The Most Useful Clothing And Laundry Hacks
Our clothes protect us from inclement weather, insect bites, and skin-irritating plants, and help keep us warm or cool, depending on the climate. But as helpful as our clothes can be, they can cause headaches too — wrinkles, stains, and laundry difficulties are everyday annoyances I’m sure we’re all familiar with!
But clothing conundrums and laundry problems don’t have to be something that derails your day. With a few helpful supplies and a little know-how, you can solve those laundry issues quickly and easily!
Related: 9 Smart Hacks That Will Make Laundry Day Easier
In this post, you’ll find 6 laundry hacks that represent simple and effective solutions to common laundry problems. With the help of these hacks, you’ll be able to solve clothing and laundry problems quickly and get on with your day!
6 Common Laundry Problems And Their Simple Solutions
Problem #1: Your bedding balls up in the dryer.
The Solution: To prevent bedding from twisting itself into ball, add wool dryer balls to your dryer when drying sheets, duvet covers, and other bedding items. They help maintain pockets of air between layers of fabric, both speeding up drying times and preventing wrinkles. (Some insist that tennis balls offer the same benefits, but wool dryer balls are much less noisy!)
These benefits were noticed immediately by one reviewer: “I am very happy with my purchase of the wool dryer balls. I used them for drying my sheets and it was the first time I didn’t have a pillow case or sheet rolled up and still wet at the end of the cycle. Saved me the time of additional drying!“
Problem #2: Your clothes are wrinkled and you’re in a hurry.
The Solution: When time is of the essence, don’t bother pulling out your iron and ironing board. You can steam the wrinkles out of any clothing item in minutes! My dryer actually has a steam setting, so I can just toss my wrinkled item(s) in, let them steam for 10 minutes or so, and they’re good to go!
You can achieve the same effect even without a special steam setting. Just toss your wrinkled item in your dryer along with a damp washcloth. Run your dryer for 10-15 minutes. The water will evaporate off the cloth in the dryer, creating enough steam to eliminate those wrinkles!
Related: This Is The Best Quick Fix For Wrinkled Clothes
Problem #3: The shirt you want to wear smells less than fresh.
The Solution: Have your heart set on wearing a shirt that needs a little freshening up? You can use white vinegar to help eliminate those odors! Use a spray bottle of vinegar to dampen the shirt all over. Toss it in the dryer for a few minutes until it’s dry again. The vinegar will leave the shirt smelling much fresher (and don’t worry, the vinegar smell disappears too!)
Related: How To Make Scented Cleaning Vinegar
Problem #4: Your collar isn’t lying flat.
The Solution: Your button-up shirt may look nice and pressed, but collars themselves tend of have a mind of their own! If your collar is looking curled or creased, grab your flat iron! Your hair straightener is the perfect tool to use for quick collar touch-ups. They heat up quickly, so you can fix your collar even when you’re in a hurry.
Related: The One Easy Thing That Keeps Collared Shirts Looking New
Problem #5: You spilled something on your pants at dinner.
The Solution: Food spills are a fact of life, and they happen to everyone! The best way to prevent a spill from becoming a stain is to wash the item right away, but for those occasions when that isn’t possible, I like to use a Tide To Go Pen. It’s easy to carry in my purse and frequently comes in handy!
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To use a stain pen, you just press the tip against the stained area to release the stain remover, then use the tip to rub it into the stain. It helps break up the stain, making it less noticeable in the short term and easier to wash out later on.
Problem #6: You accidentally shrank your favorite shirt.
The Solution: Shrinking something in the wash can be heartbreaking, but it isn’t necessarily a death sentence! There’s a simple 3-step process you can use to un-shrink your clothes. You can get step-by-step details and photos of the process at the link below!
Related: How To Unshrink Your Clothes In 3 Simple Steps
What’s your worst laundry problem?
I’ve actually in recent years started carrying shout wipes with me. I just use them when I’m away from home and eating out. They’re excellent for taking care of small stains on the go. I definitely won’t take trips without them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I read your tips every day and admit, I love white vinegar too, I don’t buy fabric softener any more, just half a cup of white vinegar and a cap full of Zoflora Zesty Lemon, washing smells fresh, is soft even though I rarely use my dryer.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Also I sew and do embroidery, I use a pair of hair straighteners to press all kinds of fiddly little things, they heat up quick and I don’t need to get the ironing board out either.
