If you’ve ever had a piece of clothing, a dish towel, or even a pillowcase that has an unpleasant odor or difficult stains you just can’t seem to shake, you’re not alone. To remove certain household stains and odors requires a little more than just detergent.
That’s why we turned to the experts, from Toronto, CA to San Diego, CA, to share their laundry room hacks. Learn how to combat these stubborn stains and odors to keep your clothes smelling fresh and looking neat. Plus, learn laundry room organization ideas so you can tackle your piles of laundry more efficiently.
Baking soda and vinegar work like magic
Most people believe adding extra detergent to a wash load helps alleviate bad odors. On the contrary, extra detergent leaves a residue, and extra residue creates trapped odors on the fabric. The best laundry room hack is adding half a cup of vinegar or baking soda to the rinse cycle. – Press Technologies
If you want to remove strong smells from your favorite clothes, baking soda is a great natural remedy. Make a paste of baking soda and warm water, then rub it into the problem areas. You can also leave it on overnight or just let it work its magic for 15 minutes before washing as usual. – Great American Laundry
Look to synthetic-free detergent
Oftentimes bad odors on clothes can be caused by using too much detergent or build-up from synthetic detergents and fragrances over the course of time. Switching to a synthetic-free laundry soap could be the best laundry room hack for your clothes and washing machine. For really stinky clothes, you can also use a laundry stripping solution – just mix laundry soap with a little borax and dissolve in hot water, then soak clothes for a few hours. – Ingredients Matter
Treat stains quickly and gently before getting aggressive
Jumping to harsh chemicals such as bleach may cause more harm than good for the integrity of the fabric. Cold water and mechanical action is always step one. Other household basics that we like to use are hydrogen peroxide for blood, ammonia for sweat stains or urine, and vinegar/baking soda for miscellaneous stains. Most of these products you probably already have in your home. – Ian’s Dry Clean & Laundry Delivery
Wash every load with Ozone
Ozone is a natural cleaner that sanitizes your clothes, makes them softer to the touch, and gives your garments the “clothesline fresh” smell. Ozone systems can be found at cutting-edge laundromats and personal Ozone systems can be found at Amazon, too. – Curbside Laundries
Organize your laundry room according to the movement of clothes
If you’re looking for convenience and efficiency in your laundry room, start with a functional assignment of location. Think about the logistics of doing your laundry from the movement of clothes from the hamper into the machine, the dryer, and folding – organize the room functionally around those logistics and add in storage for easy access based on the timing of those needs. For example, store detergent within reach of the washer and store dryer sheets within reach of the dryer. Lastly, a dedicated folding space will keep your space clean of clutter and make sure you avoid the mistake of re-hampering clean clothes. – Lucy’s Laundry
Laundry room hack: Treat stains immediately
Sometimes we spill wine at dinner and wait until we return home. Treat any stain immediately using club soda, baking soda, and simple cold water. This laundry room hack is sure to extend the life of your clothes. – Sudsy Water Laundry & Dry Cleaners
Ensure your clothes are actually clean after washing
Best laundry room hack for clean laundry? Don’t overstuff the washer because fabrics rub together, wear sooner, clothes won’t get as clean, and they’ll wrinkle more after washing. – Got Laundry?
Tips according to the type of stain
Grease/oil stains: Act fast with greasy stains as they can soak into fabric quickly. Blot the stained area with a paper towel to absorb excess grease and keep it from spreading. Next, rub the stain with a few drops of dishwashing liquid and let sit for a few minutes. Then, scrub the area gently with a clean soft-bristled toothbrush and toss it in the washer. Sunscreen stains: Sunscreen often leaves rust-colored rings around the collar and sleeves. Put the shirt in a bucket or tub and sprinkle the stained area with baking soda plus 2-3 drops of liquid dish soap. Then, fill the bucket/tub with hot water until the garment is fully saturated and let it soak for 30-60 minutes. If necessary, scrub the area gently with a soft-bristle toothbrush. Once the stain has faded, wash the garment in the hottest cycle the care tag recommends. Makeup stains: Makeup stains are easy to treat if you act quickly. First, scrape any excess product off the area with a spatula, using caution not to spread the stain. Use a q-tip dipped in oil-free makeup remover or a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid to dab the area to saturate – don’t rub. After a few minutes, rinse the stained area under cold water, then wash in a cold cycle (or as directed by the care tag). – Laundry Care
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