How to Give Your Laundry a Boost
An organized laundry room is a great start. Here's what else you can do to keep your clothes in top form
I live in a loft in Brooklyn, a recent transplant to Greenpoint (love my neighborhood!). I work as a freelance writer, blogger, stylist, gilder, and crafter. I curate a daily personal lifestyle blog called the Haystack Needle (http://www.thehaystackneedleonline.com). I'm also one half of the shop Cabin 7 (http://www.shopcabin7.com) — a collection of gilded objects for the home. I started out in magazines, working in the home department of Real Simple magazine and later worked as the home editor of Redbook. I love to scout cool finds for the home — everything from an amazing loveseat to a green laundry detergent that really works. I'm a new mama to our baby girl, Juniper, who amazes me every day with her curiosity for life and big smiles.
I live in a loft in Brooklyn, a recent transplant to Greenpoint (love my... More »
We all have our laundry pet peeves. I don't mind doing laundry, but I'm famous for procrastinating the folding and putting-away part of the process. And we all share a desire to keep our clothes looking good and lasting longer than one season. Here are 8 simple tricks that reveal some common laundry mistakes and how to avoid them.
More: Design a Cheerful Laundry Room
More: Design a Cheerful Laundry Room
by Casa Greer
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1. Keep your true colors. It's not just the water temperature in your wash load that can fade your clothes. If you stuff your washer full to the brim, the clothes rubbing against each other abrades the fabric's fibers and leads to color loss.
Keep it loose — your clothes will get cleaner and stay brighter if you don't overstuff the washer.
Keep it loose — your clothes will get cleaner and stay brighter if you don't overstuff the washer.
by Christie Thomas
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2. Sort and separate. Sure, we all know combining whites with reds might leave you with pink socks. But it's not just colors — but textures — you should sort, too. All those fuzzy sweatshirts, nubby robes, flannels, and towels will add lint to your other clothes during washing. Avoid the fuzzy mess and wash them separately.
It's a delicate matter: Why are there specialty detergents for your delicates? It's because the enzymes in regular detergents can damage silk or wool. Delicate detergents are enzyme-free to keep your clothes in good condition. But if you get a stain, take your silk blouse to the dry cleaner — enzyme-free detergents are ineffective at removing stains.
It's a delicate matter: Why are there specialty detergents for your delicates? It's because the enzymes in regular detergents can damage silk or wool. Delicate detergents are enzyme-free to keep your clothes in good condition. But if you get a stain, take your silk blouse to the dry cleaner — enzyme-free detergents are ineffective at removing stains.
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| 3. Less is more. Many of us are now using high-efficiency front-loading washer machines. You want to make sure you're using a high-efficiency detergent, or follow the instructions for front-loaders. Contrary to belief, adding more detergent than you need for your machine does not give you cleaner clothes — in fact, the opposite is typically true. The dirt floats away in the suds of the wash. With too many suds, the dirt will not be effectively washed away. |
4. Treat stains right away. I've had this happen to me before. A spritz of soda gets on my shirt. I dab a little water on it, and the stain seems to go away. But later on, it reappears.
What happened? The sugar in the stain will oxidize in the air and eventually turn yellow or brown. It's best to treat a stain right away — when you're away from home a spritz of Oxi-Clean Spray-A-Way or a a mix of dishwashing detergent and water will help.
What happened? The sugar in the stain will oxidize in the air and eventually turn yellow or brown. It's best to treat a stain right away — when you're away from home a spritz of Oxi-Clean Spray-A-Way or a a mix of dishwashing detergent and water will help.
It may be the water. If you feel like your detergent is not getting your clothes clean, your water might be the culprit. Laundry detergent performs better in softer water — you'll see better soil removal. If you discover you have harder water, try 20 Mule Team Borax, which softens the water.
by Ecostore USA
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Give your laundry a boost. It's hard enough to find time to do my laundry and fold everything. I use a laundry booster, which tackles the stains for me in the wash. I love skipping pre-treating all together — total timesaver. I think my clothes come out even cleaner.
My picks for a laundry booster: EcoStore Pure Oxygen Whitener or OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover.
More: Storage Solutions for Your Ironing Board
Browse laundry room design ideas
My picks for a laundry booster: EcoStore Pure Oxygen Whitener or OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover.
More: Storage Solutions for Your Ironing Board
Browse laundry room design ideas
Ideabook updated on Nov. 10, 2011.
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