6 More Laundry Tips and Tricks Every Girl Should Know
After all of your great feedback (and tips of your own) on last week’s article, Laundry Tips & Tricks Every Girl Should Know, I decided I’d do a second installment! In addition to asking a few laundry questions, you guys also wanted some advice on laundry baskets and the best detergents.
In my three and a half years at school, I’ve run into every possible laundry problem – from coin machines and leaking detergent to ripped hampers, so I feel pretty qualified to give you guys some advice on avoiding the same mistakes I made!
Hopefully these two articles will help you get the most out of your clothing and make sure that your favorite items last for years. There’s nothing worse than your favorite top getting ruined in the wash, but luckily most laundry accidents are preventable. With tips from the CF community (and an adorable laundry hamper), laundry day can be a day that you actually look forward to!
Laundry Tips from CF Readers!
The first post in this series got so many amazing comments, including quite a few great laundry tips. Therefore, I wanted to share some of the best ones here in this post, in case you guys missed ‘em.
“Another tip for keeping colors from bleeding is to get those Shout color sheets. Most of the time I don’t have enough whites for a load so I wash my colors with my light clothes and one of those little sheets and I’ve never had any color transfer!” – Karen
“I never use fabric softener on things that pill… it makes a huge difference! Some detergents have fabric softener in them, so I’m careful to not use them either” - Leah
“Be sure to wash your clothes in cold water; this will prevent stretching. And if you air dry them, do not hang them from a clothes line. Get some broad hangers to prevent bumps or just lay them out on a flat surface” – Kareem
“Another tip: invest in a small fold-able drying rack. I don’t dry most of my clothes. Prevents shrinkage and pilling. And, when I’m done doing laundry, I fold it up and slide it under my futon, out of the way” – Rin
7 Stylish Laundry Hampers to Make Laundry More Enjoyable
None of us want to sacrifice our unique style by toting a bland laundry bag through the dorms. Luckily, stores like Bed Bath & Beyond and Target have a huge selection of hampers – and there’s sure to be something for everyone. Although wicker baskets are stylish, most dorms don’t have the floor space to devote to a non-collapsible basket. (They’re also a huge pain to lug to the laundry room.)
The solution? Laundry bags! Whether it’s plain canvas or collapsible nylon, being able to store a laundry bag when it isn’t being used will give you more room in your apartment. We also love pop-up hampers that double as laundry bags!
Product Information (Clockwise from top): Novelty Laundry Bags – Bed, Bath & Beyond, Ruffle Laundry Bag – Urban Outfitters, Merci Laundry Bag – Deck My Dorm, Groovy Laundry Bag – Target, Pop-Up Hampers – Bed, Bath & Beyond, Cotton Laundry Bag – Bed, Bath & Beyond, Real Simple Wash Bags – Bed, Bath & Beyond
Must-Haves for Laundry Day
Everyone knows that a laundry bag and detergent are the essentials you need to wash your clothes, but there are a few other tools that will make your life a whole lot easier (and protect your clothes!).
You can protect your delicates by laundering them in small wash bags, prevent shrinking by air drying clothes on a drying rack, and even combat pilling with a fabric shaver. The best part? All of these laundry aids are affordable and come in compact versions so they won’t take up too much space in your room!
Product Information: Deluxe Fabric Shaver – Target, Over-The-Door Drying Rack – Bed, Bath & Beyond, Coin Purse – Forever 21, Mini Steam Iron – Amazon, Tabletop Ironing Board – Bed, Bath & Beyond, Sweater Drying Rack – Bed, Bath & Beyond, Real Simple Intimate Wash Bags – Bed, Bath & Beyond, Aromatherapeutic Lavender Laundry Products – Bed, Bath & Beyond
What do You Think?
You guys had a ton of great tips and requests last week, hopefully this week’s post is just as helpful! Have you tried any of the above products? Is there a certain type of laundry hamper that you prefer? As stylish students, we all want to take care of our clothing – let us know your own tips, tricks and recommendations for laundry day must-haves by leaving a comment!
