8 Tips on How to Do Laundry Better

If there’s one task in this world that everyone loves to hate, it’s laundry. There’s simply no escaping it. Or is there? Check out these super-easy laundry tips for putting an end to the never-ending cycle of, well, never-ending cycles. 

1. Presort Laundry by Color and Material 

Why dig through dirty hampers to find like colors when you can just do the work right from the get-go? Buy an extra hamper or two for easy sorting and save those few precious minutes for something more enjoyable. 

2. Wash Laundry Items Faster 

If you’ve ever wondered what the quick wash setting on your washer was for, you’re overthinking it. It does exactly what it sounds like. Assuming your clothes aren’t caked in dirt, try the Quick Wash option and you can cut your time by as much as half.  

3. Dry Clothes and Other Laundry Items Faster 

Turns out there’s a trick for this one as well. Next time you throw a load in the dryer, add in a nice, dry, fluffy towel and watch it do what a towel does best. 

4. Eliminate Lint Balls 

Is your sweater suffering from a lint-festation? No worries. Just use a pumice stone to rub loose any lint and pilling, then use a lint roller to pick ‘em right up. 

5. Work Out the Wrinkles  

You know what makes a great iron? A dryer. Just throw a small, wet towel in with your dry and wrinkled item and run on a quick 5-10 minute drying cycle. It will be wrinkle-free in no time. 

6. Ironing Pleats 

Do you have some nice, pleated slacks that are not-so-nice to iron? Try using bobby pins to hold the pleats in place when you iron them. Talk about simplicity! 

7. Un-shrink Clothes 

It may sound like magic, but we assure you this laundry hack is for real. Just fill up a sink with lukewarm water, pour in a capful of baby shampoo, and let the garment soak it in for about five minutes. Remove the item from the sink and squeeze out the excess water, but do NOT rinse it. Next, lay out the garment on a dry beach towel and roll it up inside to soak up even more. Then, on a new towel, lay the garment out once again, but this time, stretch the loose fibers until they’re officially back to their original size and shape. Presto!  

8. Comforter Cleaning

Most comforters are WAY too big to fit in your washer or dryer. Fortunately, you can always head to a laundromat, the dry cleaner, or simply air it out on a clothing line on a sunny day. There are plenty of benefits to line-drying laundry. 
 
While none of these laundry tips and tricks will get you completely out of laundry duty, they sure can come in handy. Give ‘em a try this week and start freeing up time to enjoy the better things in life – like just about anything else. 
 
Craving one less thing to worry about when it comes to doing laundry? Protect your washer, dryer, and other major home systems and appliances with American Home Shield^® Home Service Plan.