How to Clean Hardwood Floors Without Streaks!
February 4, 2022
Laundry. Not my favorite chore by a long shot, but you know what we say at the CMS HQ—Laundry Today or Naked Tomorrow! While we can’t avoid doing laundry, there are definitely some laundry hacks and to make your life a little easier.
Sometimes, shoes need laundering, as mine did after a trip to Arizona, when they came home covered in dust with red soles. My issue is that when it comes time to drying them, you have to listen to an hour of them kicking and banging around the inside of the dryer. Here’s an easy fix. Just tie the laces together at the very end, out them inside the dryer with the knot outside the door and then close the dryer door. Alternately, put your shoes in a delicates bag and leave the top of the bag outside the door when you close it. Now you can dry your sneakers without all the noise.
Rub over a grease stain (front and back) with an ordinary piece of white chalk, and let it sit for a few hours. The chalk will absorb the grease! Scrape off the excess and pre-treat the stain as usual before washing it.
Add 1/2 cup of salt to the wash cycle to help set new colors, and help brighten up those that have started to fade. Another easy way to whiten whites is to make use of that burning-ball-of-gas dryer in the sky. Er, the sun. UV rays really help keep whites looking their best, so line dry your whites in the sun when you can.
As towels age, they can get an unpleasant crunchy feeling. To avoid this, put your towels through two cycles. The first cycle should be hot water with one cup of white vinegar. Then, do a second load with hot water and one cup of baking soda. This will help remove any residue from the towels, and make the fabric feel lighter and softer.
If you want to skip the strong aroma and waxy residues of traditional fabric softener, here is a simple recipe that works great. Combine 1 liter of white vinegar and 10 drops of your favorite essential oil. (I like to use lavender because it smells great on clothes, and has lots of antibacterial properties.) Use about a cup each time you run a load through.
Laundry really is a never-ending story, so I hope these tips will help make your life a little easier!
What is your biggest laundry challenge?
