In busy homes or large families, laundry can often seem like a never ending task, but it’s easy to combine modern domestic appliances with some simple tips and tricks to help take the hassle out of laundry day!
1. Create a Laundry Station: Whether you are lucky enough to have a designated utility room or simply have your washing machine and tumble dryer in a cupboard or at one end of the kitchen, try and create a functional area to make laundry easier. Hooks or hanging space and a basket for each member of the household to take their clean items away in can all help cut down on chore time.
2. Place detergents and softeners together in an easy to grab container by the washing machine, you can even put together a first aid kit with items to get rid of spills and stubborn stains, all together and in easy reach so you don’t waste time rooting around at the back of the cupboard. If you have purchased a product to help clean and freshen your washing machine then keep this here too.
3. Laundry nets are a convenient way of keeping small items like socks together and caring for delicate fabrics, they also help protect your washing machine from being damaged by items such as loose buttons, hook and eye fastenings or wiring. You can use a pillow case if you do not have a laundry net, this will still help cut down on wear and tear to your clothes and your washing machine or tumble dryer.
4. If you live in a shared house place a board or notepad next to the washing machine so you can note down any items that should not be put into the tumble dryer once the wash cycle has finished, this can avoid potential disasters when someone else is tasked with setting off the tumble dryer.
5. Print out and enlarge a diagram of what the wash symbols on clothing labels actually mean, put it up near the washing machine for quick and easy reference – now there is no reason why everyone can’t take a turn at doing the laundry without incident!
6. Pull out drying lines or old fashioned overhead clothes maidens that can be lowered and then lifted up out of the way are great space saving ways to dry clothes conveniently indoors, they take little storage when not in use and don’t need folding and unfolding like traditional pop up clothes airers.
7. The best tools at your disposal for taking time and effort out of wash day are your washing machine and tumble dryer. Maintain your appliances properly and they should provide value for money over many years without letting you down. Replace worn or broken knobs and dials as these can lead to mistakes when selecting temperatures or programmes. Regularly clean out the soap dispenser and door seal to prevent bacteria and mould from gathering here, leading to potential staining and unpleasant odours. A monthly maintenance wash at a high temperature with an empty drum will help to keep your washing machine squeaky clean and fragrant. Listen to your appliances when in use – if your washing machine or tumble dryer become overly noisy it may mean that there is a fault with the drum or bearings which you will have to investigate yourself or call an engineer in to repair. Almost all of the parts of your washing machine or tumble dryer are available to buy as replacement spare parts and it may prove much cheaper to purchase and install one of these rather than buying a new appliance altogether.
Follow these simple steps and wash day woes will quickly become a thing of the past!
