Summer time is here and it can be one of the most fun seasons of the year, but with it comes its share of housekeeping challenges. Being more active outdoors means more laundry for you and that laundry piles up quickly. From simple yard work to jumping in the pool your family will definitely be changing clothing more often during these long summer days. The following are some tips to help you keep your head above water when it comes to dealing with summer laundry.
Summer Laundry Tips | Wash Dry Fold Raleigh NC
1. It isn’t necessarily dirty after the first wear.
Things like jeans, shorts, towels, and of course bathing suits do not have to be washed every time they are used. A swimsuit should be rinsed and hung up to dry between uses. A rule of thumb is if it is not visibly dirty and it does not smell, it can be worn again without being washed.
2. Have the kids help out.
Since they are most likely the creators of the extra dirty laundry, let them help make your life a bit easier. Some simple things they can do are:
- Separate their dirty clothes into lights and dark’s.
- Neatly put away their clean clothes.
- Take a few moments and be sure their clothes are right side out to help cut down on your folding and hanging time.
And while we are on this subject an ounce of prep is worth a pound of lint. Take a few moments before starting up the machine to get your clothing ready and save yourself a huge headache later.
3. Get rid of summer stains.
From sunscreen to barbeques, playing in the grass and in the dirt….you are lucky if you can go even one day without getting some sort of serious stain on your clothes. Check out our previous blog posts for getting out individual tough stains as well as some common summer time stains. Have your kids help with this issue by pointing out when they get a stain and then you know which clothes need pre-treated before they go into the washing machine. Teach all family members to sort and separate their laundry into three piles….Whites, light colors, and dark’s. Here are some less obvious but very helpful sorting tips.
- Separate lint producers such as towels and blankets from those that seem to be lint magnets like corduroy and fleece.
- Natural fibers from synthetic fibers because they tend to dry at different rates.
- Tough fabrics such as Jeans from more delicate fabrics such as a lace camisole.
- Keep lingerie and your hosiery in a mesh bag for washing. This will ensure straps and hose will not get tangled up while washing.
- Wash clothing with bright colors on white such as a striped shirt separately the first time you wash it in case the dye runs. This way only one garment is ruined instead of an entire load of laundry.
4. Keep Organized.
Investing in a couple of extra laundry hampers can make a huge difference when clothes seem to be migrating all over the place. Put one in each room for every member of your family. You can also put a hamper in the bathroom or linen closet so that towels and linens are all together. These things will make your laundry collecting rounds much easier, and will encourage everyone to put their dirty clothes in the hamper and not just on the floor.
5. Be sure to put those winter clothes away!
This is a laundry necessity! Winter clothes are bulky and they take so much longer to wash and dry. Keep those winter clothes from getting into the summer wardrobe and causing clutter by washing, bagging up and storing them at the beginning of the summer. That way the only clothes you are dealing with are lightweight shorts and t-shirts.
6. No Socks.
Hopefully you and your family love sandals and flip flops! By implementing a “NO SOCKS” summertime rule you can cut down on the laundry load and reduce the amount of time you spend looking for the mates to socks. At least those the washer did not eat!
Laundry Express | Wash Dry Fold Raleigh NC
By picking a time every few days to tackle laundry and having the whole family help to organize and thus cut down on their laundry you can make the busiest laundry season seem effortless. One of our best tips is to do a load of laundry a day – start to finish. This means put in a load to wash, then dry, and finish with folding and putting up. And if you have to much to handle on your own, give us a call at Laundry Express. We offer a wash dry fold in Raleigh NC to help you with all your laundry chores!
