10 Simple Tips to Speed Up Laundry Day and Save Money
Tackling that growing pile of dirty clothes doesn’t have to be a dreaded task. With a few clever tips, you can make laundry day faster, more efficient, and maybe even more enjoyable. White lightening and remove stubborn stains to finally put an end to these missing socks and reducing your utility bill, these laundry hacks will leave your clothes looking their best and your laundry room running smoother than ever.
1. Make your laundry smell good without dryer sheets
We like to use softener sheets for all types of domestic usesbut we somehow use them too much in the dryer because they can create a sticky film that covers the lint trap and exhaust pipe, blocking air flow. Ultimately, the dryer works less efficiently and you use more electricity to dry your clothes.
If static cling isn’t an issue, a drop or two of your favorite essential oil is a much simpler, customizable, and eco-friendly way to make your laundry smell great. Dampen a clean old sock and dab it with two drops of rose, lavender, or peppermint extract, then turn it inside out and throw it in the dryer with the rest of your clothes. The oil will only leave residue on the sock, not on your clothes or the lint trap.
We love experimenting with Plant Therapy oils and customizing them by mixing and matching their extract combinations.
2. Put the foil in the dryer
If you’re having issues with static cling, there is another option other than single-use dryer sheets and you probably already have some at home.
To control static electricity in the dryer, simply add a few balls of aluminum foil. The balls eliminate static buildup, preventing your clothes from sticking together. They contain no chemicals and the same dryer balls can be reused dozens of times.
Aluminum dryer balls can prevent static electricity in the dryer.
Depending on the size of the load, you will need two or three balls of aluminum foil, each measuring between 2 and 3 inches in diameter. Use about 3 or 4 square feet of foil for each ball, compressing it as tightly as possible with your hands and making sure to press down on any pieces that might catch on clothing or unravel the ball.
3. Never lose a sock again
Don’t resign yourself to ending up with unmatched socks. Simply gather all your dirty socks and throw them into a mesh laundry bag before putting them in the washing machine.
Never leave a sock behind again.
Keep them in the bag when you dry them and only remove the socks when you put them away. It’s a foolproof method to ensure you don’t leave any socks behind.
4. Add a little blue to whiten your filler
Adding a light blue dye to a load of whites can actually make items whiter.
If you want your whites to be ultra-white, try going blue. The blue tint—sold under the names bluing, laundry blue, cart blue, or wash blue—can be found in most grocery store laundry aisles and adds a bit of blue dye to a load of laundry.
Ms. Stewart’s concentrated liquid bluing is one of the most popular brands and dates back to 1883.
Now, it’s not like accidentally dropping a red towel into a white load: adding a slight touch of blue tricks the eye into thinking the laundry is whiter and brighter.
Blueing is a great way to brighten up yellowed sheets, towels, button-down shirts and even curtains.
Bonus tip: Hanging white laundry in the sun to dry can whiten it naturally without dye.
5. Flip this top inside out
Keep your favorite little black dress or distressed jeans from fading by simply turning them inside out before tossing them in the washer. This ensures that the part that no one will see will be more abraded by wash, spin and rinse cycles than the exterior.
Pro tip: To keep your dark hair vibrant, wash it in cold water and hang it to dry. This will set the dye on the fabric, so it won’t bleed in the wash water and fade.
Learn more: Tips to Keep Your Clothes From Fading
6. Restore a Shrunken Sweater with Baby Shampoo
In the rush to do laundry, we’ve all accidentally thrown a favorite wool sweater into the washer or dryer — only to discover that it turns out four sizes too small.
You can always save that shrunken sweater.
Don’t send it to Goodwill just yet. Mix a solution of cold water and baby shampoo (or conditioner) in a bucket or sink and submerge the shrunken item of clothing for at least 30 minutes. The shampoo will relax the wool fibers, allowing you to (gently) stretch the garment back to its original size.
This is not a foolproof method, however: if the fibers are fully felted (i.e. shrunk and tightly glued together), they cannot be stretched back to their original shape.
7. Dry clothes faster with a clean towel
Turning up the heat on the dryer will help your clothes dry faster, of course. But the more heat you use, the faster your clothes will shrink and wear out. And higher heat uses more electricity.
If you need to dry something in a hurry, especially a small load, add dry bath towels to the load to absorb some of the moisture. It can also help you reduce your pesky electricity bill if you do it often.
8. Use chalk or shaving cream as a stain remover
A grease stain can look like a fatal wound to a beloved blouse or t-shirt. But if you rub a little chalk on the stain when it appears, it will absorb much of the oil before you have a chance to toss the item in the laundry. It’s like having your own homemade Tide pen.
Shaving cream is great for removing stains if you’re on the go.
If you don’t have chalk, baby powder works in much the same way: sprinkle talcum powder directly on the affected area and let it sit overnight before washing it off.
Shaving cream is another great medicine cabinet stain remover, especially if you’re traveling and short on supplies. Apply a dollop to the stain, let it sit for at least 20 or 30 minutes, then blot it.
9. Use ice cubes to remove wrinkles
Don’t have the time or patience to iron? Remove wrinkles from your favorite shirt by tossing it in the tumble dryer with a handful of ice cubes and run the tumble setting on high for about 12 to 15 minutes. The steam from the melted ice cubes acts as a natural anti-wrinkle.
The ice cubes melt in the dryer, acting as a natural wrinkle remover for clothes.
Once the cycle is complete, hang it up and smooth the cuff, collar and seams by hand.
You can also throw a wrinkled item or two in the dryer with a damp bath towel and set the timer for five minutes over medium heat.
The important thing, whatever the trick, is to remove the garment immediately, otherwise it will wrinkle again:
10. Wash your pillows to make them even softer
To wash a synthetic pillow, put it in the machine alone with detergent and fabric softener. Set your washer to the “sanitize” setting – or the hottest wash cycle and fastest spin cycle available.
At the end of the cycle, put the pillow and a clean bath towel in the dryer and set it for 30 minutes on sanitize mode or the highest heat setting possible. If it’s still damp, put it back and select wet-dry mode or set the timer for another 10 minutes. If it’s still not dry, run the dryer again, but check it frequently.
Yes, you can put your pillows in the washing machine and dryer.
To wash a down pillow, remove the cover and make sure there are no obvious tears that could allow the feathers to escape. It’s actually best to wash pillows two at a time (to balance the washer tub) and load them vertically to avoid damage from the agitator.
Wash on the delicate cycle using less detergent than usual and run additional rinse and spin cycles to squeeze out as much soap and moisture as possible. Warm or even cold water will do less damage to the pillow feathers than a high temperature setting.
Dry the pillows on low heat, or no heat, for 15 or 20 minutes. It may take more than one cycle, but be sure to take them out of the dryer and fluff them between cycles.
