Laundry might be a hassle, but doing it carelessly can ruin your clothing and guess what, replacing damaged items gets expensive fast. To help you out, we have compiled some easy tips that will make your loads more effective and, for the inevitable mistakes, help you rehab items that you might otherwise toss in the trash. And since we are America’s Preferred Choice for a Home Warranty, we want to remind you to contact us at 833-544-8273 for any information regarding repairs to your laundry unit.
1. DIY Laundry Detergent
Besides being all-natural and cleaning just as well as the store bought kind, homemade laundry detergent is a whole lot cheaper. And, guess what? It is easy to make too. To make a standard batch, combine a ¼ cup of coarse sea salt, a ½ cup each of baking soda and citric acid, a whole cup of washing soda, and one bar of Dr. Bronner’s pure-Castile soap (or another of your choosing). Once you have your ingredients together, grate them finely in a food processor—you can also do this step by hand, just make sure it’s fine. Once grated, mix everything in a large bowl and check for lumps. After that you are ready to wash.
2. Skip the Drier Sheets When Washing Towels
If you are like us, you probably notice that after a few washings towels start getting less absorbent and even begin to take on a funky smell. This trick will save you from having to buy new ones every time that happens. Fabric softener and drier sheets wear out the delicate fibers that make towels so good at soaking. To recharge them, wash hot with a little bit of baking soda and vinegar. When you dry them off, leave out the sheets and they should be as good as new.
3. Un-shrink Clothes with Baby Soap and a Towel
Have you ever been dismayed by a shrunken shirt from the drier and thought there was no solution? Well, with this tip you never need to worry about ruining clothes like that again. Here is what you need: A bucket or sink filled with lukewarm water, baby shampoo, two large, clean bath towels. To start off, fill the bucket (or sink) with the lukewarm water and add a capful of the baby shampoo. Let your shrunken clothes soak in the sudsy water. This relaxes the fibers that shrunk up in the drier. Next, remove the garment from the water and gently wring it out (don’t rinse it!). Next, take the large clean bath towel and lay the clothing flat on it then roll up the towel with the clothing inside. Press gently to absorb some of the moisture into the towel. Your clothing should be damp, but not wet. Finally, to reshape your clothes, grab the second clean bath towel and lay the damp piece of clothing on it. Gently stretch it out as it lays drying. Continue to do this periodically until it has fully dried. Setting up a fan to blow warm air on the item can help speed up the process.
4. Use a Salad Spinner to Ring out Clothes You Don’t Want to Put in the Drier
Feeling antsy about a special item that probably is not drier safe but always takes forever to drier? Or maybe you just don’t want to shrink that shirt you just spent an afternoon re-stretching. Regardless, putting wet clothes from the wash in a salad spinner to remove excess water will cut your air dry time in half.
5. Wash with Salt to Save Your Colors
This trick won’t only keep your brights brighter, it will prevent the dreaded first wash color bleed. Simply toss in a teaspoon of salt for your color loads and you’ll never need to worry about either again.
Our mission at Liberty Home Guard is to simplify home ownership. We hope these tips were helpful to you and will simplify doing laundry in your home.
