Laundry. It’s an inevitable, unavoidable fact of life. And it can feel overwhelming to keep up with the laundry during the week as you’re rushing kids to school and getting yourself to work. And when the weekend rolls around?
You’d much rather be spending time with your family, sleeping in, or even enjoying the West Hartford farmers’ market on a Saturday morning, not doing laundry and folding socks.
But. Laundry has to get done. So if you’re going to do it, you may as well do it right the first time. Here are a few laundry tips to get things clean and fresh, the first time.
What Is the Best Way to Wash Clothes?
Prepare Your Clothes for the Wash: Before things get thrown in the washing machine, you have to get everything ready. This is the best way to prevent wear and tear as your clothes tumble through the washer and dryer.
Check all the pockets, unroll rolled-up shirt sleeves, zip zippers, and close snaps and velcro closures. Leave buttons unbuttoned though, as keeping them closed stresses the button in the wash.
Read the Laundry Labels: Different fabrics require different water temperatures, some have to be washed on delicate, some are dry-clean only, and some should never go in the dryer. But what do all those strange symbols on the tag even mean?
It can be hard to decode all the symbols on a tag. So consult this reference guide and make sure your clothes always get washed the way they need to, and with the right temperature.
Let the Water Run: If you have a top-load washing machine, pour in the detergent and let the water run for a while before you toss your laundry inside. This keeps the detergent from leaving streaks on your clothes and lets the detergent and the water do their job as best as possible.
How Do You Make Laundry Smell Good?: Clothes, towels, and linens start to smell bad when they have bacteria growing in them, so the best way to keep them smelling fresh is to kill that bacteria. Sure, you can use scented detergent and fabric softener, but rather than just mask the scent, you want to actually kill the germs.
For towels and sheets, you can toss in one cup of vinegar with your laundry detergent to kill germs, and use hot water whenever you can to kill bacteria in stinky clothes and linens. A hot dryer will also freshen clothes as well.
Another tip? Wet fabric can start to smell musty if it sits in the washing machine too long after it’s clean. Move clothes from the washer to the dryer or drying rack as soon as possible to avoid this stale scent!
How Do I Tackle These Awful Stains?
Are there grass and mud stains on your family’s soccer uniforms from a long day of tournaments in West Hartford at the Glover Soccer Park Complex? Or maybe some red wine spilled on your favorite shirt after girls’ night?
For the best results for grass stains, avoid hot water. And red wine? A regimen involving soaking your garment in hand soap and vinegar followed up with rubbing alcohol will help lift the stains.
But how do you handle every different stain? Doesn’t every kind of stain require a different kind of treatment? The answer is yes. It can be tricky to know how to treat various stains.
Each stain needs its own kinds of solvents, detergents, and water temperatures. Should you soak it or not? The bottom line? Stains will come out much better if you treat them quickly. Beyond that? It’s best to know how to properly treat each kind of stain.
If you’re unsure how to treat a certain stain, you can consult this handy list here: The University of Illinois has compiled a definitive stain removal guide- in alphabetical order from adhesive tape to zucchini. Don’t leave stains to chance, and get them out on the first attempt!
Which Detergent Should I Use?
When you are choosing a detergent, you have lots of choices nowadays. Powdered detergent works well for general loads, and is usually a less expensive option, but it can leave behind a white powder that is especially noticeable on darker clothes.
Liquid detergent, on the other hand usually contains enzymes, which help fight stains and dirt, and speed up the cleaning process, without irritating our skin.
Curious about those laundry detergent tablets or pods? They can be effective, but costly, so keep that in mind as you are putting detergent in your cart at the grocery store. If you decide to use pods or tablets: make sure you toss them in the washing machine as the water runs well before you throw your clothes in. Dissolving a laundry pod on top of your clothes may lead to streaks and spotting.
Another tip about all kinds of detergent is that it works best if it has room to do its job, so be careful not to overload your washer. It can be tempting to try and get more laundry done at once, but your clothes will look cleaner and fresher if you do a little less laundry at once and let the detergent do its job properly.
What Are the Best Laundry Tips for White Clothes?
After a while, white clothes, towels, and sheets can start to look a little dull, rather than their original crisp white. They may look yellow, or even gray. So how can you revive your white clothes and linens to look their best?
What is the Best Detergent for White Clothes? Bleach can be tough on certain fibers, and scary to use. What if it spills and makes a mess all over your laundry room? We like OxyClean White Revive Stain Remover and Tide Whites and Brights for their ease of use and brightening powers.
What Temperature Should I Use for White Clothes? Hot water is the best to remove germs, stains, and heavy soil from white fabrics. However, always check the tag. Some clothes can’t withstand high heat, and they may shrink or lose their shape. Read the label and use the hottest or warmest temperature possible to keep your whites looking their best.
Another Laundry Tip for Your White Fabrics: For older linens, lace tablecloths, and other antique fabrics, you can actually use a bluing solution to brighten things up if they’ve gotten too yellowed. Just be careful not to use too much!
This practice isn’t as common now that detergents are more effective, but it can make a huge difference in your heirloom pieces that have started to look a little dingy.
Is It Better to Leave Clothes in the Washer or Dryer?
We’ve all been there: you’re doing laundry late at night, and you’d much rather head off to bed than wait for that last load of clothes to be done. So is it better to leave things in the washer overnight, or in the dryer? Won’t clothes get stale and musty if you leave them in the washer?
Have no fear. While you don’t want to leave clothes sitting in the washer for too long, the queen of all things domestic, Martha Stewart, has spoken on the matter. It’s perfectly fine to leave your clothes in the washer overnight before you put them in the dryer the next morning. Your linens and clothes will still be fresh, and you’ll get the extra sleep you need. Just toss them in the dryer the next morning.
If you put things in the dryer and are worried about wrinkles the next morning, you can always tumble your clothes again on a “low,” “air fluff,” or “wrinkle release” setting so your outfit still looks clean and wrinkle-free.
So the final verdict? As long as you don’t wait too long, both are perfectly acceptable!
How Can I Keep My Laundry Under Control?
Sort laundry as you go: Have a different hamper or basket for each kind of laundry load you have to do. If you sort your laundry into delicates and different colors as your laundry piles start to form, it will be so much easier to grab a load of laundry and get it into the washer quicker.
You won’t have to sort through the entire pile to find all of your delicates; they will already be together.
Do laundry throughout the week: Don’t wait for the weekend to catch up on all the laundry that’s piled up throughout the week. The best thing about laundry is you can start it and move onto another task.
Have a Set Day for Certain Items: If you always wash your bedsheets and towels on Mondays, your laundry won’t have a chance to pile up. Have a set day for dish towels, and for various kinds of clothing, too. It will make your laundry pile smaller, and your life easier!
Does the never-ending pile of laundry leave you craving a lighter workload? West Hartford residents are busy. From work to family life, and everything in between, there just isn’t always enough time to get everything done.
Let us take care of some of your household to-do list so you don’t have to. You may have questions about what we can do for you, and how we can make your life easier. Don’t worry, we’re here to help.
For years, we have been dedicated to helping our clients here in Connecticut make their chore lists feel a bit more manageable. Our goal is to provide you with a clean home, so you have more time to spend with the people you love (and maybe get some laundry done too). And our satisfied clients say it all: it’s worth it.
Request a quote today to see how easy it is to let our team at Clean My Space CT handle the bigger cleaning jobs on your to-do list. Suddenly, laundry won’t seem quite so overwhelming if the carpets have been vacuumed, the shelves dusted, and your house is sparkling. You’ll have more time to do the things you love and to get the laundry done, too.
