Busy mums, on-the-go business men, penny-short students – all of us need to do the laundry. The problem is, none of us want to spend hours sorting colours from whites, waiting at home bored for the washing machine to stop… it’s a drag.
Thankfully there are ways that you can make your laundry life a whole lot easier. Here at Love 2 Laundry we have scoured the web, spoke to colleagues, and watched a tonne of boring Youtube videos to find laundry hacks that’ll save you money so you don’t have to (you can thank us later).
So keep on reading and find out exactly how to spend less time doing the laundry and more time doing the things you love.
(Read all the way to the end to learn about the ultimate laundry hack)
Wash
Dry
Save Money
Save Time
Remove Stains
Bonus Hacks
Wash
Keep your towels soft
The older your towel, the crunchier it feels. To help keep them brand-new soft put them through two cycles. The first should be a cycle with hot water and one cup of white vinegar. The second with hot water and a cup of baking soda. It should help get rid of any residue on them.
Brighten colours and whiten whites
It might sound a little odd, but adding half a cup of salt to your wash can kick it into over drive. It’ll help brighten colours and make whites whiter.
Remove wrinkles with ice
Want to help difficult to iron shirts get rid of wrinkles early? Throw a few ice cubes into the dryer and put it on the hottest setting. This should help remove winkles. Just don’t overfill the dryer!
Put your Tupperware to use
If you don’t fancy hand washing the delicates use Tupperware or plastic containers. Put some cold water in there, some soft detergent, and the clothing. Shake it up and then remove. Then do the same but this time with vinegar and then a final third shake-up using plain water.
Use vinegar to soften your clothes
Pour a quarter cup of vinegar in with your detergent and set it to cycle. This should help soften up your clothes.
Remove bad odour from your jeans
Okay, so you don’t want to put your favourite black skinny jeans through the wash. It’ll fade them and make them super stiff and uncomfortable to wear. But did you know that the more we wear a pair of jeans, the more bacteria from our skin they pick up. Which can cause a pretty nasty smell. To get rid of that bad odour without washing them, put them in a zip lock bag and freeze them. This lower temp will kill off the bacteria.
Goodbye armpit stains
Armpit stains are a sad fact of life. On a hot summers day your lovely white tees can yellow in the pits as your sweat it out on public transport or walking across the city. Thankfully, there’s a simple way to get rid of them. Squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the stain along with some water then let the shirt dry in the sun.
Keep your trainers quiet
Planning on washing your trainers in the washing machine but don’t want to have to deal with the noise they make banging about the in the drum? Tie the shoe laces together and trap them in the washing machine door when you shut it. Or, place them in an old pillowcase and throw a towel in with the cycle!
Dry
Fluff up your pillows & towels
Got a tube of tennis balls lying in the garage that have never been used? Chuck them in the dryer (clean!) when you’re drying towels, pillows, or duvets. It should help fluff them up.
Dry clothes quicker
In a rush and need to get your clothes dry as quick as possible? Besides sitting there with a hairdryer, try putting a dry towel in with the load. This should help soak up excess water and assist in drying the clothes faster than usual.
Don’t buy dryer sheets
Find yourself spending more than you’d like to on dryer sheets to remove static? Don’t bother. Screw up a ball of tin foil nice and tight and place it in your dryer.
Collapsible drying rack
Not all clothes can just be chucked into the dryer. But you live in an apartment leaving next to no room to hang wet, clean clothes up. There are plenty of collapsible drying racks out there that can be wall mounted. We recommend installing one in your shower! The water will drip and drain away and it’s well out of the way and isn’t creating an eye sore for the rest of the home!
Save Money
Removing grease stains
Who doesn’t love greasy food? Especially after a night on the town. If you manage to spill some of those greasy goods onto your clothes, the best thing to do before putting them in the wash is to rub chalk onto the area that’s stained. That should help absorb all the oil. Baby powder should work similar wonders, too.
Fading black jeans
Own a favourite pair of black jeans? Are they starting to fade but you can’t face the thought of throwing them away? Chuck two cups of tea to your rinse cycle (yes, really!) and it should help them retain their colour for a little longer. A cup of black coffee should do the same.
Money saving
This is one of our favourites. How often, when you’re emptying clothes jean/trouser pockets before putting them in the wash, do you find lose change? We imagine quite a lot! Keep a jar or money pig in the laundry room. Every time you pull out some coppers (or some of those juicy pound coins) drop them in your change jar! It’ll fill up in no time.
Un-shrink your clothes
Don’t you hate it when your favourite t-shirt shrinks? You could walk around pretending that it’s a new style. Or you could fix it. Add some lukewarm water to a bowl and some hair conditioner. Leave the shirt in for 5-10 minutes and then stretch it back out!
Save Time
Family laundry boxes
If you’re the designated laundry-lackey in the house you’ll know how hard it is to keep track of whose clothes are whose. Give each person in the house their own laundry basket and then everything can be separated out with ease.
Underwear drying
Got a hot tinder date and need to wash and dry your best underwear quick? Chuck them in the salad spinner!
Know your colours from your whites
Sick of coloured items sneaking their way into your white wash? Here’s a trick: buy four cheap laundry baskets. Have one for whites, one for darks, one for brights, and one for everything else. Sure, it’ll take up a little more room but it’ll guarantee that you don’t end up mixing your washes!
Remove Stains
Remove wine stains
So you had a few too many wines at the wedding and spilt a little (read ‘a lot’) of red wine on your suit shirt. Know this: it needs to be treated immediately, so if you’ve waited to deal with it alongside your hangover you’re going to need another trick. As soon as you spill the wine put some salt, soda, milk, or cat litter onto your shirt.
Chewing gum emergencies
Ever sat in gum? Got it stuck to your coat? To the carpet? If so, you’ll know how difficult it is to remove. Well there’s one super simple way to get it off your clothes. Rub peanut butter onto the gum and then gently remove it off the surface of your clothing.
Ink Stains
Got kids at school? Always dropping a pen on your crisp white shirt in meetings? Ink stains are difficult to remove on your standard wash. To get rid of them, get some hairspray and some hand sanitizer on there, give it ten minutes then bung them in the wash. Problem solved.
Blood stain removal
Young children are always picking up a few cuts and bruises. It’s part of growing up! But removing a little bit of blood from their jeans, shorts, or shirts can be a headache. A good way to remove it is too pour some of your detergent on the area straight away and then rinse with cold water. Then throw it in the wash and it should be clean as a whistle.
Bonus Hacks
Clean your washing machine
Pretty much all of our tips are based on cleaning your clothes, but what about the poor washing machine that does most of the leg work? That needs some love and attention, too. Pour some baking soda and vinegar into the drum with nothing else and put it through a cycle. This should help clear off any grime that’s got stuck in there.
Clean your iron
Your iron is probably one of the most used tools in the home. That constant use means that it can quickly become dirty. To clean it, lay some dryer sheets flat out on your ironing board. Turn your iron on the lowest heat setting and then slowly and gently rub your iron over it. The dryer sheet should help clear off some of the grime from the iron itself
Don’t do it
Laundry can be a lot of work and if you lead a busy lifestyle, work wise & socially, it’s difficult to find time to do it. Love 2 Laundry help thousands of customers across London get to the bottom of that laundry pile at some of the most competitive prices out there. Learn more about our app here.
