10 Laundry Hacks For Mom

Laundry. The never ending chore. Even when you are caught up, the clothes you are wearing now have to be washed! Add a few kids and it sometimes seems like you are drowning in it. I have found a few laundry hacks that will have you conquering and controlling those laundry piles for good in no time at all.

This post is sponsored by P&G. Ideas and opinions are my own.

Socks in lingerie bag- Use a clothes pin to clip a lingerie bag to the side of your clothes baskets. When you or your kids takes off their socks, throw them in the bag. When you gather laundry simply slip the bag off, zip it closed, and throw it in the wash with everything else. No searching for lost socks or loosing them in the wash.

Ice Cube in Dryer– When you throw a wrinkled piece of laundry in the dryer, throw in an ice cube. The cold water will help release tough wrinkles.

Dry Erase Reminders– Is there anything worse than pulling out those pants that “absolutely can’t be dried” out of the dryer? Next time you throw something in the wash that can’t be dried, make a note of it with dry erase marker right on the machine. That way you won’t forget and if someone else switches the laundry they will know too!

Clean Your Iron with Dryer Sheets– Turn the setting of the iron on low and rub a few dryer sheets over the bottom of your iron until you remove the all that dirt and grime that has gathered. Finally, iron on a clean rag to remove any traces of residue from the dryer sheets before using it on your clothing.

Pillow Cases to Store Sheet Sets– My hall closet was filled with piles of sheets that were always getting tipped over. Then I learned this trick. Take the pillow case from the set and use it to hold the coordinating sheets. No searching for matching sets. No piles falling down when someone grabs the bottom sheet in the stack. If you have different sized beds, make note of what size the set is on masking tape, tape it to the edge of the pillow case.

Use Fabric Conditioner– Do you shower and forget to condition your hair? I doubt it. Your clothes are the same way. Using fabric conditioner keeps your clothes looking fresh and helps prevent fading. I am amazed at the difference it makes on my children’s clothes. They are so hard on clothing with their spills and play, but the conditioner keeps their favorite pieces looking their best. I love the smell and performance of Downy Fabric Conditioner.

Treat Stains Quick- If you can’t get something in the wash right away, make sure you treat that stain immediately. It will keep the stain from setting until you can wash it.

Touch Once– This habit saves me the most time when doing laundry. When you remove clothing from the dryer, touch it once. If it needs to go on a hanger, do it then. If it needs folded, fold it. Don’t throw it in a basket, take it to the living room, fold it, take it upstairs and unfold it and hang it up! What a waste of time and energy. Touch each item once!

Pick a Day– Everyone has to find a laundry system that works for them. I have tried one load a day, but what really works for me it to have a laundry day. Pick a day in your week where you stay home. We stay in our pjs to make it fun. I pick a day where we don’t have anywhere to go and I get things done around the house while I change out loads and put laundry away.

Mix loads– It really is silly to do my husband’s and my colors separate from my kid’s. Since we do laundry all on one day we put it all in a big pile and sort from there. Saves me time supplies and money.

Did you know that June is National Safety Month? Take a minute and make sure that your laundry room is a safe space in your home. Here are a few tips:

Never let your child under the age of six help with detergent or cleaning agent of any kind. Teach them that laundry packets and detergent should be handled with care and they should not touch it, just like you would any other cleaning agent.

Keep all of your cleaning products in their original packaging. Packaging is designed to help you use the product correctly, it includes instructions and warnings for correct use of the products.

This summer, Tide will offer the first-ever child-resistant bag design on their liquid laundry detergent packets nationwide. The new bag with a Child-Guard zipper passed stringent child resistance tests and provides the same high standard of protection commonly available on medications and other household cleaners, such as bleach. In addition to child resistant packaging, P&G’s PODS have a bitter taste added to the outer layer as a deterrent.

Most importantly keep your laundry packets up, keep them closed, and keep them safe.

What is your favorite laundry hack?