Laundry Tips

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I have been tempted many times to add up the number of hours that I spend doing laundry each week, but have decided that ignorance is bliss in this situation. With two very active boys, who like to jump in muddy puddles and play hard, and a husband who runs 70 miles per week, we never seem to be able to get ahead of the laundry pile. Along with the inordinate amount of time spent washing and folding soccer socks and running shorts, we are aware of the environmental impact washing and drying can have. Oh yeah, our bank account is not terribly appreciate either.

I will assume that all of you reading this know not to wash red socks with white pants, so I will stick to less known tips that either my mum taught me or I picked up through trial and error.

Turning and zipping
While it takes a little bit of extra time, turning clothes (not underwear and socks) inside out before washing helps to prevent fading and wear and tear on the fabric. Do up any zippers or hooks to prevent them from catching on other clothes in the washer.

Turn down the temperature
Use the coolest water possible to wash your clothes. Not only will this prevent clothes from fading and quickly (not to mention unwanted shrinking), but it will do wonders for your electric bill. Turning the dryer to low heat will give you the same benefits.

Dryer balls
We used to throw a dryer sheet in with every load. That is, until we discovered dryer balls. These little miracles are allergy-free, will help to reduce drying time, and are far better for the environment than dryer sheets. Each pair lasts for a couple of years.


Baby your delicates
Delicates, such as lingerie, can be protected by placing them in a mesh wash bag before being thrown in with the rest of the laundry. These bags will help to protect your bras and underwear from wearing out too quickly (saggy elastic is never a good thing) and being damaged in the wash.


Clean your washer
It is never good news when your son is yelling, "Mum, come quick. There's a flood!" That is what happened to us a couple of months ago when our washing machine overflowed, spilling gallons of water over our laundry room floor. When the repairman came, he discovered that the tube that clears the dirty water out of the washer was blocked. He was able to just blow the blockage out, but also gave me an invaluable tip. One time per month, use a washing machine cleaner, such as the ones made by Tide or Affresh. They can be found beside the detergents in your local supermarket. Of course, you could use vinegar to do the same job, but be prepared for a laundry room that smells like a pickling factory.
After using the washing machine cleaner, we noticed that our clothes smelled significantly fresher.

What are your tried and true laundry tips?

For laundry tips from 6 other bloggers, head to the BlogHer round-up page.

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