4 Brilliant Ways To Turbo-Boost Your Laundry Routine

How can I conquer Mount Washmore?

This is something you guys ask me all the time and you know, R&D dollars are going into driverless vehicles right now instead of laundry bots, which would be my solution. So until they get us all in driverless cars and start funneling money into the next most important project, laundry bots, I am going to give you a few handy laundry tips to help you conquer the ever challenging Mount Washmore, while of course, spending less time doing so. If you put these into practice I am confident you’ll get better results in less time. Here’s how I turbo-boost my laundry routine!

Build a Load into your Daily Routine

I know that laundry, like dishes and dusting, is an ongoing job and one that is often not remembered until it’s late at night, or right before someone’s particular clean garment is needed, like, 5 minutes ago. It always builds up and seems like it never ends!

So, to get a handle on it and ensure I’ve got clean clothes without being dramatic, what I’ve found to be the most manageable way to keep on top of it is to build doing a load into my morning routine. When I get up in the morning, I take a load of laundry down and put it through before I make breakfast or feed the cats. Then, by the time I’m ready to leave for work, I place the laundry in the dryer or hang it up and all I need to do is put it away at the end of the day. It takes me under 3 minutes to get the load started and just under 5 to get everything set up for drying, and of course folding and putting away takes about 10 or so minutes.  During folding, Chad and I catch up or I flick on YouTube and watch something to keep me entertained.

I can easily spare under 20 minutes a few times a week to stay on top of my laundry, in fact, it seems so much faster when I effectively multi-task and work it in to other things I’m doing. I do this every other day or so and can get 3 loads a week done (sometimes I’ll sub in a load of clothing for a load of towels, like I did this morning). So think about your routine and how you can weave laundry in!

Clean My Space is full of laundry tips that will boost your efficiency and effectiveness in no time!

Pre-Treat Stains with Blue Dawn!

You have the best chance of completely removing a stain if you treat it immediately and properly which saves you from bidding farewell to a garment or repeatedly trying to solve a stain conundrum. So, as soon as you get a stain like blueberries, oil, spaghetti sauce or even blood, follow these simple steps to stain removal mastery using nothing more than Dawn (it’s actually amazing what a drop of Dawn can do in this situation)!

First, blot the stain with a paper towel resting the underside of the garment on your hand. The blotting helps absorb the stain and prevents it from spreading, and by placing your hand under the layer of fabric which is stained, you prevent it from transferring to the clean layer. Then, apply a quarter sized squirt of Dawn to the stain and rub it in gently with your fingertips, ensuring you cover the entire area of fabric with the stain. Make sure you get the back side of the stained fabric too; the stain can set on both sides!  Then wash normally.

I’ve found blue Dawn works well for cotton and poly cotton garments, for other garment types, check the care label and use an appropriate pre-treater! I have saved so many garments with Dawn; I actually just keep a bottle beside my laundry detergent!  Keeping your pre-treater on-hand takes the panic out of stain removal and makes it straightforward and effective.

Use Less Detergent

Many times, clothing can come out looking dull or feeling waxy. I’ve talked about this tip before and trust me, I know it seems like the only way to deal with a heavily soiled load of laundry is with a gallon of laundry detergent, but there’s a really good reason they tell you exactly how much detergent to use right on the bottle. Rather than spending time re-washing things or dealing with dull looking clothing, do it right the first time and only use the prescribed amount of detergent.

Here’s what happens: Too much detergent will leave not only a soapy residue on your clothes, but it also gunks up the insides of your washing machine and your dryer. The normal rinse cycle isn’t designed to deal with a boat load of laundry detergent so stick to the instructions! This is especially true for high-efficiency machines (HE) which use less water and require less detergent to provide you with an effective clean. Your machine is put at a disadvantage with too much detergent, so help it out and let it do its thing so you get better results!

Don’t Wash Your Clothing Too Much

I think we’re all guilty of this one at some point, because it’s easier to throw those jeans in the hamper than it is to hang them up. That said, the best way to keep your clothes looking good for longer is not to wash them too often! You see, most clothes can be worn multiple times before washing (just don’t let your jeans stand up on their own!) which not only allows the colors to stay more vibrant and the fabrics to last longer, it also allows you to save water, electricity – and more importantly – you’ll have less laundry to do! How awesome is that?!

I suggest creating a policy where household members have to inspect garments after each wear to check for smells and stains, otherwise the garment goes back into a closet or drawer. To preserve the lifespan of a wash, hang the garment up or fold it as soon as you take it off, don’t let it go on the floor (another great policy to implement, if you can)! That way you avoid wrinkles and keep the bedroom looking neater.  This reduces the workload for the resident launderer and teaches everyone a lesson about conservation at the same time.  Two birds, one stone.

So, I’ll keep you posted on the laundry bot front, but until then, I hope these tips help you get your laundry done. If you want to find out how else you can use Dawn around your home, there’s tons of information on some very unique and unexpected uses, and you can visit Dawn-Dish.com/BeyondTheSink to learn more.

If you’re looking for more tips and tricks to keep in mind when cleaning around the house check out our E-Book Bundle! It gives you access to our E-Books My 3-Wave Cleaning System, 50 DIY Cleaning Recipes, and The Complete Guide to Essential Oils!

Disclosure: We are working with Dawn on a project sharing creative ways to use Dawn around the house with all of you.  It’s a project we’ve been absolutely thrilled to work on and we thank you for your support. #spon