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I often don't have time to separate laundry. No, that's not quite true, I often don't care enough to separate laundry (LOL) and I have a feeling that I'm not alone in my 'sloth'. Actually, it works out well for me.
If your washing machine does not have an alarm that sounds when it is finished, set the kitchen timer after starting the wash load to remind yourself it is done.
Have you or your kids ever added too much laundry detergent to your washing machine, and found that the bubbles were beginning to overflow?
I have several pairs of lounge pants that have both elastic and a drawstring in them.
When treating laundry stains, I keep safety pins handy and put one where the stain is. When I pull the laundry item out of the washer, I look for the safety pin, to see if the stain came out, before I put it in the dryer.
When washing large or heavy loads of laundry, run the washer thru a second spin cycle. Gets out lots more water for faster dry time.
When a laundry basket breaks, don't toss it. Drill holes in the rim on either side of the break and sew it together again!
Take a permanent ink Sharpie and write the temperature in bold letters on the tags.
Keep a stain stick in the kitchen or near your eating area, so when someone spills food on their clothes, they can immediately rub stain stick on the spots.
When doing laundry, you only need to use about half the amount of soap that the box or bottle calls for to get your clothes clean. More soap can gunk up your washer and doesn't always rinse properly out of your clothes, leaving an unsightly build-up.
All those expensive t-shirts need to be turned inside out when you wash them so the design continues to look like new. Jeans look great for a long time if you turn them inside out also. Clothes are expensive and it is worth taking a couple of minutes to keep them in good shape. By Bev Sobkowich
When I do my laundry I separate the clothes by color. I put the greens with greens, reds with reds or pink, purple and blacks with black, etc. This way the colors of the clothes circulate throughout the wash and thus preserving the colors in your clothes.
For musty smell, add 1 cup ammonia with laundry detergent and wash as usual.
This is a little something that I do to save me time, money, and sanity. As soon as I take my pants off for the day, I look through all my pants pockets and remove change, papers, and Chapsticks. Then I button and zip my pants.
When doing laundry for my 5 boys, sorting is easy: each boy's clothing item is marked on the "collar" area with the first initial of their name, in permanent marker.
When putting my laundry in the wash I put all my socks in a mesh bag and also a seperate mesh bag for my underwear. When it comes out of the dryer, it is already seperated to be put away.
Keep a can punch in the laundry room. This is a great tool for opening those boxes of laundry detergent without ripping your fingernails.
Before washing clothes which have a drawstring at the waist (or anywhere for that matter), stitch across it down the middle of the back. If you don't sew, a safety pin will do the trick. I had many of those drawstrings and cords to get pulled back into the opening, before I started doing this.
Set your oven timer when you put a load of clothes in the washer. If left crumpled up in the washing machine, they'll develop more wrinkles, and colors will bleed more.
I hang shirts and blouses on hangers to dry after washing. Most cotton shirts can be softened up for wearing by putting in the dryer with a dryer sheet for only about 10 minutes and then rehanging on the hanger. This saves you money on your energy bill! By SueKaf
Dry place mats by hanging them over the side of the bathtub. They dry flat and straight and don't need ironing.
I read the tip about using oven cleaner to get out stains. I have a much safer alternative than oven cleaner for laundry stains.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I accidentally washed a pen inside of my shorts pocket in a FULL load of laundry, containing my daughters adorable clothes and my husbands work clothes. I need to get it out. Open to any suggestions? I have tried many things but none seem to work. Please help. All clothes are stained.
I am not sure if this will work after the clothes have gone though the wash but before it is washed use hairspray.
spray it on like a prewash. also takes ink off hands if sprayed on and let sit a moment or two before washing hands.
I agree hairspray sometimes work for ink stains in clothes but if there is a lot of ink in one area it won't work and it will make the stain worse.. Go to the cleaners they may be able to help...
I have successfully removed ink from a white shirt using rubbing alcohol. It is inexpensive and worth trying.
I got magic marker out of my marker with purell hand santisizer. the marker was dark blue and my carpet seafoam green. worked like a whiz!!!
You TRULY have your work cut out for you. Wear thick kitchen rubber gloves, and when you find which works out of these suggestions, take your time, using plenty of paper towels to soak up what ink is released, before applying soap or re-washing/drying because it will set the stain MORE.
Use sour cream or yougurt. Put either directly on a stain and rub or use a toothbrush. Rinse and repeat.
It will not make things worse. Try it. Also it is not toxic. It worked for me.
Tips to help you organize your home's laundry. Post your ideas.
Use colored plastic hangers. Give every family member a different color. That way it's easy for everyone to find and put away their own clothes. (Yes I actually do this and it works great for me.)
Consider using specific colors of towels and wash rags for different bathrooms (and the kitchen).
By handysmurf
I keep my dresser in my laundry room. Who ever said a dresser has to be in the bedroom? That way clothes are washed, dried and put away as I fold them. Of course this would not be possible if you have a big family or your dresser matches your bed. It works great for me!
Do a load of laundry every day if you are lucky enough to have a washer and dryer at home. I like to start a load before I go to bed, change it into the dryer in the morning. Next evening, I empty the dryer, start new load of wash, and fold and put away yesterday's clean stuff. When I empty the dryer, I dump the clothes on the bed, so I can't get in without tending to it!
By Linda
this also saves money, as the electricity used to heat the water, and run the washer and dryer are cheaper at night rates. i find that the gentle swishing sound helps lull me to sleep. one word of caution though. i would never run the dryer at night due to risk of fire while you're sleeping. also, this won't work if you work outside the home in the AM or have early morning errands or appointments for the same reason; and if you forget to dry a load in the morning the clothes will start to sour and have to be rewashed. not a time or money saver.
Does anyone have any tips for doing laundry in hard water?
Thanks,
Anna
I would have to use Iron Out you can get it at Lowes I know for sure possibly at Walmart
You can also use Calgon - they sell it in a large box (or in liquid form) in the detergent aisle at the grocery. It basically softens the water for you. You still add your detergent and fabric softener, but it's like having soft water for doing your laundry.
Hope this helps!
What is good for heavy stains on laundry? I would prefer to use a natural product.
By Anastasia from Berkeley, CA
How do I prevent the metal snaps from rusting when I wash my bassinet? Please does anyone know the best way to wash something that has metal snaps? I am afraid of them rusting and of course it must be hung to dry.
Thanks so much.
I wash my top and bottom sheets and two pillow cases in one large load. I don't know why the sheets end up all twisted like a piece of rope when I go to take them out. Any suggestions?
By Cisco's Mom
Soap remains after cycle is finished. I run it on rinse several times and still have soap bubbles. I do not use too much detergent! I have run it on empty with vinegar and I still get soap bubbles. After four rinse cycles this morning's load is in the bath tub after a good hard shower to get rid of the bubbles.
By Sadie R. from Denville, NJ
Stained clothing is not always treated and laundered right away. To help remind yourself to deal with the stain when washing the item, try either tying a knot where the stain is or gently tying the piece of clothing in a loose knot. This is a page about remembering to treat stained clothing.
The vinegar smell will disappear soon after clothes are dried. Vinegar is used in the rinse cycle to deodorize and soften your laundry. This is a page about using vinegar in the laundry.
Buying multiple cleaning products can be expensive. Sometimes you can make a homemade version of a popular cleaning agent from products you may already have around your house. This is a page about homemade OxiClean recipes.
If you have a laundry room or other shared facilities for washing and drying clothes, there are ways to protect your items from theft or damage. This is a page about sharing laundry facilities with others.
