7 Laundry Hacks That Will Save Your Life (or At Least Your Time!)

Today we’re talking about a few laundry hacks that will make your life so much easier! Laundry is one of those things that just NEVER seems to be done. How can it be? We wear clothes every day, right? So we perpetually have dirty laundry. If you have a big family, you can easily end up with a fresh load every single day!

In my house, it’s just my son and me. You’d think that would mean less laundry, but really, it doesn’t. My kid wears enough clothes for three kids. Trust me, it’s true. He has his boring “dress code” clothes for school, his after-school clothes and his pajamas. Three outfits a day. Whole outfits, mind you, because, for some reason, my child insists on changing each time from head to toe, underwear included.

Couple that with the fact that I let the laundry pile up like it’s no one’s business, and laundry day is quite a marathon day for me. I’ve developed a few of my tricks and laundry hacks over the years to make it go faster. I’m going to share them with you!

Related: 7 Clever Hacks For An Organized Fridge

Laundry Hacks & Tips

• Keep them Separated! Not the colors, surprisingly. I haven’t sorted a thing in my life, and all my clothes are fine, but I’m not recommending anyone else try that. Apparently it’s taboo, and people will get very animated if you advise against sorting. No, I mean separate laundry by a family member. Jake’s laundry is done totally separate from mine. That way, I only have to go to his room or my room, not back and forth to both. Everyone gets their baskets. If you’re into sorting, make them sort themselves too.
• Wash Like with Like: Keeping with the above laundry hack, wash your towels with towels, sheets with sheets and so on. Do your underwear and socks together, since they go in similar drawers. This cuts down on all the different spots you have to run to to put everything away. I even save up shirts until I have enough to do a whole load of those alone. Then I just stack them on the bed, insert hangers and hang in one fell swoop.
• De-wrinkle without an iron: My little brother taught me this trick years ago: if your work clothes are wrinkled, and you don’t have time to iron (or don’t know how to use one!), just throw them in the dryer with a damp washcloth for about ten minutes. Take them out and wear your fresh, unwrinkled clothes!
• Make the most of your laundry room space: If you’re lucky enough to have a whole room for doing your laundry, make it count. One thing I love about the house I rent: I have a pretty decent laundry room. The wall is lined with shelves above head level. I think we could make better use by bringing some shelving lower, but overall, it gives us space for things like off-season blankets, extra towels and what not. Even if you just install one shelf above your washer and dryer and one little rack between them, it will help keep things within reach.
• Play tennis with your laundry! Did you know that throwing a few CLEAN tennis balls in with your big comforters and towels will not only fluff them but help them dry faster? True story! Clean, people, clean. As in, not Fido’s favorite chew ball!
• The Lost Mate Rule: After folding laundry, I inevitably end up with mateless socks. I put them in a baggie and stick them in my closet. They get to live there for three more laundry cycles (I add to the baggie each time). Once a month, I go through the bag, reunite lost loves and toss those who just weren’t meant to be with their mates again. If you’re feeling industrious, you can save them to make sock monsters or something. Me? I did that once. I had a 10-gallon garbage bag and 0 socks monsters before I realized that I am just not that crafty.
• Take advantage of “laundry tech” advances: Laundry has come a long way, baby! For instance, you can dry-clean a ton of stuff at home thanks to those home dry cleaning kits. They work, too. My ex-was in the Navy. He wore his dress whites to family functions and got spaghetti sauce on them (I’m pretty sure I’m the one knocked the plate into him). That stuff got it out! We also have all sorts of stain removers, quick detergent “packs” and what not, so use them!

These are just a few of my favorite easy laundry hacks that make my life easier. I hope they help you get through that mountain of laundry a little faster too!

What are your favorite laundry hacks? Tell us in the comments!