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Posted on on January 3, 2011 / Filed Under: College Life / Tags: cleaning, College Life, Dorm, Home, Home Decor, How To, Laundry, Tips, tricks
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Paige
These are awesome tips! I wish I knew all these things years ago before I ruined a few sweaters…
I have a question. My washer at home has a lot of different settings: temperature (from cold to hot) and cycle type (very slow for delicates and knits to high speed for sheets and heavy duty clothing) and everything in between.
But the washers at my school only have cycle settings with pre-set temperatures. So if I want to wash my jeans in the gentle cycle, the water is automatically warm and I can’t switch it to cold. Things in the bright colors cycle are washed in cold water but in a medium speed setting that can’t be switched to a lower speed, etc.
If I have to make the choice between temperature and cycle speed, which one should I choose? Thank you so much!
Rin
My name is Rin not Rim but I was happy to see the shout-out!
hellotampon
Every lingerie bag I have ever used rips during the first or second wash, and my delicates end up getting whipped around with everything else, even if I make sure to fasten all my bra hooks and stuff. I’d like to know how to avoid this. What’s a good, but affordable lingerie bag?
Megan
I also air dry most of my clothing, especially my knit shirts and sweaters. I didn’t have room in my apartment for a folding drying rack. Instead, I took a few old, soft beach towels and spread them out on my floor with my wet clothes drying on top of them. My clothes dried overnight and a quick tumble in the dryer took care of the towels.
Hannah M.
I love that College Fashion has been giving real advice lately. :)
Lydia
@Paige: I’d choose water temperature over cycle type when it comes to the washing machines at school. I use the bright colors setting for my dark denim and dark t-shirts/sweaters. It also helps to use a special detergent, like Woolite Dark, for these items as well.
Also, if you can, wash your shirts and sweaters in a separate load from your jeans. The denim can be very abrasive and cause piling on those other items during agitation in the wash cycle.
Katie
I would recommend a laundry hamper with wheels on it. I know that when I carry all my laundry over to my boyfriend’s house it gets pretty heavy trying to carry a full laundry basket and a laundry bag.
Rin
@hellotampon: I buy my lingerie bags at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I also have a bag from the Hanes Outlet Store. The bags from BBB need to be replaced every few months usually, but I can extend the life if I don’t over-stuff them and wash on a delicate cycle. They are $9.99, but much cheaper than replacing bras. They fit about 6 bras in them. The bag from the Hanes store can only fit a few bras (about 3, but I’m a DD) in it but its a bit hardier.
couturemepink
Yeah, I only dry clothes that I don’t wear in public. I think the dryer adds extra wear to your clothes, especially sweaters. And when I dry sweaters, I don’t hang them, especially if its cashmere or another soft material. Hanging sweaters when they’re not wet is bad enough, but hanging them when they’re soaked causes the shoulders to disfigure and stretch, so I dry my sweaters flat on a really big, expandable dry rack (which really can’t fit in my apartment).
Oh and if you do dry a sweater too often and it gets pill-y, shave it with a disposable razor. But make sure to go with the grain (i.e. for the average sweater, go up and down, not horizontal)
Becky
Those pop up hampers tear so easily
Frankie Provoznik
If you are at all athletic or like to work out, you might want to know this secret that I discovered for removing difficult odors from your laundry: OdorKlenz. It’s a laundry additive that you use right along with your regular detergent. What I like best about it is that it doesn’t add another annoying layer of fragrance. It really does what it’s name implies … cleanses out the odors. My Mom’s neighbor told her about it and she told me about it. I guess they use it for their stinky 10 yaer olds hockey stuff. Gross!
And about those “intimate” wash bags; they’ll last longer if you use them only for the washing. Air dry your bras and other delicates and then you don’t have the added wear and tear on them and you don’t have the added wear and tear on the wash bag either.
Now you have my two cents! I hope it helps someone. I just wish I had found CF sooner!!!! Lots of good stuff here. Keep it up!
Ashley
I know I’m kinda late, but I just discovered this site and Love it!! Thanks so much for all of the advice!
Also, I learned last year that the mesh bags rip really easily. My school had closet handles with sharp ends and it only took a couple of times for the bag to rub against the handle to rip it. They may be a couple dollars cheaper, but you will save money in the long run.