Do you ever feel that your life exists purely for you to wash, dry and iron clothes. Sometimes the humdrum of laundry can really get you down, so I have devised a system that really works for me. Of course what works for one, doesn’t necessarily work for everyone, but with these hints and tips I guarantee it will at least be easier!
Source : Home Designing
1. Right From The Start
Have THREE laundry baskets. Honestly this saves so much precious time. One each for whites, darks and coloured, then you just need to teach everyone to use them correctly! You can also buy cheaply, lots of small mesh bags, so that everyone in put either delicates or socks in them before they go into the washing machine.
2. A Place For Everything
Buy a caddy that lives near your washing machine, then you can place everything that you might need in it, to do your laundry. Include things like everyday detergent (bio and non-bio) handwash, fabric softener, and stain removers. Include a little pot to put all of those things you fish out of peoples pockets as well. I also have a tub for all of those rogue socks, ready to pair up with their long-lost pals!
3. Organisation!
For me, I have one day for the bedding, and two days for the clothing and towels each week. I then can blitz these things, and make sure they are completed by the end of each of the three days. I have two girls, and they both wear school uniform so I perhaps don’t have as much laundry as some families, but the assigning of a routine, is the thing that helps me. Monday for example is bedding day, Wednesday and Friday is for clothing and towels. This is also a good article about easy to follow routines if you are looking for more laundry routine inspiration.
4. Hangers & Folding
It’s so simple, but make sure you have a bag or rail of hangers, so that things that don’t need drying, or are tricky to iron just go straight onto a hanger. I sometimes (in summer) then peg these onto the line, ironing is not my favourite job so this can really help let the creases drop with little effort. If you are lucky enough to have a utility/laundry room, try to leave enough surface space to have a clear area to fold and sort clothing too.
5. Notebook and Pen
I write myself notes sometimes when I put a wash on, so I always have a note-book and pen in my laundry room. You could even use a magnetised one, and put it directly on your washer. I do this as a reminder, so if I have bras or other items that I can’t tumble dry in that wash I jot them down, as I put them in the washing machine. Leaving the pad open, I take a quick look as I empty the load. This has saved my bacon lots of times!
6. Care Labels
A quick search on google, and you can print off a guide to care labels, and I don’t know about you but sometimes on a new article of clothing I am flummoxed how to wash something and can’t fathom the icon they have used. So I now have the guide ready to hand.
7. Tricks
There are lots of these, but the main ones I use all the time are…
- Wash dark clothing inside out, so they fade less.
- Check the drum each time for anything that may have gotten loose or fallen out of someone’s pocket.
- Wipe the door and seal, againchecking nothing has fallen or gotten trapped.
- Find out how to clean your washing machine. Mine has a self clean mode, but there are natural ways to clean your machine, and its essential for it to work efficiently.
- Adding a dry towel to your wet laundry whilst it is in the dryer will cut down on the drying time.
- Pretreat stains if you spot them before you put them in the wash.
- As I fold the dried laundry, I sort into piles for each family member. Saves me so much time!
- Single bedding once dried and ironed, I keep all together in a pillowcase. So it easy to store with the matching set together.
- Brilliant whites : Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 1/4 cup baking soda to your white wash together with your regular detergent.
So these are my top 7 laundry tips, do you have any you would like to add?
This is a Collaborative Post.
Ashley Beolens says
Some great advice there, it is so easy to become bogged down with the humdrum of washing, especially with a family.