Tackle your toughest loads of laundry with ease

If you’ve shrunken a sweater, add 2 tablespoons of hair conditioner to a bucket of water and soak the sweater for 5 minutes. Lay the sweater to dry on a towel, and slowly begin to stretch out the fibers.

To wipe out wrinkles, place the item in the dryer with a damp towel for a steam effect.  If only a couple of items are wrinkled, use a damp hand towel. Wet laundry that smells of mildew needs to be placed back in the washing machine with some bleach. Use color-safe bleach for colored washes.

If you’ve managed to turn an entire load of whites pink, have no fear, use Rit "Color Remover” to remove color that bleeds into your whites. If your kids stuffed a couple of crayons in the dryer, you’re in luck; the Crayola hotline dedicates an entire option to this laundry faux pas. Scrap off all the wax you can, and use a hairdryer to loosen up hardened clumps. For the rest, apply WD-40 and wipe clean. Finish in the washing machine with a mild detergent.

The 101 of understanding tags
Always read care labels before laundering an item. Manufacturers commonly use symbols to let you know how to care for an item. Dots let you know in what temperature an item should be washed or dried. More dots signify hotter temperatures.

A water bucket with one line beneath it means wash on permanent press, while two lines calls for gentle or delicate wash. If there is a bucket crossed out, do not wash that item, not even by hand! 

An empty circle means that you should dry clean that item. A box with three vertical lines inside of it means that your item should be drip dried, and on horizontal line, means dry flat.

Environmentally friendly washing tips
Homemade Dryer sheets are certainly feasible. A dryer sheet is really just a piece of fabric that dried with fabric softener on it. Distilled white vinegar is a great fabric softener, it’s cheap and natural. In a spray bottle, mix together 2 tablespoons of fabric softener and 1 cup of water, shaking well. Cut up a clean old shirt and spray some of the mixture. Toss the sheet into the dryer along with your laundry and you’re ready to go! To fluff up your dryer load pop in two reusable dryer balls.

More detergent than necessary is only going to wear down your machine and our planet. Use your lint trap as a gauge, excessive lint is a sign of excessive soap. Using less detergent can also help to save your clothing. Lint is a sign of deteriorating fabric, so the less lint you have, the longer your clothing will stay intact.

You can’t beat sunshine when it comes to drying clothes. For example, smelly shoes, when washed and placed outside will not only dry quicker, but will have far less smell due to the fact that the hot dryer is not sealing in odors.

Brighten your colors with salt. Add a pinch or two to your wash with ordinary detergent dissolve in the water, and then add your clothes.

To make your whites brighter, soak them in a solution of cold water and one teaspoon cream of tartar before washing with mild soap.

For more great household tips go to katiebrown.com

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