Keeping a clean and fresh home is a combination of a lot of little things that all come together to create the right atmosphere. One major facet of keeping your home clean is your laundry. That doesn’t just include your clothing either; it also includes linens from almost every room of the house.
Handling laundry the right way can make one of the biggest differences in your home overall as far as cleanliness goes. It is very common for people to fall into a more relaxed routine with their laundry that leads to a build-up of dust and other mess over time. Don’t worry; this is completely normal for almost everyone; laundry just happens to be one of those things where we slowly condition ourselves over time to ignore it more and more. We have put together a solid list of tips and tricks to use to maximize and perfect your typical laundry routine.
We begin with a rare task indeed, but one that is fundamental to getting the most out of your laundry time. Your laundry is centered around two very important things in your home, your washer and dryer. Before taking your laundry routine to the next level, it is important to clean these two appliances and keep an eye on them in general throughout their usage.
A smelly washer or clogged dryer can be not only super messy but also dangerous as well. A clogged lint trap on your dryer could cause a fire. Leftover water in a washer can lead to ever-growing mildew that gets in your clothes. One way to clean leftover residue in a washing machine is to run about a half cup of white vinegar through the machine once or twice. Cleaning these appliances can get pretty complex, we will go over these two workhorses in a later article for now just know that it is critical to keep these two machines clean from the start.
Next up is the organization. With a large or small family organization is completely necessary when it comes to laundry as it can easily get out of hand and affect the rest of the house. Good laundry organization means having your tools and supplies on hand with all the laundry easy to pick up and go. Having baskets designated for each room is the first step to the organization. Keep all your detergents, softeners, and laundry supplies close by the machines and ready to use. This is also the best area for stain removal pens and garment repair supplies.
Separating the linens into different piles is important as well. For instance, it’s always best to wash towels separately from other clothes due to the heavy fabric and nature of towels in general. Likewise, you’ll want to wash curtains, bathmats, and bedding separately as well. It’s important to establish longer-term intervals for some of these items as they aren’t cleaned as frequently as clothing. Organizing a schedule for the family is a great way to get control of your laundry situation.
When it comes to the wash cycle, you’ll want to consider temperature first. Hot water is best for really dirty outdoor clothes. Warm water will get the most out of a detergent and is better for synthetic materials. Cold water is the most energy efficient for those that are green conscience. Cold isn’t the best for stains so its best for the more lightly soiled items that just need a quick freshening.
Getting your laundry done with more thoughtful and careful consideration is the key to a cleaner and happier home. The benefits of doing laundry like the pros include allergy reduction, dust reduction, and a fresher smelling home.
