clean laundry

Whether you’ve been doing laundry for 50 years, or your mom just finally gave up on doing yours, I think we all need to revisit the basics every once in a while. Here is the Clutter Free Guide to having clean laundry every single day. (And don’t miss this offer from Grove.co for their free laundry kit. Squee!)

Clean Laundry How Tos:

Remove Stains

The most important thing to know about stain removing?
Do it right away.
The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get that stain out.

I keep a bottle of stain remover right by our laundry basket so I can spray as dirty laundry goes in.

If you have some really tough stains? Here is my sister-in-law Lucinda’s Sure Fire Stain Removal System if you need a little inspiration. I can attest to her method.

Sorting

Each family has it’s own unique sorting piles. Here’s my system:

  • Anything that wrinkles (my hubby’s work shirts, my cotton shirts and pants, etc.)
  • Whites
  • Colored underwear, socks
  • Delicates (I use these mesh lingerie bags to keep hooks from getting caught on other items or in the washer.)
  • Jeans, sweats and towels
  • Everything else (t-shirts, tank tops, pajamas, dishtowels) sometimes combined with jeans, etc.
  • Sheets

Find the Suds You Love

Laundry pods are a gift from the heavens.
I love just throwing them in the tub and letting the magic go from there.
And these Method pods are perfect for my hubby who hates a strong smell and for me who can be sensitive to soaps.

clean laundry

First, grab this free set of method free & clear laundry packs + Grove wool dryer balls + free shipping & 60 day VIP trial with your first order of $20 from Grove Collaborative.

clean laundry

 

Summer is the Time for Drying Racks and Clothes Lines

I line dry a lot of my stuff most of the year round (that is the wonderful thing about not having kids at home – we have a bathroom with a tub that is never used. OK, one of the wonderful things…) but in the summer, I move my operation outside so that I can take advantage of the fresh air and sun that makes drying faster.  I’ve used this Amazon Basics Foldable Drying Rack for years and absolutely love it (and it folds up pretty flat for times it needs to be put away.)

When You Do Need to Dry Things: Experience the Magic of the Wool Ball

OK – these things are magic.

MAGIC. They left me with soft clothes, no static cling, and no added chemicals or weird, chemically smell. And they last for 1000 loads.

What!?!

Oh – and I can just leave them in the dryer between loads?

I am a wool ball convert.

Clean Laundry

You just throw the three balls in with your load in the dryer and they act the same as dryer sheets. Only better for the environment, less expensive, and awesome.

OH – and if you want a little fragrance? Customize a laundry scent that will make you smile every time you get a whiff of your clothing. Just pick your favorite essential oil and apply a few dabs to your wool dryer balls for a fresh load of laundry.

I can’t tell you how happy this makes me.

 

The Secret to Clean Laundry – Putting it Away (and why that is the hardest part to actually accomplish)

Laundry isn’t done until it’s put away. For years I was great at the wash, dry and fold… and then well that’s when I pooped out. Because:

  1. It felt like I’d done enough.
  2. Honestly, putting the clothes away was the hardest part.

What I realized was that I resisted putting the clean laundry away because my drawers and closet were already so jam-packed, there was no place to put the clean clothes. It was so much easier just living out of a laundry basket.

But it really wasn’t.

What changed my whole attitude about putting laundry away was cleaning out my drawers of all the things that I wasn’t wearing – you know – the layer at the bottom with the t-shirts that aren’t cute, the sweats that don’t fit, and the PJs that are uncomfortable, but you keep, just in case you’re on vacation and all your favorite pajamas are in your luggage that gets lost on your trip to Chicago (we cluttery people are the best at worst-case scenarios…)

So before doing your next load of laundry, unload your drawers of all the clothes you don’t wear on the regular. Your last step, “put away” will be so much easier.

Spend a few minutes now to make your laundry a much more enjoyable experience every single day. (And think of me while you’re doing it, just feeling so satisfied in the fact that you kinda like doing laundry now that it’s not scattered all over your bedroom…)

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