Advice about caring for your clothes from someone who loves doing laundry
Laundry is by far the best chore, and you will not change my mind. Being able to just throw your clothes in the washer or dryer and not have to think about it for the next 30 minutes to an hour is way better than washing dishes or cleaning the bathroom. Now I know that motivating yourself to do your laundry, or fold it when it’s done, is extremely challenging for some people, but I promise that just doing this one chore will make a massive difference in how clean your room looks and how put together you feel. Here are some tips to not only take better care of your clothes, but also make the process of doing laundry easier.
- Invest in stain remover spray or OxiClean powder
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The Tide ToGo stick just doesn’t cut it for some stains and stain remover spray has come in handy extremely often for my roommates and me. We also use OxiClean powder mixed into a bucket of water to soak our white clothes that have stains, or to wash our shoes! I also throw some of the powder into the washer when I wash my white sheets and towels to keep them looking bright and smelling fresh (it can really help get rid of the weird mildew smell towels get sometimes). These two items are game-changers when it comes to keeping clothes stain-free.
- Don’t use too much detergent
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I know that many people think that the more detergent you use, the cleaner your clothes will be, but that is actually not the case. This actually makes it harder for the washing machine to get it all out, which means there may be residue left on your clothes after you wash them.
- Pay attention to the temperature you wash your clothes at
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You should wash your white clothes in warm or hot water. On the other hand, you should be washing darker clothes or mixes of dark and light clothes in cold water in order to prevent colors on one item of clothing from bleeding onto another.
- Wash your important clothes inside out
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This one may seem random, but this is recommended by many companies including LuluLemon, Gymshark and other clothing brands you may own. Washing workout gear or clothes that get dirty and sweaty easily inside out can help ensure that those areas that touch your skin get fully cleaned. This also helps clothes not fade as quickly.
- Don’t tumble dry everything
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Items of clothing that I would recommend air drying rather than tumble drying are athletic or athleisure pieces (think leggings, joggers, etc.), jeans or denim, bras, sweaters, nice tops and anything else you don’t want to risk shrinking. Air drying pieces can prevent pilling, shrinking and help the clothes you do put in the dryer dry faster.
- Use wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets
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Not only is this option better for the environment, but it is also better for your clothes. Dryer sheets often leave a residue on your clothes that can make them more flammable, and change the feeling of the material. Wool dryer balls also help the items in the dryer move around more which helps them dry faster. I have found that using dryer balls makes a huge difference in the dryness level of my clothes which is useful in places like apartment buildings and dorms that have communal dryers that don’t work the best.
- Fold your clothes as soon as they are dry
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I know sometimes you don’t have time, or you would rather do something else, but folding your clothes right when they come out of the dryer can prevent wrinkles and also help you to complete the laundry process a lot sooner. This is my least favorite part of doing my laundry (and I think everyone else in the world) so I recommend putting on music or a TV show to keep you entertained while you fold! Just think of how much better you’ll feel if you fold your clothes right away compared to if you just throw them on your bed or leave them in your hamper.
- Lastly, have an organization system that works for you
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Washing and putting away your clothes is so much easier when you know everything has a place and where to put it. If folding is not your thing, put similar items in baskets or drawers together so they are sorted when you want to find something specific. I have issues remembering what items of clothing I own so I have found the Marie Kondo folding method works well for me for t-shirts and pants because you can see everything more easily than if they were stacked. The most important laundry tip I can give you is to do what works best for you.
I know that for many people doing their laundry is a difficult, time-consuming task, but I promise that if you keep up with it and take good care of your clothes you will thank me someday. Remember that laundry is morally neutral and not doing it often or falling behind on it is okay, especially for hard-working college students! Take care of yourself first and your clothes second.