(Umm.. no cats in the machine, okay? Source)
Would you believe that I actually enjoy laundry?
Call me crazy, but since I don’t do much in laundry, I like folding it, putting it away, ironing shirts.
Don’t start care packaging laundry to me. That was NOT an invitation.
Ahem.
What makes it more fun for me, is mindless work. I don’t have to think, write, type or do anything except make sure something looks clean and smooth.
I throw on my Pink Apple Shuffle, clip it to myself and dance around the apartment while fluffing towels (yeah, I’ll bet you have a really great image of that in your head now right?)
But here are some of my favourite laundry To Dos.
I always prep everything
I check all the pockets for missed tissues, papers, pens, coins, handkerchiefs.
I zip up the pants because if they are unzipped, the washer actually wears down the zipper and twists it beyond recognition which makes it hellish to zip up properly later, resulting in frustrating “ARRGH! Why are you stuck you sonofa#&$^@ ……***cue ripping noise“.
You know what I mean.
I also turn what I don’t want to fade in the wash inside out, and I pre-treat stains before they set and before tossing them in the laundry bin.
For everything that has to be dryer-free
I sling it on my back, head upstairs and immediately hang them to dry in the bathroom.
Why the bathroom? Because I don’t have a laundry room with a nicely installed bar to hang my clothes on, nor a clothes rack.
The bathroom is the cheapest, easiest option, apart from your closet which may or may not be overflowing with clothes to begin with
If you want to wash something that you don’t want to get lost…
Safety pin it. It’s the easiest, safest way to make sure that the shoelaces you are finally getting around to washing, don’t get tangled in the wash.
2 safety pins, one on either end of the shoelace, pinned to a towel. Comes out untangled, loose, and clean.
I use cold water for everything BUT whites
Never mind this sorting by darks, lights and whites. Everything goes into cold except for whites, which include towels (kitchen and bathroom), bedsheets, pillowcases and other items that require hot water washing.
It makes things a lot easier. Then I toss it all in the same dryer and let ‘er rip. (Source of Yellow Shoe Laundry)
Wash delicates by hand
“Seriously, FB?!”
Yes, seriously. I don’t have many lacy, delicate things that need to be handwashed, as per my shopping rule of:
No dryclean only items, No delicate handwash only items and Nothing that requires much work.
But I do have a couple of items that I just quickly run under water and scrub. Then I squeeze without wringing the item and let it dry on a towel.
Don’t let the item get bent out of its shape. Wool sweaters are notorious for this, which is why I only own one and mysteriously shrank the rest.
Throw some tennis balls in for good measure
In the dryer that is. 2 or 3 clean tennis balls, throw them in to keep items from being tangled up with each other, and to absorb the water (they’re really absorbent).
It helps cut down on the drying time, especially when you have thick heavy towels.
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In an effort to decrease the number of loads of laundry, we have implimented a very successful strategy:
the vast majority of our weekly wash is made up of essentials like socks, undershirts…When those items go on sale for a killer price, we stock up. For example, my husband uses a undershirt 6 days a week- we banished all of his old ones to the rag bin and purchased 24 new ones. He wears a new1 each day for 4 weeks before I have to do a TShirt load. We also use this tactic for all other essentials. This reduces the wear and tear on each piece of clothing and has dropped the number of loads I do each month by 70%. Another benefit is we have not had to replace these items very often because they are only being worn and washed a couple dozen times a year!!
I love to do laundry…sounds like a secret fetish…nope! My mom taught me the "right" way to wash/fold, etc…I got teased in college when I would do my laundry, my roomies used to say my laundry looked like a magazine ad or commercial. I just feel I work hard for the $$ that buys my clothes, why not take care of them? I love your insights & tips….all are great! Haven't tried the tennis balls…do I have to buy a certain color so the dye on the balls won't bleed onto the fabric?
One of my personal favorites is using "20 Mule Team Borax"….cheap & a great product…especially for whites, bed lines & towels…gives it that extra punch & is cheaper than the "oxy" cleaners. However, just tried the new Tide Stain Release (had a $3off Q & it was on sale)…love it!! Really did wonders….will consider using it again. I'm a fluff & hang girl…also use a lingere bag for alot of my clothing..lingere, workout clothing. Also love the new Tide Sport (really does a great job on those "smelly" clothes…
I do pretty much all of the above, but might take it a bit further. I turn everything inside out, so that the washing machine wear hits all the parts of my clothing that aren't visible. I don't wash delicates by hand; instead I throw them into the zip-up delicates bags and wash them with everything else. I hang dry everything except linens, pj's, gym clothes, and anything I want to shrink. I also use a folding drying rack to dry clothes as I would never have enough room in my bathroom. I've been doing this for years and it really helps extend the life of my clothes!
