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11 Laundry Mistakes You Didn't Know You Were Making

Mikey Rox — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 13:00:12 +0000

If you hate doing laundry, raise your hand.

I can't see you, of course, but I'm confident that 99% of you reading this post dread laundry day. The sorting, the switching, the waiting, the folding, the unexplained disappearance of an arbitrary item. When will it all end? (See also: 25+ Secrets to Keep Your Clothes Brighter, Whiter, and Lasting Longer)

Well, at least you can make the thankless task a little easier to bear by avoiding these mistakes that are costing you time, money, and a bit of sanity.

1. You're Not Using Laundry Detergents That 'Rinse Clean'

Most of the leading laundry detergents are scented and given names that bring to mind a summer rain or a spring breeze. While they make our clothes smell fresh as a field of fragrant lilacs, it's not exactly getting your clothes "clean." Your clothes are clean in the sense that the dirt and grime has been eliminated, but as a result there's chemical detergent residue left behind.

Michelle C. Smith, an entrepreneur and blogger who specializes in making all-natural personal cleansing products, says, "The biggest laundry mistake people are making is not using a laundry detergent that rinses clean — or has a fragrance, for example. This residue is left on your clothes and then most people put a dryer sheet — full of material that leaves more residue — in the dryer with their clothes because they don't like how their clothes feel."

To solve this problem, try swapping your normal brand with an all-natural, fragrance-free brand — or learn how to make your own laundry detergent with natural ingredients.

2. You're Using Too Much Detergent

Are you a detergent eye-baller like me? What I mean by that is that I pour an amount of detergent into the cup that I think looks right for the load and toss it into the washer. It must stop now.

Mona Weiss, who talks about even more laundry mistakes over at the Eco Nuts blog, says that overdosing on detergent can result in dingy, worn-out clothes over time, along with a worn-out budget.

"If you're using a 'measure to this line' type of detergent, make sure you read the directions and make sure you are measuring to the correct line," she says. "There are also many a lazy laundry-doer that just pours what looks 'about right' directly into the laundry machine and hopes for the best. That's literally pouring money down the drain."

3. You're Overfilling the Machine

Weiss also touches on another laundry mistake that I'm guilty of making — overfilling the machine. It's a no-no: completely counterproductive — and costly.

"If you're all about saving money, then adding a few more clothes to the washer so you don't have to do another load is the worst possible idea," she chides. "It's so inefficient, it's anti-efficient. If your clothes can't rub up against each other during the wash then they're not getting clean, which means you'll have to wash the whole load over again. You may as well do a quick rinse in the sink under the faucet, because that's the level of 'clean' you're going to get. Some top-loading machines have a line to show where the water goes up to — your clothes level should be under that. Not up to the line, under. When in doubt take two things out."

Or 12, in my case.

4. You're Not Checking Your Pockets Thoroughly

How many times have you screamed in horror when you discovered that you left something in your pocket because you were too lazy to do a thorough check?

Somehow a crayon snuck into my dryer once (it wasn't pretty), there's been bubblegum in there, and countless burst pens, of course. All manner of paper gets mangled and destroyed, and sometimes there are items that I no longer recognize, or — better yet — have no idea why they were in my pockets in the first place. I'm lookin' at you, Matchbox car.

5. You're Spending Too Much Time Sorting Baby Clothes by Color

In general, most of us sort our own clothes in light, white, dark, and denim piles — although my method only includes three piles: whites, denim, and everything else that isn't those two things — because we don't want any of the dyes bleeding onto other garments. I'm totally on board with that; many of us spend a lot of money on clothing, and we need to make sure it lasts as long as possible.

Babies, on the other hand, are a different story.

First, any parent will tell you that the laundry from a baby never quits. I've seen some kids go through four outfits in a day, and I'm like, you need to learn how to stop vomiting all over yourself, dude. Second, these are babies we're talking about here — professional mess factories who don't have jobs or anybody to impress — so there's no need to spend anymore of your precious time sorting their bottomless hamper into separate stacks. Save for keeping dark navy and deep red items away from the whites, says Jennifer Porter, a blogger at Satsuma Designs, toss it all in on the "Miracle" cleaning setting and get on with your day.

6. You're Spending Money on Chemical Stain Removers When Home Hacks Work Just as Well

Have a whole arsenal of store-bought stain removers in your laundry room? Props to Kelly Ripa for being a formidable product endorser, but you're wasting your money. You have powerful stain fighters in your home right now that are not only cleaner than their chemical counterparts but work just as well — if not better. Porter recommends that we "avoid harsh stain removal chemicals and instead use baking soda from the orange box in your refrigerator and mix with a bit of water to make a paste. Let paste rest on stain for 20-30 minutes and launder as usual."

