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Tip Spotlight - Laundry Tips

Washing clothes can be a project if you let it.  Here are some fun tips that will help you with your laundry even if you do not know how to turn on the washer and dryer.

• Sort you clothes by type and color.  Throw you blues together and your blacks together.  Put your blue jeans in a pile and your kakis in another.  Put you whites in separate pile as to not fade your colors. 
• Check all the pockets make sure you do not leave anything in them.  If I have the kids help with laundry I will sometimes put some money in the pockets and tell them they can keep what ever they find.  This is a good incentive to have the kids wash clothes, and can be fun for whoever is washing them.  Sometimes adding a five dollars in the pockets will make a troublesome chore turn into something unexpected. 
• Check or ask if there are any stains.  A lot of times stains can make it through a wash into the dryer.  And most of the time you are out of luck on getting them out once they have been dried.  I do not use expensive stain removers.  I actually use dish detergent and cold water to remove the stains before I wash them.  If you have kids that constantly stain there clothes, you might want to get them in the habit of pretreating stains before they toss them in the pile to be washed.   
• Washing time can be determined by how dirty your clothes are.  You can usually get by with 6-8 minutes on the wash cycle.  Anymore is usually over kill. 
• If you have delicates that need to be washed try putting them in a pillow case.  This is a great tip for those clothing items that are fragile.  You should always read the tags on the laundry to check the care instructions provided by the manufacture.   
• Selecting cold water will not only give you a better chance to fight stains that were missed by also save you money in your wallet.  You can get by washing clothes on cold temp, trust me I have done it for years and they seem to even last longer.  You will notice also if you switch to cold water temp washing you will save money on the power bill. 
• You should toss em while the cycle is started.  You can add half the soap midway through once the washer fills up with clothes. 
• Throw the clothes in but separate them.  Make sure you separate the clothing so everything will get washed.   It also makes it easier on the wear and tear of your washer if the clothes are not piled to one side of the washer. 

• When adding the detergent you have to be careful not to use to much.  You can use the scooper or measuring device that comes with the detergent but be careful.  Adding the recommended usage might be more than what you should use.  You will know when you poured to much soap in the washer, often the soap bubbles will still be on the clothes after the rinse.  I would start small such as use the recommended amount for a small load even if you have a medium to large load to wash.   
• When using soap powder pour it with the water running in from the washer.  If you dump the soap powder in you might have some clothes not washed and others have the build up of powder on them. 
• Stick with liquid detergent.  It is often less money and more concentrated than powder and you do not have to worry about the mess. 
• If you are adding bleach to your load be careful not to add to much.  Usually a cap is enough and the bleach bottle should have directions.  When bleaching it is important to add it to the water and not directly on the clothes.  Too much bleach can wear out clothing faster making it easier to rip.
• Once your clothes are done take them out of the washer.  Letting them sit in the washer for a few hours will cause them to smell funny and you will have to wash them again. 
• This is a great time to turn T Shirts inside out in order to save the iron on from the dryer.  I have had T Shirts last longer by drying them inside out. 
• Cotton clothes will shrink.  Now is a good time to separate the 100% cottons and hang dry them. 
• Take your clothes out of the washer and separate them before tossing them into the dryer.  The heat will be able to reach all of the clothes if they are not balled up together.
• Now that you are ready for the dryer you need to choose how hot you want the dryer.  Choosing permanent press is a good start.   
• Add in your fabric softener.  If you use fabric softener you close will smell nice and feel soft.  You can toss in one sheet and it will make a world of difference in the way the clothes smell and feel. 
• If you have new clothes or delicate clothes you do not want to shrink you can always lay them on top of the dryer for a bit.  This will dry them faster without shrinking them.
• You can also take the clothes out of the dryer and hang them before the cycle is up.  That way they are a little moist and the weight of the clothes will turn the wrinkles away. 
• Now you are done.  Fold the clothes as soon as they are done from the dryer so you do not have them hanging around later. 

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