Thanks to your blog I also no longer dry clean items! I live in 3-story house converted into 3-family apartments & we have to pay for our laundry. It's only $1.50 US compared to $1.75-$2.50US at laundromats- but it still adds up!
I wash all of my delicates on cold and use the same "sling over the shoulder" method to carry them back upstairs if they don't go in the dryer- but we luckily have a very long bannisters along our hallways that make for great drying racks.
I like the idea of tennis balls; Right now anything that isn't completely dry when I take it out of the dryer usually just gets hung over the bannister. I never put more money into the dryer unless for some reason the towels are damp- i think i will need to invest in tennis balls because they sound handy!
It's not so much a tip, but I always have to remind myself that folding laundry is totally mindless and is the perfect thing to do when I'm watching TV or something. Sorting through folded laundry – even if it doesn't make it into the drawers – is much easier than searching through the wrinkled basket of unfolded!
Wow, I didn't know that about the tennis balls. Good tip that I'll try to start using!
I do almost everything you do, except my boys seem to change their clothes a million times a day!
Some things I do are to use vinegar in a Downy ball instead of fabric softener, and use less detergent than recommended.
Using tennis balls sounds like a great idea! Perfect for those loads of jeans that never seem to dry!
And I thought I was weird coz I like folding clothes… I find that watching a movie while doing the laundry makes it seem less of a chore. thanks for the tennis ball tip.
I love doing laundry too! lol…
I've never tried the tennis ball thing because I thought it was a sham idea, but I will give it a try one day…
I wear a lot of black clothes, at least one black item every single day (it's bad, i know!) so most of those never go into the dryer. I hang them up in the bathroom, too, though I wish I had a bigger space instead of my studio so I could get a rack and hang them around.
I have very few white items. I could wash them by hand, but usually I toss them in with a "lighter" colored load (pastels) and hope they don't get too dingy, but that's not working so well.
Huh. I've heard a lot of laundry tricks in my day but NEVER the tennis ball one. Interesting!
OH I absolutely HATE sorting! If I was to sort everything according to the label exactly, I'd have like 5 or 6 small loads. One white, one dark, one bright colours (wash with like colours – think yellows AND blues), one gentle cycle and one towels/heavily soiled. I still am weary about washing my bright yellow top with my dark jeans or whatever because even in cold water I feel like it still WILL fade. I end up doing a load with darks and anything bright blue/purple and another load of whites and another of bright colours – pinks, yellows, oranges (yes I'm a very colourful person) and sometimes a load just for bras and undies on gentle.
I have one of these really cool hangers that has a circle on it and 10-15 close-pin clips that I use to hang dry my undies and I can use the top of the clip to hang the slingshots, as my mom likes to refer to them. I also printed out a handy dandy laundry symbols chart to hang right above where I do laundry (at home): http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VpobUbWJFNQ/SHu2S9-85KI… which really comes in handy!
And my best tip of all: you know those Nellie's Dryer Balls? http://applecheeks.com/shop/images/T/NelliesDryer… they work like your tennis balls do but I found some no name ones at Dollarama for $1.25! Can't beat it!
Dude, that's great laundry advice. I'd never heard the tip about safety-pinning tangly things to towels before — genius. And the tennis balls tip! I love it!
Excellent—I'm glad to see that you don't separate the laundry either. I do not and my mother in law completely frowned on me for it the other day . . .and you know what? I DO NOT CARE. I intend to keep up with my laundering ways.
Ok, mini rant over. I should try the tennis balls sometime–does it make a thumping noise in the machine?
Enjoyed the post.
And absolutely, don't forget the baking soda. They add the freshness that you need. I have a couple of items that when worn close to the body, can irritate me if not rinsed well enough. For those, I wash with a wee/tad/drop of detergent and a nice heaping scoop of baking soda. I buy it in bulk and keep it next to the machine and goes in every wash! Also, a spray bottle with a vinegar and water mix for smells. Socks, workout clothes, etc…(test the fabric first). For air drying, you can pick up a wooden rack for less than $10 in a Walmart. Helps to keep the bathroom clear and the closed space isn't best for faster drying.
Ditto on the prep, pre-treat and cold for everything that isn't white.
Tennis balls huh? That's a new one. Might try it soon.