Category: Laundry Tips

Are you someone who likes to wear new clothes straight from the store or the delivery package, without washing them first? While it might be difficult to resist the perfect feel of wearing new clothes, it is recommended that any clothing worn in direct contact with your skin (especially things like underwear, t-shirts or shorts) be washed before wearing. Here’s why:

New clothes can be home to pathogens or germs.

After clothes are made in a factory, they are packaged and sent from one place to another through various modes of transport before they reach the store. In this process, your new clothing item may have encountered pathogens and germs along the way. While you may not be able to see these microscopic organisms, but that does not mean that they don’t exist.

New clothes may have lingering bacteria.

Depending on how long clothes have sat in the store, and how many people have tried them on, it is possible that bacteria can linger in the fibers and be transferred from one person to another through the fabric.

New clothes can contain chemical irritants.

Many manufacturers include chemical finishes on clothes to enhance their texture and reduce wrinkles, which can irritate sensitive skin.

New clothes can transfer dye to your skin.

Fabrics made from synthetic fibers can be colored with dyes that can be transferred to your skin or other garments leading to irritations or stains.

Running your clothes through the wash cycle a second time without the soap will help get rid of any residual detergent and help your clothes last longer. You’ll be amazed at how much soap is still in the drum during this second “wash.”

While you likely will not experience any serious health issues by not washing clothes before wearing them, more than anything – washing clothes before wearing is just good personal hygiene. Before washing, make sure to follow the instructions on the care tag.

Here’s What to Wash from Your Bathroom and Why.

While experts recommend washing your bath towels every few days to keep them fresh & clean, here are three other bathroom essentials you should consider washing more regularly.

1. Bathmats

Whether they’re in front of your sink or next to your tub or shower, the mats in your bathroom spend a lot of time on the floor in one of the most high-traffic germ areas of your home. For this reason, it is recommended that you clean them once a week. For best results, take bathmats outside and shake out any clinging dust or debris prior to loading them in the washing machine. Make sure to follow the manufacturer care instructions on the label and air-dry them if they have a rubber coating or backing.

2. Fabric or Plastic Shower Curtains

Since fabric shower curtains don’t often come in direct contact with shower water, washing them every several months is usually enough to keep them looking clean. Before you place them in the washing machine, check the tag to make sure the material is washable. Then remove the curtain off the rings or hooks, use a minimal amount of detergent and then hang it back on the rod or rings to air dry.

And while plastic shower curtains and liners may be more affordable and easier to replace when they get dirty or accumulate soap scum, the cost can add up over time. Instead of throwing them away, you can extend the life for months or years by washing them. Because liners come in direct contact with water and soaps, they should be cleaned more often. Once a month is recommended to stay ahead of any mold or mildew growth. Make sure to switch the washer settings to cold and add a bath towel or two to the machine to prevent the curtains from wrinkling. After washing, make sure to air dry – so that it doesn’t melt in the dryer.

3. Scrubbing Poufs & Loofahs

Yes, you read that right! Whether natural or synthetic, bath and shower sponges, poufs, loofahs, or exfoliating scrubbers can provide the perfect environment for bacteria – and should be washed on the regular. Whether you decide on weekly or monthly, make sure to put these scrubbing devices in a mesh laundry bag with a load of other bath towels – then leave them to air dry.

While bathrooms are where we all go to get clean, they can also be home to lingering germs, molds/mildew, and bacteria – which is why experts recommend washing more than just your bath towels on the regular. Before washing bathmats, shower curtains or scrubbing tools, make sure to follow the instructions on the care tag.g germs, molds/mildew, and bacteria – which is why experts recommend washing more than just your bath towels on the regular. Before washing bathmats, shower curtains or scrubbing tools, make sure to follow the instructions on the care tag.

A simple solution for that is to use dye- and perfume-free products. Another way to avoid laundry-related skin allergies is by following a few of these tips:

 

Wash new clothing
Even if the clothes you buy are new and have never been worn, the chemicals that are used to dye the fabric and put finishes on the yarn before being processed through spinning equipment are known to irritate skin. Plus, you never know who tried on the clothing before you bought it.

 

Avoid over-soaping
Using too much detergent not only bothers your skin, but it also leaves a residue on your clothing, which means your garments aren’t being properly washed. Always use the correct amount of detergent recommended for your machine.

 

Don’t overload your washer
In order for the laundry detergent to dissolve correctly so that your clothing gets thoroughly cleaned, avoid putting too many items in your washing machine.

 

Buy the right detergent
To help lessen skin irritations and keep you from feeling like you need to rinse your laundry more than once, try a hypoallergenic, clean-rinsing detergent. Running your clothes through a second rinse cycle takes more time, wastes water, and increases your water and electric costs.