I actually tried the trick for getting stains out of collars. It was on Men’s white dress shirts. I used the Dawn and Peroxide. It didn’t take the ring out completely- but they look 100% better.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Amazing! My first ever tumble dryer is being delivered on Saturday. I’m so excited, and I keep reminding myself to download the instructions, as I’ve read (and I know from experience) that the instructions are always both difficult to read and to understand; downloading them might solve at least one of those problems. It’s a heat pump dryer so doesn’t need to have a hole in the wall.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I m looking for the recipe for home made easy ironing spray.. lost it, it.s with warm water, cornflour, drops of essentiel oil, does somebody know ?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I never would’ve thought to spray vinegar on my less than fresh smelling clothes. I will definitely have to try that! Thank you!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love vinegar! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I carry a piece of white chalk in my purse to rub on grease spots that I get from greasy foods. The chalk absorbs the grease and lightens the spot so that it seems to disappear. Brush off the excess chalk until the spot looks like the rest of the fabric. I use chalk on stubborn grease spots that remain after washing, too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t like the smell of vinegar, I use Downey Febreze to make clothes smell good before wearing. But the Unstoppables are also great to use and they make clothes smell great for weeks. I even sprinkle them around my clothes to add to the smell.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The most annoying thing is having to do the laundry in the first place.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love all the hints I get on this site. In the last week or two, I have found it very difficult and frustrating to be able to Pin anything on either my MacBook or my iPad – in the past I had no trouble at all. Now the Pin symbols only appear on the sides or the top, not over the pictures and when I click on them – everything seems to just freeze up and I have to reopen the article again …. with the same results. Has anyone else been having this problem?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Denise, I’m so sorry for the hassle! I would actually suggest pinning straight from my Pinterest profile – it should be much easier this way! https://www.pinterest.com/byjillee/
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m actually in the midst of one of these tricks. I recently moved so some of my clothes smell a bit like a cardboard box, but didn’t need to be washed. I tossed them into the dryer with a fabric softener sheet to make them smell fresh again! I’m thinking that my next load will include a damp wash cloth! Thanks Jillee! Have a bright & cheery day everyone!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve also thrown a cup of ice in the dryer with a drop of my favorite EO and this works just as well.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love this idea! I’m not a huge fan of the fabric softener sheets. I know there’s a post here somewhere about how to make your own. I’ll have to look it up. Thanks for the idea Rachel!
Here’s my post about DIY dryer sheets: https://jillee.co/2v1XhMN :-)
Well, that couldn’t be any easier! Thanks Jillee!
Any tips or tricks on how to “shrink” an article of clothing? (i.e. a rayon/cotton top) I’ve washed in hot water and dried on high heat and it didn’t work. I seem to be able to shrink things I don’t want shrunk! Thanks!
Hi Stephanie! You can bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the item of clothing, and then remove from the heat. Leave it for about 5 minutes, then wring it out and toss in the dryer. Good luck!
I’ll give it a shot, thanks Jillee!
I wet the fabric softener sheets first to ‘bounce’ wrinkles when I forgot clothes/sheets, etc. in the dryer.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Tracey the easy way to fold a fitted sheet is how you hang it when it is wet. I peg the corners together and then fold the sides in to make a neat sheet. They dry easy this way and when you remove just fold it in to a neat square straight from the washing line. Hope this helps. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sounds good. I’ll give it a try. Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Any advice for folding a fitted sheet? Mine always end up looking balled up and a wrinkly mess.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Tracey! I have a tip for folding fitted sheets in this post: https://jillee.co/2v1uVSZ
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great ideas. I’ve done the toss wrinkled stuff in the dryer before. A lot of times it’s stuff I’ve washed on delicate it saves a lot of time. I’ve had the issue with smelly clothes before. Usually it’s with smelly work clothes with no time to wash. I use some febreze for those emergencies.. I love the Tide pens. They are great for spills. When I’m on the go. Also shout wipe n go packets are good too. The only place I can find them is Walmart.
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