5 game-changing laundry hacks you need to know

Laundry is another one of those things that NO ONE warns you about before you have kids. When you’re pregnant, you pre-wash all of those little onesies, and think how lovely it is…

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Then once the little bundle arrives, you ask yourself the question that every new parent has before you: HOW does one little person suddenly create SO MUCH WASHING?? Every. Single. Day.

And then they have siblings. (And don’t even get us started on husbands and partners…)

Needless to say, when you have a family, managing the laundry becomes a full-time job in itself. The minute you think you’ve got it under control and you smile smugly to yourself, you turn around and your laundry is bursting at the seams once again.

So, we’ve pulled together a few helpful hacks we’ve learnt along the way, from speeding up drying time without a dryer (even during winter) to budget-friendly products and keeping stock of socks.

1. Use a dehumidifier

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Whether you live in an apartment or it’s cold and rainy outside, sometimes you can’t avoid having to hang your clothes to dry on a rack inside. But not only do they usually take a long time to dry, wet clothes are also adding unwanted moisture into the air in your home – which we know can lead to mould and dampness issues.

Investing in a dehumidifier with a laundry setting can not only cut your drying time down drastically, it also helps you manage the moisture levels in your house. Bringing all that excess moisture into the home means that once your clothes are dry, the moisture needs somewhere to go. A dehumidifier will manage this for you and maintain humidity at an optimum – and healthy – level.

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2. Pre-sort your clothes

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Who else lives with a permanent load of clean washing on their dining room table begging to be sorted and put away?

Well, try pre-sorting your dirty clothes BEFORE they go in the wash for an absolute laundry game-changer!

In the laundry, allocate a drawer or basket for each category: socks, undies, whites, lights, darks, colours or the name of who it belongs to. Whatever categories suit your family best. And then you wash each one and it makes sorting on the other end so much easier. Genius.

Turn it into a game with your little ones and get them to sort it for you, and in time, they’ll learn to put their dirty clothes straight into the allocated drawer.

 

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3. Vinegar and bicarb soda

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Is there anything that this handy duo can’t do?

Use vinegar in place of fabric softener to leave your clothes super soft. It also works to remove any excess residue built-up on the clothes from detergents and traditional fabric softeners – and it’s budget-friendly. And don’t worry, the vinegar smell doesn’t hang around – it dissipates during the wash!

You can also make up a paste with vinegar and bicarb to help treat stains before they go into the wash.

Tip: Run a cleaning cycle with vinegar and bicarb to keep your tub fresh and clean between washes.

4. Sock stocktake

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Ok, but seriously, where do all the socks go? We’ll never quite know the answer to that but one way to try and keep stock of them is by putting them all in a mesh bag when ready to be washed.

That way they all stay together and you have a better chance of matching pairs at the end of each wash.

 

5. Wash your sheets in hot water

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Whilst we are all for cold washes to reduce our impact on the environment as much as possible, there are some items that really should be washed in a hot cycle. Things such as bed linen and bath towels should be washed in hot water to kill germs such as dust mites, mould and other nasties that may have taken up residence in them.

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Laundry is one of those unavoidable household tasks that most of us don’t enjoy – but that none of us can avoid. We’re all about working smarter, not harder! So, finding ways to make your life even a little easier means you can spend less time in the laundry and more time doing the things you love!