Having 8 children means that clothes are passed down a lot in this family. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that clothes cost a lot of money – so us busy mama’s want them to last as long as possible.
To help you busy parents protect your investment, here are a few secrets I have come across which may help you avoid the laundry mistakes I have made in the past. So instead of sending your children’s clothes to the rag bin here are a few things you can do to keep those hand me downs in great shape and wearable for years!
Sort the Laundry!
When you throw your clothes into the washer they essentially dance (or if they are like my children wrestle) together as they move around in the water! Would you want your nylon blouse, dancing with the jagged metal zipper on your kiddies hoodie? Didn’t think so. Sorting out your laundry not only helps the fighting between your clothes, but also prevents some clothes from being cooked in the dryer while others are left damp.
Overload Beware!
Cramming the washer full of clothes may seem like the easy way to get more laundry done quickly, but actually it is harmful to your clothes. They don’t get as clean and secondly they rub together so much that it can actually harm the finish of your clothes. I love the fact that ARM & HAMMER® Coldwater Liquid Laundry Detergent washes over 60% more loads than leading competitor brands at a fraction of the cost – 44 versus 26 loads! No need to cram the washer!
Button it and Zip it!
No not your children, but your clothes. By buttoning, zipping or closing your garments they will be less likely to snag another fabric or even snap themselves. You don’t want to find your clothes all hooked together.
Read The Labels!
It is a big must to read the labels in clothing. If it says dry clean only, believe it, if it says wash in cold water, believe it. ARM & HAMMER® Coldwater Liquid Laundry Detergent is designed to use less energy and is compatible with any washing machine , (even High Efficiency) making it an easy addition to any laundry routine.
Color Wisely!
If you have children who have a habit of spilling juice, or any other food down their front then there is no shame in having them wear chocolate brown, charcoal grey, and navy blue. Dark colors hide a magnitude of clumsy moments.
Dress for the Task!
There is a reason why some moms frequently make a distinction between kids “school/good clothes” and “Play clothes”. I always have my children change out of their clothes and into “play clothes” when they arrive home from school or an event so they are not getting their good clothes grubby and muddy when they go out to the back to play.
Folding and Hanging!
I make sure to never fold clothes that need to be hung and don’t hang clothes that need to be folded. Sweaters will stretch on a hanger and dress shirts don’t usually fold well unless you are a master folder of some type.
Go Cold!
For many types of fabric, hot water can cause shrinking and permanently set stains. Cold water detergents are designed to remove dirt without hot water, so instead of turning up the heat I turn to ARM & HAMMER® Coldwater Liquid Laundry Detergent. Not only am I saving money on my utility bills but I am saving my clothes from the damage that can set in from using hot water.
Until next time
Chantel, momof8crazymonkeys
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I have always used cold water to wash my laundry! A tip I have learned is to not let stains set in..put stain remover or soak as soon as possible. Also,to get blood out,wash in cold water,NOT hot!
The one secret (well not really) my mom passed down was to use a bar soap to pre-treat and scrub socks (especially those white ones that always turn grey) or grimy stains on jeans/shirts, etc. By separating the kids clothes for our clothes and the house “clothes” I avoid overloading and by doing laundry at night, I can sit by the tv, have coffee, or read a book while the kids are asleep and the laundry is being done. This way laundry is done by the time kids wake up and I save on Hydro costs (due to Time of Day). I also run the dishwasher at night too.
Some good info, I will put it to good use soon.
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Always check the pockets and whatever money you find belongs to whomever is washing the clothes! LOl!
Hot water and bleach my mother has the whitest whites, she has it down to a science.
always check all the pockets (kleenex, receipts, gum, money, mp3 players)…
use a laundry stain booster
think about using special detergent to keep blacks from fading
My mother taught me to soak stains in cold water asap. Hot water will just set them.
I pretreat any stains, and alwasy make sure that I’ve got the pockets emptied before they get added to the washer.
make sure to check the pockets & empty them
Always avoid the dryer.
I add two spoons vinegar and one cap baking soda in the washing machine before putting my laundry in…
Turn t-shirts with pictures on them inside out to dry in dryer. They last way longer.
Wash jeans inside out to keep the dark wash dark.
Pretreat!! And if I have a lot of jeans to wash, to put a few in each dark/color load so I am not trying to dry a full load of jeans all at once – it takes FOREVER!
Fold right out of the dryer – then you don’t end up with baskets of unfolded clothes and they are wrinkle free 🙂
Wash jeans inside out to keep color.
Add borax to get rid of any unpleasant smells….
I try to stay organized with the laundry. I pre-treat any stains before throwing item into hamper. That way I don’t forget about that moment where my daughter missed her mouth!
Your tips are awesome. I don’t have anything to add really. I swear by buttoning buttons and zipping zippers before wash too. It keeps down on the wear and tear while tumbling in the machine, and I wash a lot of clothes on the gentle/cold cycle.
Avoid using the dryer whenever possible. Clothes take a real beating in the dryer, but last much longer if you air dry.
My mother told me to use the laundry detergent as a pre treater.
My Mom always told me to fill the washing machine with water and detergent before you add the clothes so that the detergent will be well mixed to wash the clothes.
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to soak stains
I always pre-treat stains… and yes, zipping, buttoning, and even those garment bags for laundering are all useful. I like the clothes to remain in good repair for as long as possible too. (Clothes are expensive, yo!)
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I never thought about zippers and buttons and such – great advice. My mom taught me to always try and treat a possible stain ASAP and the chances of it becoming permanent are greatly reduced.
Wash whites with whites and dark with dark!
separate whites from colour clothes.
The biggest laundry secreat that was passed down to me was to get the entire family involved.
The biggest laundry secret that has my mom passed down to me is: to do laundry every other day, not every. This way you do get a break from the neverending heaps. Even though as a stay-at-home mother of four, I could easily do a few loads a lady, I appreciate my mother’s tip on having every other day as a “break” ………….we could all use that, right mamas.