 

Clean your equipment
Your washer and dryer encounter a lot of germs and bacteria, and if not properly cleaned and maintained, could begin to grow mold and smell. To keep your appliances in tip-top shape, regularly clean the inside of your washer and dryer.

Living with skin allergies can be difficult, but with these tips, you can find a laundry method that works for you.

The title of this article is a bit misleading— having a laundry day is not a real option if you really want to speed things up. If you think in terms of one laundry day a week or every other week, then you should get that notion out of your head! The key is to stay on top of it, every day. If doing laundry every day sounds like your worst nightmare, hear us out! Once you build the habit, it will become second-nature to you and will save you so much time overall. And who doesn’t want more time?

Establish a routine. The best way to speed things up is to have a method so that you never have to think about what to do next. Do laundry the same way, every day, every time, and it will seem like a breeze.

Always treat stains ASAP. Don’t put stained clothes to the side and think that you’ll get to them later. Chances are, that stained pile will build up, and it will take forever to treat all the stains. Instead, take care of that red sauce stain on your shirt when you take it off at the end of the day.

Make a pre-sorting system. Sorting all your clothes when you only have one laundry day is a gargantuan task. You could be doing laundry for 30 minutes before you even throw anything in the washer! A popular way to pre-sort is by using three different hampers for whites, colors, and dedicates.

Bag your socks. Socks are by far the most frustrating things that go through the laundry. They tend to disappear or get stuck inside other clothes, much to your irritation. A great way to keep track of them is to put them inside a lingerie bag, so you’ll never lose them again!

Check for a quick wash setting. Your machine may or may not have a quick wash setting. If so, it can cut your laundry cycle time in half! Toss in your clothes, have some breakfast, and your clothes will be clean and waiting for you when you’re done eating. Obviously, for especially smelly or dirty clothes, you’ll want to use a normal setting, but quick wash works great for lightly dirty clothes.

Get clothes out of the dryer immediately. The heat from the dryer will work out any wrinkles, so if you get your clothes out right away, you won’t even have to iron! This will save you so much time since ironing is not a quick task.

If you are an adult, you definitely know how to operate a dryer. But do you really get the most out of it? Day-to-day routines have a way of turning into habits, and it can be easy to settle for doing things the way you’ve always done them. If you are looking to ramp up the efficiency of your laundry routine, a great place to start is the dryer.

You may already do several of these things, but chances are that one of the following tips will help you save time, money, or the quality of your clothes.

Don’t overstuff the dryer
Clothes dry best when they have enough space to tumble, so overloading the dryer makes loads take longer and use more energy.

Pay attention to the settings
Different fabrics dry best at different temperatures and tumble speeds, so take time to learn the settings on your machine to preserve the life of your clothing

Take clothes out immediately when the cycle ends
If you let clothes sit in the dryer for a long time after the cycle ends, they will develop wrinkles and static

Shake out wet clothes
This helps reduce wrinkling and allows items to dry faster

Dryer sheets help reduce static
Dryer sheets are a great way to get softer, better-smelling clothes, in addition to eliminating static cling

Separate lightweight and heavyweight clothing items
Ensure that the load dries at the same time by grouping items by weight, to save you from running items from one load for multiple cycles

Dry several loads in a row
By running multiple loads back to back, you save time and energy since the dryer is already heated up

Wipe off the moisture sensor
Residue from dryer sheets can block the moisture sensor, leading to longer drying times

Clean out the lint trap
Lint clogs can also negatively alter drying time and get stuck on clothes

You might love or hate your laundry routine, but either way, there’s always some room for improvement! Check out these tips to help you save money, time, and reduce your environmental impact.

Cold wash
It seems simple, and it is. Just wash your clothes on cold, every time. It will keep the colors popping and save you money on energy bills.

Tennis ball trick
Eliminate static and help clothes dry better by throwing two tennis balls in the dryer. They will keep clothes from sticking together and drying unevenly.

Pre-sorting
I know it sounds tedious, but sorting your clothes into three hampers for whites, colors, and delicates will save you so much time on sorting and folding after the wash. Form the habit of presorting, and eventually, it will seem like second-nature.

Essential oil spritz
Do you love the smell of lavender? Well then put a couple drops of lavender essential oil into a spray bottle filled with water to give your clothes a spritz before the wash.

Lingerie bags for socks
Socks seem to vaporize into thin air when they go through the laundry. Don’t lose another one by putting all your socks into lingerie bags, so you’ll always know where to find them.

Dry erase marker magic
How many times have you accidentally thrown a hang-dry item into the dryer, only for it to shrink two sizes? Avoid this mistake by writing on the washer with a dry erase marker everything you don’t want to put into the dryer, so you or your spouse won’t forget again!