Looking for laundry hacks to help you have the softest, best smelling, clean laundry ever? Try out these useful laundry tips and tricks!
Having fresh and clean laundry is a beautiful luxury. There’s nothing as comfy and cozy as soft, delightful smelling clean clothes, blankets, and towels.
If you’re anything like me, then you are always looking for clever laundry hacks to try out that make doing the laundry even more rewarding.
These laundry hacks are total game-changers. They will help decrease your laundry time, fight wrinkles, and emerge with the most beautiful scented laundry!
This post is all about the 14 most clever and useful laundry hacks to help you improve your laundry skills.
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Hacks For Great Smelling Laundry
A Mist Of Perfume
Try lightly misting perfume from a distance above the garment and then iron. As the iron releases the wrinkles, the fragrance will set into the fabric and should last all day. (A word of caution: be careful that you do not use a perfume with a color that will stain fabrics. Also, make sure that you are aware of the garment’s fabric and care instructions before ironing.)
Essential Oil & Paper Towels
If you add a few drops of your favorite scented essential oil to a few sheets of paper towels and drop them into the dryer instead of dryer sheets, the scent will be diffused into garments as they dry. (This also works with wool dryer balls or tennis balls). (Be careful not to add too much oil because oil can stain fabrics.)
Lavender Pouches
Trader Joe’s makes readymade pouches that you can purchase. However, it’s easy to make your own and they last for about 5-10 cycles. To make your own, all you need are small cotton muslin bags and dried lavender. Feel free to add a few drops of essential oil to the muslin pouches for even more fragrance.
If you prefer a different scent, you can pretty much use any dried flower that you love the scent of. Other dried plants and herbs such as lemon balm, mint, rosemary, or thyme, also work great.
Epsom Salt & Essential Oil
Add about 10 drops of your favorite essential oil for every 1 cup of epsom salt to create your scented salt. Mix well and store in an airtight container. When you’re ready to use, pour about 1/4 cup of scented salt directly into the drum of your washing machine.
Hacks For Treating Wrinkles
Ice Cubes In The Dryer
Place 2-3 ice cubes (depending on the size of the load) into the dryer right before turning it on. The steam created by the heat of the dryer mixed with the small amounts of melted water from the ice cubes, will release wrinkles automatically.
Damp Washcloth Or Sock
Adding a damp washcloth, or even a sock, could be used in much the same way as ice cubes. The damp item will help to create steam in the dryer, attacking the wrinkles in fabric.
DIY Wrinkle Sprays
Create a spray mixture of 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar. Shake well and spray onto a hanging garment.
Another mixture to try is 1 teaspoon of fabric softener, 1 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol (to help the liquid evaporate quickly), and 1 cup of water mixed and added to a spray bottle. Give your garment a spritz and smooth out the wrinkles with clean hands. I love this fabric softener from The Laundress because the scent is positively beautiful, but try this new Downy Calm fabric softener for an affordable option that smells just as beautiful!
Fold Laundry Right Away
This is probably the simplest hack on the list. When you hear the dryer go off, take out the items right away and fold them. Folding or hanging items immediately will ensure that wrinkles don’t have a chance to settle and crease fabric. The fabric will cool and set nice and smooth and wrinkle-free!
Add Dryer Balls
Wool dryer balls or clean tennis balls aid in preventing wrinkles. This works especially well with heavier items like blankets and sheets. As the dryer spins, the balls will bounce around and beat the fabric, constantly moving and opening it up in the heat. Make sure that your dryer isn’t too stuffed so that the dryer balls have room to work.
Hacks For The Softest Laundry
Use Less Detergent
If you start to notice that your towels are feeling a bit stiff try using a little less laundry detergent than the packaging recommends. Towels often begin to feel stiff from soapy residue and buildup. By using a little less soap, the washing machine’s rinse cycle will have an easier time fully rinsing out any remaining soap bits.
Wash In Warm Water
Warm water mixes with detergent better, which means less buildup on your items. If you want to take it a step further, try letting your washing machine run for about 1-2 minutes with the soap in it first before putting in your items such as towels. This should provide enough time for the soap to fully dissolve in the water.
Use A Vinegar Rinse
Many fabric softeners contain silicon that can prevent items from really getting a good wash. Instead of fabric softener, try using 1 cup of white distilled vinegar every six weeks. This will help to remove soapy residue. Simply run the items or towels through a regular washing cycle first, then run them a second time using vinegar instead of soap. The vinegar scent should not be detectable by the time the load has finished the rinse cycle, but I love using this cleaning vinegar from The Laundress for its delicate, clean scent.
Use Baking Soda
Add about a 1/2 cup of baking soda to your regular laundry detergent. The baking soda is abrasive yet gentle, so will help to loosen up fibers and clean off dirt and chemicals, making laundry softer. In addition, baking soda also naturally eliminates odors that may have built up on fabrics.
*BONUS TIP*
Use Table Salt To Remove Oil Stains
This works on almost every fabric! If you get a splash of grease or oil onto your clothing, first soak the area with water. Then apply a small amount of sudsy dish soap; using a small brush like a toothbrush would be best. I love Dawn’s blue original dish soap the most. Just make sure you make it sudsy first. Don’t apply colored soap directly to the fabric to avoid further staining. Gently buff out the stain as best as you can. If you want to also add a sprinkle of baking soda to the mixture to add some extra abrasion, you can. Rinse the soap out well and pat the fabric dry as much as possible. Then cover the remaining stain with table salt. Be sure to pack on a generous amount of salt and completely cover the area. Leave for a few hours or overnight, until the fabric is completely dry. Brush off the salt, and wash as usual. The salt absorbs the oil, sucking it right out of the fabric like magic!
Hopefully these laundry hacks will help you to solve all of your laundry dilemmas! If you have any additional laundry hacks to add to the list, please leave them in the comments below!
This post was all about the 14 most clever and useful laundry hacks to help you improve your laundry skills.
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