Laundry Demon

Laundry

The never-ending demon that lurks!  Is this the way you feel when it comes time to get the laundry done?  Most of you will say yes but it does not have to be this way. Here are a few tips that can help you with making laundry day a little less stressful!

1-Sort. Sort. Sort. Sort. Sort. To make loads easier and to ensure that like items are washed together, it is best to have the laundry pre-sorted.  The best way to get the laundry pre-sorted is to have everyone in the household involved in this process.  You will be amazed at how smoothly things go when the laundry is already sorted.  This can be accomplished by having laundry bins in each person’s room/bathroom/closet with the appropriate labels to help them sort their clothes.

2-Check those pockets.  Nothing like doing a load of laundry only to discover that tube of lipstick you have been looking for was left in an unchecked pocket and now your shirts are ruined! Best way to avoid this is to make sure once the laundry is sort, everyone checks their pockets first before sorting the clothes or check before the laundry is loaded into the washing machine.  Keep a jar or small box handy so that you have a place to put the pocket items.

3-Stains. The best practice is to treat the stains when they happen.  In order for this to work, you have to make sure you have the right ingredients for the stains you are treating.  There are hosts of sites online you can go to for information on how to treat just about any stain that may occur. Another good practice is to have a cheat sheet placed in your laundry room that tells you how to treat stains to make sure you are treating the stain correctly.

4-Load size.  Even with the new line of High Efficiency (HE) washers and dryers, sometimes the best approach is an old school approach.  The smaller the load, the more efficient the appliances can be and the best way to ensure your clothes are thoroughly cleaned and every piece is dry.  And yes, this will at times causes you to have more to wash but that leads to the next tip.

5-Socks.  You start off washing with an even number and then once they come out of the dryer, you have an odd number. How can you avoid the lost sock scenario? Start placing all of your socks into a mesh bag before placing them into the washing machine. This will help eliminate the lost sock scenario.

6-Pile-up.  Do not let the laundry pile up on you.  Get ahead of the work before it becomes too enormous.  This will lead at times to more laundry sessions but an extra hour for that extra smaller load is better than an entire weekend.

7-Schedule.  This is the best way to manage your time when it comes to getting the laundry done.  This also aides with getting everyone in the household involved with getting the laundry done.  I personally have a schedule in everyone’s room that has each persons laundry day.  This way we have no confusion  on laundry day and no issues with their other responsibilities.

8-Dryer time.  The best way to get the most of out of your dryer is to a)use smaller loads. b)keep the lint trap cleaned out which is best to check before each load. c)use a dry towel inside loads that may take longer to dry in order to help with absorbing some of the moisture which helps cut back on the cycle time.  YES, it really works!

9-Supplies.  Before any of the above items can be accomplished, you must have your supplies.  It is best to always check the items in the laundry room and keep a list of items that need to be replenished. I keep a magnetic notepad attached to the front of our washing machine and make notes of any items that are low and will need replacing soon.  This way, when I do my grocery shopping, I simply add the items on the note to my grocery list and cross them off once I purchase them and restock.

Side note:  Sometimes we cannot figure out why our clothes are not getting cleaned or there seems to be a lot of residue leftover after they are washed.  You change the detergent and fabric softeners and still you have the same problem. The one thing no one ever looks at is the water!

Yes, the type of water you have in your home plays a key role in how efficient your detergent works. You can call your local water company and request that they test your water if you have any concerns about it or find an independent lab in your area that tests the water.

It may be as simple as changing your detergent or using less since most detergents today are concentrated due to the “HE” washing machines using less water.  Another may be to clean your washing machine and with this, I would recommend you follow the manufactures instructions for this.

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