1. Use ice to smooth out wrinkles without an iron
When you fail to remove clothes from the dryer right away, wrinkles are bound to develop. Can anything be done to unwrinkle all of those clothes without spending hours ironing them? The answer is, fortunately, a resounding yes. Simply add a handful of ice cubes into the dryer. Run it on high heat for 15 minutes.
The ice cubes will slowly start releasing steam, which will work much like a steam iron, smoothing out the items of clothing. Once the cycle is complete, hang and fold the items up immediately.
This is not the only ironing alternative we’ve got. Read more on the topic here - 9 Hacks to Unwrinkle Your Clothes.
2. Speed up the drying process
You’ve planned out the perfect outfit before an important meeting, only to find out that your favorite jeans or shirt have a noticeable stain on it. Not only do you need to wash the item, but you also want it out of the dryer, pronto. In emergency situations like this one, we’ve got a trick that will speed up the drying process. Place the freshly washed item into the dryer and add a couple of clean, dry bath towels into the load. The towels will absorb part of the moisture, accelerating the drying process considerably.
3. Unshrink a sweater with hair conditioner
Some clothing, particularly that made of wool, can shrink considerably when exposed to high temperatures. Both your washer and dryer can shrink sweaters and other woolen items of clothing by up to two sizes, if you’re not careful and wash or dry such items on high heat. But before you decide to donate the shrunken sweater or discard it altogether, here’s a trick that can relax and loosen up those wool fibers. Just follow the instructions:
1. Fill a bucket or sink with cool water and dissolve about 1 tablespoon of hair conditioner in the water.
2. Place the shrunken item of clothing into the bucket, massaging the liquid into the fabric.
3. Let it sit for a minimum of 30 minutes.
The hair conditioner relaxes wool fibers, so you will be able to gently pull at the fabric and shape it back into its original condition. Once you’re done reshaping the garment, resist wringing it out. Instead, pat dry with a cloth until it’s no longer soaking wet, and let the garment dry flat on a clean and absorbent towel.
4. Baking soda removes dirt and odors from the washing machine
Is there buildup on the inside of your washing machine? Or maybe, you noticed some unpleasant smells? This is a sign that your washer is due for a scrub, otherwise, the unpleasant smells may start transferring to your clothing too. Luckily, good old baking soda can remove both odors and buildup from your washer.
Add 1 cup of baking soda into the drum of the machine and scrub the inside of the machine with a damp sponge. As the last step, set the washer to the highest temperature and run it empty for 1 cycle, no detergent is necessary. This is just one of the many ways you can use baking soda in your laundry. Read our article titled Baking Soda Is Great For Laundry - Here’s How to Use It for more great tips!
5. Deodorize clothing the natural way
Laundry detergents and softeners tend to have an overly strong scent that can also cause allergies or skin issues in those with sensitive skin. Using unscented laundry detergent is definitely a good choice, but some of us are still craving that extra pleasant and relaxing scent of fresh laundry.
To achieve that effect without the use of detergents and deodorants that are laden with chemicals, try adding your favorite essential oils instead. Lavender is our favorite choice, but any essential oil can do the trick just as well. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil directly into the washer or combine it with a laundry detergent, and your laundry will smell divine!
6. Keep comforters and blankets fluffy
Who needs to buy specialized dryer balls when you’ve got a tennis ball around somewhere in the garage? Simply wrap a tennis ball in an old sock and toss it into the dryer, and you’ve got your own, homemade dryer ball.
For those of you who don’t know what dryer balls are, they are small, usually spiky rubber balls you put in the dryer to speed up the drying process, reduce lint, and keep items fluffy and pleasant to the touch. They’re considered superior to dryer sheets, especially for bulky items like winter jackets, comforters, and blankets.
7. Erase greasy stains with cornstarch
It doesn’t matter if you got cooking oil, lipstick, or chocolate on your clothing, greasy stains can all be quite persistent and difficult to deal with. But if you’ve got some cornstarch on hand, you’ve got nothing to fear. To prevent persistent grease stains and suck out grease from fabrics even before you wash them, follow these steps:
1. Spread a scoop of cornstarch on the grease stain and gently work it into the fabric with your fingers.
2. Let it sit overnight to absorb the grease. To speed up the process, you can heat up the stain with a hairdryer and then add the cornstarch, pressing it into the fabric.
3. Proceed to wash the item of clothing as you normally would.
Bonus tip: cornstarch works for grease stains on carpets and upholstered furniture.
8. Prepare your own wrinkle releaser spray
Wrinkle releaser sprays work in a pinch, I always keep one in my closet. But do you need to go all the way to the store and spend extra money to buy a dedicated product? Of course not! You probably already have all the ingredients you need to make your own wrinkle releaser. Simply mix 2 cups of lukewarm water, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of hair conditioner in a spray bottle, and you’ve got a bottle of wrinkle releaser that works like a dream. Here’s how to use it:
1. Hang the item of clothing on a hanger.
2. Shake the wrinkle releaser well before use and spray the wrinkled item of clothing with a fine mist until it’s almost damp.
3. Pull at the garment delicately to stretch it out until the wrinkles go away.
4. Let dry completely before wearing.
9. How can you organize clothing that’s worn but not dirty?
We ordinarily only wear a T-shirt once and wash it immediately after wear, but other items of clothing don’t benefit from a daily wash. Jeans, sweaters, and jackets don’t need to be washed after every use. In fact, washing them only when they are visibly dirty or smelly will help them last for much longer. But what should you do with these worn clothes that are still kind of clean but not really?
Throwing them on a chair is one option, but it may cause wrinkles and doesn’t look very neat. We say, hang them back up, but be clever and don’t mix them with unworn items in your closet. Doing this is simple. Mark the hangers of already-worn clothes to remember to wear them the next time. Simply hang a safety pin, a bread tag, or a colorful ribbon on the hanger’s hook. Neat, huh?
10. Make a folding board out of cardboard
Mastering a folding board is the time-saving trick you didn't know you needed. Plastic versions of these boards are readily available at stores and online, but you don’t have to spend money to have a shirt folding board. All you need is a cardboard box, some duct tape, and a pair of scissors, and you can make your own shirt folding board at home. The video below demonstrates how to make one of these boards and how to use it too, easy peasy!
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