Laundry Hacks that make your life easier

Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve got great news for you: doing your laundry doesn’t have to be annoying and stressful, because there are laundry hacks out there that can make your life a whole lot easier. Okay, they still won’t make doing your laundry a fun activity, buy they will save you time and money when it comes to sorting, washing, ironing or folding the contents of your washing basket and that’s at least something, right?

Laundry Hacks: Sorting

Pop a laundry hamper or basket in every bedroom of the house. That way you can tackle each basket at a time and don’t have to run from room to room to collect clothing items of the same colour or material. It might also be worth to establish a laundry sorting station, if you have enough space or a separate laundry room. They keep things nice, organised and in one space.

Probably the most important timesaver is learning what the laundry tags in your clothes really mean. This saves you from looking them up all the time and ruining your clothes. This overview makes a great cheat sheet.

Laundry Hacks: Washing

Remember that your washing machine needs to be clean to clean your clothes, so regularly run the self-cleaning cycle once a month or put on a hot wash and add 250 ml of white vinegar in the softener compartment.

Vinegar is also a great fabric softener and a way to freshen up clean laundry that you forgot to take out of the washing machine. Run the rinse cycle, add a cup of vinegar and your clothes come out smelling nice and clean.

Laundry Hacks: Drying

In a hurry? Pop a fluffy towel into your tumble dryer and speed up the drying time. Your clothes will be dry much quicker than usual. A scrunched-up ball of tin foil also does the trick while making your clothes nice and soft at the same time.

If you don’t have a tumble dryer, make sure to leave enough space between your lines of clothing, so that air can circulate and your clothes dry quicker.

Laundry Hacks: Folding

If you want to save time when folding your clothes after taken them out of the tumble dryer or from the washing line, the internet is your best friend. There are dozens of tutorials out there that teach you how to fold a T-shirt in 2 seconds or how to fold a bedsheet. The most important tip I can share with you however is a really simple one: When taking your clothes from the line or out of the tumble dryer, shake them out and smooth them on a flat surface. Including this step in your laundry routine will save heaps of ironing and if  you find that materials slip and slide easily and it’s difficult to fold them up neatly, simply hang them up.

Laundry Hacks: Ironing

Get wrinkles out of shirts, by hanging them in the bathroom while you shower. The steam will smooth the creases in 10 minutes. Another clever way to get your clothes crease-free, especially when traveling, is using an anti-wrinkle spray. You can easily make it at home as you’ve probably got all the ingredients at home already.

What are your laundry hacks or tips and tricks when washing clothes? Leave me a comment, I’m always looking to simplify chores! 

This is a promotional post with images from Gloria Garcia and Kim MyoungSung via Flickr.