By Elizabeth Flaherty
It’s laundry day again! It might not be your favorite day, so check out some incredible hacks that will make doing the laundry less of a hassle.
Say Goodbye to Wrinkles
To remove wrinkles from a shirt or slacks, avoid using a time-consuming iron or handheld steamer. Put some ice cubes or a wet washcloth in the dryer with your wrinkled clothes. The wrinkles will be removed as the ice melts and the water turns to steam. This trick isn’t as effective on heavier fabrics, but it works wonders on lighter ones. The best part is that you don’t need to leave the dryer on for more than 10 minutes for it to work.
Pool Noodle Hanger Hack
Add a crease-eliminating pad to your hanger with a pool noodle! (We found that smaller-size noodles work better than larger ones for this handy hint.) Use a utility knife to cut the noodle to size and then slice it open lengthwise. Then slip the noodle onto the bottom bar of the hanger. The extra padding is perfect for hanging dress pants in your closet. It prevents that dreaded crease, saving you time because you won’t have to iron it out before you can wear the pants!
Instant Drying Rack
Does your family have a lot of clothes that cannot be put in the drier? Even those collapsible drying racks with several bars for draping wet clothes still aren’t enough for big laundry days. And if you hang wet clothes on top of wet clothes, it lengthens the dry time significantly and can even leave your clothes smelling a little musty.
To fix your air-drying space shortage:
- Grab a 1×2 board from your scrap stash in the garage
- Trim it to fit across a few joists overhead in your basement laundry room.
- Tack it in place with a heavy-duty nail in each joist.
- Then you can air-dry several more pieces of clothing using hangers!
Freeze Your Jeans
If you like to wear your jeans more than once between washings, stick them in the freezer between wears. The frigid air will kill bacteria that can cause odor.
Write Notes on the Washer
Stop shrinking your sweaters! When you put a load of clothes into your washing machine, use a dry-erase marker to note on the lid which items should not go into the dryer. That way, whoever switches the load from the washing machine to the dryer will know which items to leave out for line drying.
The enamel finish on most washing machine lids is similar to a whiteboard, and dry-erase markers can be removed easily with a dry paper towel.
Wash Bright Colors With Salt
You can use salt to prevent colors from fading. Just toss a teaspoon of salt in with your dark clothes to help make the color last longer. Washing colored clothing inside out can also help maintain color.
Paint Stick to Clean Lint Buildup
Even if you empty your dryer’s lint trap before each load, chances are there is still lint buildup around the area that could potentially cause a fire. So it’s important to deep clean the area once in a while, and this handy hint will get the job done.
Wrap a clean rag around one end of a paint stir stick. Remove the lint trap and clean out the area with the rag-covered stick. To help the lint stick to the rag, dampen it with water first.
One Wash Cycle Away from a New Shirt
Being a self-confessed klutz, I’ve needed to learn how to treat clothing stains. For a grease stain, I turn to white chalk. Just rub the chalk on the stain and the chalk powder absorbs and lifts out the grease, so it’ll come out in the wash. – Jean Reeves.
Use a Salad Spinner
If you have some articles of clothing you don’t want to put in the dryer, use a salad spinner to remove excess water. Then hang them on a rack to dry.
Use Aluminum Foil
If you’re out of dryer sheets, throw a ball of aluminum foil in your dryer. The aluminum will fight static buildup and help keep your clothing separated.
Above Units Clothes Storage
Folding hanger rods collapse against the wall when they’re not in use, saving valuable space in tiny rooms. They’re great for wet clothes and sporting gear.
Quick Drying Laundry Hack
Waiting for clothes to dry is annoying. Especially if you’re in a hurry. My solution is to throw in a dry towel with the rest of my wet laundry to speed up the process and get on with my day.
Don’t Just Throw That Lint Away!
To properly build a fire, you need tinder. Fortunately, we all have a readily available supply: dryer lint! Rather than throwing it out give it another use!
How to make these waterproof fire starters:
Stuff each well of an egg carton with dryer lint. Then pour melted wax into each well and let them cool. The wax waterproofs the dryer lint and carton and helps the starter burn longer.
Stop Losing Socks
Stuff a strip of foam pipe insulation into the space between your washer and dryer or along the wall.
Skinny Laundry Room Cart
A lot of laundry rooms have a narrow wasted space either next to or between the washing machine and dryer, and it’s usually a hideout for socks and lint. To take advantage of this space, build a simple plywood laundry room cart on fixed casters to hold detergents and other laundry supplies.
Another Use for All That Lint
To properly build a fire, you need to have tinder (easy-lighting material), kindling (finger-size sticks) and fuel (logs). To make fire starters, I stuff empty toilet paper tubes with dryer lint. My dryer lint “logs” light quickly and easily burn long enough to light up the kindling. And I don’t have to resort to lighter fluid!
Clean Your Machine
Your washing machine does need to be cleaned regularly every couple of months set your washer to the largest load setting and hottest water temperature. Add a quart of white vinegar and a cup of baking soda and let the washer agitate for a minute. Then open the lid or pause the cycle and let the mixture sit for an hour. Scrub any parts, such as the lid, with a toothbrush to remove buildup. After an hour, let the cycle complete and run a second cycle on hot to remove any residue left behind. Your clothes will thank you.
