Laundry Tips, Tricks and Hints

These days, everyone is looking for good laundry tips that will make wash day easier.

Our busy lifestyles require a quick and easy solution to all household chores and laundry is no exception.

Gone are the days of heating tubs of water and scrubbing each individual clothing item on a washboard with lye soap.

Today, our fancy newfangled machines now do most of the work for us, but there are still the problems we face with getting stains out of our clothing and keeping our machines in good working order.

We are also faced with product after product on our grocery store shelves that are supposed to make our laundry day easier. But do they really?

Sure, some of them are great products! They work just like they are supposed to. But at what cost? Not only are these products expensive, but they often contain chemicals and other products that contribute to allergies and asthma problems for our family members.

We could learn a lot from following the laundry tips of our grandparents, and save a lot of money too. Keep reading for some great old-fashioned household tips for laundry day.

Household Tips for Laundry

Laundry Tips - Pruning Your Products

The one product that is a must have is laundry detergent.

I don't know of a substitute for laundry detergent unless you want to make your own lye soap like Grandma did.

Of course, it probably wouldn't be very practical for the washing machine.

You do have a choice when buying your detergent, however.

Boy, do you have choices!

Be sure to check the number of loads per container versus the size of the container. Sometimes it takes more detergent of certain brands for each wash load.

Usually you can get more loads out of "original" formulas versus formulas that have a lot of additives such as bleach, fabric softener, or scents. Stain removers, fabric softener, laundry boosters, and bleaching agents can be added at home with products you probably already have in your home like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar.

Keep reading to see "Laundry Tips for Saving Money" coming up next for more information about how to do this.

Laundry Tips for Saving Money

Laundry Detergent Booster:

Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your wash cycle along with your regular detergent. It is also safe for all your baby clothes, since it is all natural and nontoxic.

Fabric Softener:

Baking soda is also a great fabric softener. It is all natural and will not aggravate asthma or allergies. This time, add to your rinse cycle.

Vinegar is also a good fabric softener. Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to your rinse cycle. It also fights lint, removes soap residue, reduces static cling and leaves clothes brighter.

For cotton blankets, use 2 cups of vinegar in the final rinse. Your blankets will be soft and fluffy with no lingering soap residue.

Bleaching Agent:

Since hydrogen peroxide is the key ingredient in most commercial nonchlorine bleaches, why not just buy hydrogen peroxide for a fraction of the price?

Just add 1 cup to your wash and you will get the same results as commercial nonchlorine bleaches.

For colorfast delicates, just use 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide with your usual detergent on the gentle cycle. Your delicates will no longer be dingy or stained.

Another great bleaching agent for whites is Lemon Juice. Just add 1/4 to 1/2 cup along with your detergent to your wash cycle. It smells good too!

For those grimy gym socks, or other discolored whites, try heating a pot of water to boiling, then add 1 cup of white vinegar and your clothing items. Remove from heat, soak overnight, then toss in the washer and wash as usual.

Other Laundry Tips for Saving Money

Adding 1 cup of white vinegar to your wash cycle will also kill bacteria and germs to keep workout clothes and towels fresh and bacteria-free.

And if you add 1 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle, it will break down the uric acid in underwear and baby clothes.

Laundry Tips for Better Washing

• If you want to prevent clothes from fading, you need to set the dye before you wash them for the first time. To do this just fill a large bucket or laundry tub with cold water, add 1 cup of vinegar, let soak overnight, then launder as usual.



• Here's a tip on loading the washer. Turn the washer on on your desired setting and add your detergent and other products to the tub. Let it fill with a little water so that the laundry products have a chance to dissolve, then add your clothes.



• Please don't overload the washing machine. If you have too many clothes in there, the detergent and water can't circulate very well and your clothes will not get as clean as they should. It will also shorten the lifespan of your washer, not to mention the fact that you will have more wrinkles, and the spin cycle will be less effictive.



• Choose the shortest and gentlest cycle and coolest temperature possible to get the job done. Even warm water will fade your clothes, so never wash in hotter water than what the label on your clothes calls for.




• Give your washing machine a good cleaning every couple of months or so to remove mineral deposits and soap scum. Just fill the machine with hot water and add 3 cups of vinegar and 1/2 cup of baking soda. Run the complete cycle through and wipe down the tub, then run another full cycle using only cold water. Hint: you can use 2 cups of lemon juice in place of the 3 cups of vinegar if you wish to.

Laundry Tips for Drying Clothes

• Again, don't overload. Your dryer will work more efficiently and you will have fewer wrinkles if you put fewer items into the dryer. You will also have less lint with fewer clothes rubbing against each other.



• Dry items with similar fabric weights together so that they all get dry about the same time.



• Turn knit fabrics inside out so that they will not pill. Same goes for bright or dark items to help minimize fading. It will also help prevent flaking on items that have been screen-printed, such as T-shirts.



• Dry your clothes on the lowest setting possible as high heat will cause wrinkles and creases to set in.




• Hang or fold your clothing as soon as the dryer cycle ends. Wrinkles will set in as the clothes cool off.



• If you discover that you forgot clothes in the dryer, toss in a damp, but not wet, towel and turn the dryer back on. Check every 15 minutes or so and hang or fold when wrinkles are gone.



• Hang synthetics, like polyester and nylon, to air dry to avoid static cling. If you must dry them in the dryer, toss in a clean damp sock for the last few minutes to cut static cling dramatically.



• A good alternative to dryer sheets, especially for people with allergies, is to use a clean wash cloth dampened with a few drops of your favorite hair conditioner instead.



• Clean the lint filter after every load. Not only will you save energy, you could also prevent a fire!



• Try tossing a few tennis balls into your dryer. Not only will they cut drying time in half, they will also fluff and soften your load. Just be sure that the tennis balls you use are colorfast!

I personally prefer to use "Mister Steamy". It is an AS SEEN ON TV product. It seems to work really well for fluffing and softening clothes.

It comes in a two pack, and it is probably about the same price as tennis balls.

I hope that you have found these laundry tips useful. Be sure to keep checking back for more laundry tips. And don't forget to share your own laundry tips. You will find the link just below