minutes on the sanitizing mode or on the highest possible heat setting. If it’s still wet, put it back in and select wet-dry mode or set the timer for another 10 minutes. If it’s still not dry, run the dryer again, but check it often.
Yes you i can run your pillows through the washer and dryer.
To wash a down pillow, remove the cover and make sure there are no visible tears that would allow the feathers to escape. In fact, it’s better to wash down pillows two at a time (for balancing the washing machine tub) and load them vertically to avoid damage from the agitator.
Wash on the delicate cycle, using less detergent than usual and run extra rinse and spin cycles to squeeze out as much soap and moisture as possible. Warm or even cold water will do less damage to the feathers in the pillow than a high heat setting.
Dry the pillows on low or even no heat for 15 or 20 minutes. It may take more than one cycle, but be sure to take them out of the dryer and stir them between cycles.
10. Double your dryer sheet
If you plan to purchase and use dryer sheets, there is an easy way to stretch them further. Instead of watching your supply disappear after a few weeks, you can use the same box for twice as long by cutting each sheet in half.
A single load of laundry does not require an entire sheet. Cut each in half and toss one half with each smaller load. You’ll still get the same amount of freshness without wasting money on something you’re literally throwing away.
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