7. You're Not Protecting Your Delicates as Well as You Should

Porter and Weiss both recommend placing delicates and other small items into a zippered mesh bag so they enjoy gentler cycles, and so you can reduce the risk of your socks and undies ending up in the Great Garment Abyss.

"Add years of life to bras, save folding time, and beat the dryer sock gremlins when you use a cotton wash bag for lingerie, socks, and baby items (booties, socks, mittens, and more) for laundry cycles," Porter says.

Weiss seconds her sentiment: "There is no black hole and [your garments] don't vanish into thin air. They do, however, get sucked into tiny places like underneath the agitator, under the gasket, or into the dryer vent. Simple solution — put all socks, underwear, lingerie, handkerchiefs, and tiny baby things into zippered mesh bags."

8. You're Not Following the Care Instructions

If your garments are coming out on the other side of a wash and dry ruined, there's something wrong — and it's probably your fault. Not all garments should be treated equally, so it's important to read the care instructions on your clothing before you launder them. It's generally recommended that denim be turned inside out before washing on cold; many cotton items have special instructions; and please, pleeeeease, whatever you do, don't put anything wool in the washer or dryer unless you plan to pass it down to your five-year-old nephew when the cycle has finished.

9. You're Not Adding Vinegar to Your Stinky, Sweaty Workout Gear

Marathon runner Marigrace McKay told me that she adds one cup of vinegar to the washer to take the funk out of her gear, so I did a little digging to verify her claim. She's 100% correct — vinegar acts as a deodorizer to neutralize bad smells — and there are several other practical applications for vinegar in the wash, including protecting clothes from fading, acting as a natural bleaching agent, and combating lint and static clings.

10. You're Wasting About Half the Costly Energy During the Dry Cycle

Want to cut your dryer bill by almost half? It could be possible.

Matt Kilsdonk of HelpfulReviewer.com provides this smart tip to save energy and money: "You can reduce your drying time by half, by simply adding a dry towel to your load of wet laundry," he says. "The surface area of the dry towel helps absorb moisture and speeds up the drying time of the rest of the clothes."

He notes, however, that it's important to take the now wet towel out mid-cycle and air dry it. "Leaving the towel in the full cycle will not reduce the drying time," Kilsdonk explains.

11. You Might Be Taking Mom for Granted (and She'll Get Back at You)

The usefulness of this tip is debatable, but I found it hilarious nonetheless. Kate Kassian, proprietor of Buffalo Girls Mercantile, shared words of wisdom.

"My tip: Never C.O.D. your dirty laundry home to mom. You will never see it again. True story."

Let that sink in for a minute, friends. It gets funnier the more you think about it.

Do you have other laundry mistakes that we should avoid? Let me know in the comments below.

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This article is from Mikey Rox of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Dryer Sheets

POPSUGAR Smart Living — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 10:24:32 +0000

Not only is this laundry solution seriously smart, it is also awesomely eco-friendly. For only pennies, you'll have dryer sheets that can be used over and over and over again. What makes these dryer sheets better than their store-bought counterparts is they can be personalized with your favorite scent and are free of any toxic additives. Along with leaving your clothes feeling soft and fresh, they'll smell clean and ready for wear. And once you try them, you'll wonder why you never made them from scratch in the first place.

RELATED: Homemade Drain Cleaner

What You'll Need

1/2 cup of vinegar
8 drops tea tree or other essential oil
Sealabe container
Cotton cloths

Directions

1. Start by cutting your cotton cloths into smaller sections. I used inexpensive dish towels from the dollar store, but old tee shirts or linens would work wonderfully too.

2. Mix together the vinegar and essential oil in a small bowl. Vinegar is a natural softener, and the essential oil gives your clothes a gentle, natural scent. Pour the mixture over the cloths until they are dampened but not soaked. Keep in a securely closed container.

3. To use, simply remove a sheet from the container, squeezing any excess liquid back into the jar, and toss into the dryer. To reduce static cling in clothes, reduce the heat temperature of your dryer. When clothes are dry, simply place the sheet back in the jar for use later.

Photos: Sarah Lipoff for POPSUGAR Smart Living

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Putting on soft clothes that just came out of the dryer is great — but traditional dryer sheets are filled with chemicals. Instead, make this eco-friendly version.

