Laundry is no-one’s favourite topic, nor their favourite way to spend a weekend but you know what? We all have to clean our clothes, so it’s definitely worth spending some time to learn a few hacks that will make laundry time a little more bearable, right? Well, read on – you’re in for a treat.

1. Say Goodbye to Lost Socks

If you are sick of doing the laundry only to find that one-half of your favourite pair of socks has seemingly taken leave of your home for pastures new, then you need mesh laundry bags in your life. Place your socks inside a mesh bag before cleaning and it will not get sucked into the washer vortex, and you won’t have to wear a mismatched pair for work the next day.

2. Sorting Without Losing Your Marbles (Or Your Mind)

Sorting clothes is about as fun as watching paint dry, but if you streamline the process, it becomes a tiny bit less soul-sucking. Get three hampers (or laundry baskets) and label them: Whites, Darks, and Mixed Colours. Voila! You’ve turned your laundry area into a self-sorting paradise. By the time you’re ready to run a load, you’ve done 90% of the mental work in advance. Sorting at the source means no more dumping a mountain of clothes onto the floor and squinting at them like they’re abstract art. You’ll just grab a basket and go. Easy-peasy.

3. The Holy Grail of Freshness

Let’s talk about the nose. Sure, we can’t all strut around in couture, but we can at least smell fabulous. Enter the scent booster—tiny fragrant crystals or beads you toss directly into the washer. These magical pellets seep into your fabrics, leaving your clothes smelling like a field of lavender or a crisp Alpine breeze (take your pick). When you walk down the street and people ask if you just returned from a spa weekend, you’ll know your secret weapon. It’s basically aromatherapy for your wardrobe, and trust me, your nostrils will thank you.

4. Pre-Treat Stains Like a Pro (Before They Become Legendary)

That marinara sauce you spilled on your shirt last Tuesday? Don’t let it become a permanent addition to your personal textile museum. The key is speed. Keep a stain stick or spray by your hamper and zap those blemishes before they set in. For grease stains, a dab of washing up liquid works wonders: just gently rub it in and let it sit before washing. For ink, try a splash of rubbing alcohol. For coffee, cold water is your first line of defense. Address stains ASAP, and you’ll avoid that “Ugh, I can never wear this shirt again” moment we’ve all faced at least 27 times.

5. Chill Out and Save Your Threads

If you’re still blasting your clothes with hot water for every load, take a step back. Cold water is not only gentler on fabrics, preventing shrinkage and fading, but it also saves energy. That means less guilt about your electricity bill and fewer times you’ll have to bid farewell to a sweater that suddenly shrank to hamster size. Unless you’re dealing with seriously grubby gym gear or certain bedding that needs a hot wash, give the cooler settings a try. Your clothes (and wallet) will appreciate the chill attitude.

6. The Art of Drying

Over-drying clothes is like overcooking a steak, (if you are a meat eater, naturally) just plain wrong. If you have a dryer with a moisture sensor, trust it. Otherwise, learn the approximate drying times for various loads. Stop the machine when clothes are slightly damp, then hang them up to finish drying. This reduces wrinkles and static. Bonus hack: toss in a couple of dryer balls (wool or silicone) to fluff up the load and reduce drying time. They’re like tiny gym buddies for your tumbling T-shirts, keeping everyone separate and well-aerated.

7. The Dynamic Duo

We all know these two household staples are great for cooking and cleaning, but they’re also laundry heroes. Add half a cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle to banish any funky odours that might be lurking in your fabrics. Bye-bye, mysterious mustiness. For whitening and brightening, a half cup of baking soda in the wash can give your whites extra sparkle without harsh chemicals. Just make sure you don’t mix vinegar and baking soda in the same cycle, or you’ll end up with a science fair volcano reenactment in your washing machine.

8. Ironing Hacks, Because You Deserve Better

Ironing is, let’s face it, the least fun part of looking put-together. If you want to spend less time wrangling that board and more time sipping iced coffee, try these tricks. First, hang clothes immediately after the dryer cycle ends, this nips wrinkles in the bud. For shirts that need some serious de-creasing, slightly dampen them before ironing. And if you’re really feeling lazy, hang your crinkled clothes in the bathroom while you take a hot shower. The steam works as a makeshift iron, and you can pretend you’re running a fancy spa for your outfits.

9. Colour-Saving Hacks: Because Your Red Shirt Isn’t Supposed to Turn Pink

Want to keep your colours vibrant? Wash darks inside out to reduce friction and fading. For new, brightly coloured garments, toss in a cup of white vinegar to help set the dye. And if you’re paranoid about that brand-new, deep purple dress turning your entire load lavender, test it first by dampening a hidden area and pressing it with a white cloth. No colour transfer? Game on. A little vigilance prevents awkward colour-mixing surprises.

10. Set a Laundry Schedule To Tame the Monster

Laundry has a way of piling up until it looks like a textile version of Mount Everest, especially if you have kids, but you know what? It doesn’t have to be that way. You can tame the beast that is dirty laundry by simply setting a schedule that lays out exactly when you are going to wash everything from the sheets to the kids dirty soccer shirts, and then stick to it.

11. Storage Smarts

Once your clothes are clean and fresh, you want to keep them that way, right? Well, the way to do that is by using scented draw liners and putting your clothes away immediately. You can also spray a little fabric freshener into closets and, of course, never fold clothes until they are completely dry or they could end up with a must odor!

Laundry? Let’s do it!

this is a collaborative post.