There’s nothing quite like putting on fresh sweatpants, a pair of socks, or slipping under those fragrant bed covers straight out of the clean laundry, right? While the love for pure fabric is never-ending, most of us still end up dreading the laundry day.
There’s no avoiding laundry unless you’re uber-rich and can afford to hire a personal dry cleaner.
However, if a personal dry cleaner is still out of the budget, here are some awesome laundry hacks that can make washing clothes a lot simpler for you!
1. Organization is the Key
If you are living on your own for the first time and panic-searching how to wash clothes on Google, you need to begin with proper organization. Make a laundry schedule, separate your clothes into different categories based on colour and texture and figure out what time works best for you. Keep a laundry basket so that you don’t have to search for your clothing items at the last moment.
Don’t forget to check the pockets for coins, unzip the zippers and remove extra buttons or accessories.
2. Keep the Washer Spotless
Just like any other device, your washing machine also needs regular cleaning. Sounds weird, right? After all, why do we need to clean a machine that’s made to clean? Unfortunately, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. With time, your machine accumulates all the grime and impurities from washing clothes.
Read the instructions on the user’s manual or call up the company’s service centre. Then, take care of your things, and they’ll return the favour!
3. Get Rid of the Stains
Remember when you dropped curry over your white pants and let it sit for days? Or when your kids dropped the sauce all over your new sofa cover? Stains need separate washing treatment before you throw them in the dryer. You can choose from the several sticks or spray-stain cleaners available in the market. Make sure that you don’t let it dry and put it in the wash.
DIY Tip: If you end up with grease or makeup stains, try sprinkling some baking soda and finish it with a few drops of white vinegar. Leave for a while and wash the garment normally.
4. Separate the Colours
Remember when the nasty bright pink coloured blouse stained all your white school uniforms? To avoid any such incident, segregate the light-coloured and dark-coloured clothes in a different pile. Then, wash those piles separately to prevent any unwanted colour transfer. Also, try separating delicate clothes from heavy ones like a towel rag or denim.
You can also use colour catchers available in the market. They trap any extra dye and make sure it doesn’t stick to other clothes.
5. Separate Light and Heavy Clothes
Not just the colours but the weight of the fabric should also be considered when sorting clothes for laundry. Your washing cycle highly depends on the type of the fabric. Washing delicate or thin clothes like a t-shirt with several pairs of heavy cotton pants in a washing machine can possibly damage the former one, as heavy weight clothes require more time to get cleaned.
Also, heavy fabric soaks up more water than the light ones, so they obviously do not dry at the same rate. Separate your laundry by weight to ensure proper cleaning and fabric longevity.
6. Don’t let the Woollens Shrink.
Missing your favourite comfy throw blanket or a cashmere sweater that ended up as a victim of post-washing shrinkage? Most woollens tend to shrink when the water is too hot or the spinning action too harsh.
It is better to separate your woollen or other fabrics and wash them in the appropriate setting. You can also choose to hand wash these fabrics in the sink after doing a patch test to ensure that the detergent isn’t too strong.
If you accidentally wash a woollen with the regular pile, rewash it and stretch it a little.
7. Avoid the Wrinkles
If you are on a strict schedule, washing clothes can be a daunting task. However, you don’t need the stress of extra creases and wrinkles to get rid of. Also, ironing your clothes can be a lot easier if your clothes aren’t all mushed up together.
Ensure that you don’t leave the clothes in the dryer for a long time. As soon as they dry, make neat folds and keep them in the cupboards. You can use cardboard templates for folding your clothes quickly.
Tip – If you end up leaving your clothes in the dryer for a long time, add a wet towel and spin it again. If you are using a tumble dryer, add some ice cubes along with the dry clothes.
8. Watch the Detergent Quantity
If you are wondering how to wash clothes efficiently, we’ve got a revelation for you. Less Is More. Yes, we are talking about detergent. Even though you might think that adding more soap will speed up the washing process for your clothes, it is not necessarily true. Adding more detergent means that your clothes need more time to rinse. By limiting the detergent quantity, your clothes will look fresh, with the first rinse, which not only gives your clothes a longer life span, but also saves time and a lot of water wastage.
9. Utilize the Sun
Do you feel like your white shirts are losing their original shine over time? Make sure to dry anything white in the sunshine. Sun acts as a natural bleach and even works on stains. As a result, your clothes will end up drying faster with a fresh scent.
- Involve the Kids
How to wash clothes is an essential skill that every growing kid needs to learn. Delegate the tasks and remember to check upon them. Your kids can most definitely manage a laundry basket, pair their socks, or even take the clothes out of the dryer.
You can also make washing clothes a fun activity by keeping score and making it seem like a game. Play some music, add some snacks and let the other members of the family be equally involved. After all, your strength lies in unity.
Bonus Hack – Remember not to waste half of your laundry day searching for missing socks!
Remember – it’s all about proper management! No matter how hard you try, you will end up missing a couple of points and find yourselves in a bind. First, however, ensure that you don’t skip laundry days often. Second, try doing laundry regularly instead of waiting for the weekend. Smaller piles are easier to tackle.
Overall, laundry isn’t something you should dread. On the contrary, if done correctly, it will save you a lot of money by protecting your clothes and keeping them in good condition for a longer period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: How to treat gym clothes that smell bad?
For washing any gym or athletic wear, you can add a dash of white vinegar and sink them for a couple of hours. Then, you can wash them usually.
Question 2: How to ensure that sweaters don’t get deformed?
Wash all your woollens separately, and once you are ready to put them in the cupboard, don’t hang them like you’d do your shirts. Instead, fold nicely and keep them on the shelf.
Sweaters are heavy, and when they’re left hanging for a long time, the neck and bottom can get deformed due to gravity!
Question 3 – What to do in the absence of a laundry basket?
If you don’t have a laundry basket, try wrapping all your clothes into different towels to create separate stacks.