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This article is from POPSUGAR Smart Living of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

What Americans Can Learn From How the Rest of the World Saves Energy

Aaron Crowe — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:36:42 +0000

Most Americans aren't as devoted as Ed Begley, Jr. to conserving energy that they'll ride a bike to create energy to run a toaster. But travel abroad to Europe, Australia, or any other developed country, and you'll see that much of the rest of the world is serious about saving energy and the world's resources.

The United States is known for doing a poor job at being energy efficient. In a report about a dozen countries with the biggest economies, the United States' energy efficiency efforts were only ahead of Brazil, Canada, and Russia, according to the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, or ACEEE. The United Kingdom ranked first, followed by Germany, Italy, Japan, and France.

While not everyone can live near an efficient public transportation system, such as Sydney's rail service, or can afford to rebuild their home with solar power, there are some things that much of the rest of the world does that Americans either don't do, or if they do, don't do in great numbers. Here are a few. (See also: 5 Ways to Save Water, Energy, Money, and the World All in One Afternoon)

Use Clotheslines

While these are a common way in America to avoid running wet clothes in a dryer, they don't seem to be as common as they are in Europe or elsewhere. Clothes dryers are often small in other parts of the world — to save money and space — and thus encourage people to hang clothes out to dry.

Pay Higher Gas Prices

While not as cheap as Venezuela, gasoline in America is relatively cheap when compared to other countries. A $4 gallon in the U.S. can cost double in Europe, due partly to higher taxes. Paying more for gas can have two positive results: You'll either walk or take public transportation to get anywhere, or it will make buying a car with better gas mileage look like a deal. If a U.S. company can make cars for Europe that get 62 miles per gallon, it can do the same for Americans.

Make Buying Solar Power Easy

On a recent trip to Australia, I noticed a mom-and-pop store on a corner selling home solar power kits. It wasn't a huge warehouse with miles of supplies, and it didn't have professional looking signs, just a simple window sign offering solar panels for the home. While Home Depot once sold do-it-yourself solar panels (that were geared more toward contractors than DIYers), installation and sales is often done in the U.S. by professionals who sell to the masses. You don't see small stores on American street corners selling solar power kits.

Practice Rain Water Collection

Collecting rain water and saving it for watering plants or pumping it inside a home to flush toilets or wash clothes is a great idea in dry climates, but can also be used in the U.S. as a way to save water. Large tanks that hold at least 10,000 gallons are common outside Australian homes.

Automatically Turn Off Lights

While staying in a hotel for a week on a recent trip overseas, each time I wanted any of the lights on in the suite, I had to put the door card key into a slot just inside the door that would let the power turn on. It required me to be in the room to turn on any lights, and all of the lights turned off when I removed the card key and left the room. It was a simple way to turn off every light without having to remember to do it or go around to every light and switch it off. About a month later I stayed at a hotel in America. While I didn't expect to find the same device, there was nothing to prevent me from leaving every light on before going out for the evening.

Use Smaller Refrigerators

Everything is bigger in America: homes, cars, kitchens, bedrooms, and even everyday appliances such as dryers and refrigerators. Whether it's because their homes are smaller or they like to shop more often for fresh groceries, Europeans typically have smaller refrigerators. After air conditioners, refrigerators are the second-biggest users of electricity.

Beyond tougher regulations and fewer resources, the rest of the world may also have a leg up on America in saving energy because they live in smaller communities and smaller populations. America is such an expansive land that even with 314 million people, there's room to stretch out and forget about the millions of people you share the country with. Europe has more than double the population, but it's split among many countries, giving a feeling of intimacy in a smaller geographic area and possibly the incentive not to waste energy because you care about taking care of your neighbors.

During my trip to Australia this summer, I noticed a small benefit of going to a city park in Brisbane, a park similar to one you might find in America. Free gas grills are available for the public to use at these city parks, with a nearby sign asking users to clean up after themselves and keep the grills clean for the next user.

I never saw a dirty grill while there, leaving me to conjecture that no one wanted to leave a mess for the next person to clean. Americans may keep public barbecues clean for the next user in some parts of the country, but I haven't seen it happen where I've been. It's not that Americans don't care for others, but that taking the little steps to take care of the environment because it will help you and your neighbor isn't as common in the U.S. as it is elsewhere. It's a small step to leave something in the same (or better) condition than you found it. It's only an example, but cleaning up after yourself at a public park can carry over to energy consumption and other aspects of life.

This article is from Aaron Crowe of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: