Australia
Top 10 tips for the organised kitchen

Laundry Tips

By Shannon Lush

Hi I'm Shannon Lush and I love the laundry. I can hear the groans! I am serious! I find the laundry very satisfying. Dirty smelly clothes go in one end and clean fresh ones come out the other. I've got a few tips to help you enjoy it too.

Organising the laundry

  • Not everybody has a huge laundry. A laundry should be a bright, airy cheerful place to work. So few small additions to your laundry can make it a much nicer place to work.
  • Always have a good-sized bin in your laundry for all that lint and rubbish that accumulates in pockets. Many laundries are designed by people who don’t use them which is why they’re often just a washing machine and dryer behind a cupboard door.
  • How are you supposed to fold clothes in a cupboard? If you have a choice, opt for a good-sized laundry that’s airy, has good lighting and easy-to-clean surfaces. Ideally, you want space for spot removal, washing, drying, sorting, ironing and folding.
  • If practical, have a small table and chair, bench or even a stool. There is always lifting and bending in this room and having somewhere to rest things is essential.
  • I like to have four washing hampers (one for whites, one for reds oranges and burgundies, one for blues and greens, and one for darks) If you have enough room, it's great to have a hamper for heavy soiled and one for hand washing. This way you can sort the clothes as they go into the laundry. If each person sorts their clothes into the right hampers, as soon as each hamper is filled it can be emptied into the washing machine. This is much easier than trying to sort all your washing on the floor.

Ordering your wash

Always do your mending and spot removal first.

  • The ideal order for washing is to begin with whites.
  • Then wash all reds including pinks, burgundys, browns, oranges and red-shaded purples. Because these colours are more likely to run, wash in cold water then wipe the inside of the washing machine straight after washing to capture any colour residue.
  • Then wash greens and blues.
  • Then any black items.
  • Then wash heavily soiled clothes.

Washing and drying

  • Wash at the lowest temperature that you can get away with.
  • Pre-soak heavily soiled clothes in cold water with ¼ cup of white vinegar for around 20 minutes before you wash.
  • Where possible, use your clothesline rather than your dryer, it'll save you money and keep your home cleaner.
  • Use the appropriate settings on your dryer because excess heat can shrink woollens and delicates.
  • Always button shirts before you wash them and stand collars up. This holds the seam lines straight. The shirts wash well, stay flatter and make it easier to fold and iron. If you don’t stand the collars up you’re more likely to get fraying. Hang shirts on a coat hanger on the clothesline, to retain the shoulder line and reduce ironing time.

To get a softer, cleaner wash that is better for the environment

I suggest using half the quantity of your regular detergent and adding bicarb to the wash cycle and white vinegar to the rinse cycle (placed in the fabric-softener slot in the washing machine).

  • For a large top loader, add 1/2 cup of bicarb and 1/2 cup of white vinegar.
  • For a small top loader, add 2 tablespoons of bicarb and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar.
  • For a large front loader, add 2 tablespoons of bicarb and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar.
  • For a small front loader, add 1 tablespoon each of bicarb and white vinegar.

How to make woollens feel wonderful

  • The best way to avoid scratchiness in your woollens is to wash them with cheap shampoo and hair conditioner (the cheaper the better as it doesn't contain so many fruit oils). It’s best to wash them by hand, rather than in the washing machine, because you have more control over the temperature of the water. Blood heat water (38ºC) is best for both rinse and wash.
  • You can use your washing machine if it has a woollens setting but use cold water. To avoid shrinkage, make sure the wash water and rinse water are the same temperature. You only need a little shampoo – the size of a 20 cent coin is enough for a regular-sized jumper.
  • To make a softening rinse, use half as much cheap hair conditioner. Add couple of drops of lavender oil to inhibit moths and silverfish.
  • Woollens should be dried flat in the shade on a drying rack or on a clean towel placed on a table to avoid shrinkage (when woollens change temperature too quickly, they shrink). Never store woollens unless they’re completely dry or they will get a musty smell.

How to hang garments on the clothesline

  • Hang clothes as flat as possible on the line so there’s minimal creasing.
  • Hang each item by the strongest section of the garment.
  • Trousers and skirts should be hung from the waistband.
  • Shirts should be hung from the tails and pegged on the side seams.
  • Towels should be hung over the line in half so that the edges sit against each other. They’ll take longer to dry, but will be fluffier.
  • Hang tablecloths in a U shape between two lines to avoid creases.
  • Don’t leave linen, silk and lace on the clothesline when windy because the fibres can knot and stiffen.
  • A good rule of thumb is to remember as you are hanging out the clothes to repeat to yourself I hate ironing, I hate ironing. This is usually the only encouragement you will need to hang your clothes nice and flat.

‘Bachelor’ ironing

Often I don't have the time to iron, so I cheat! I place 1 teaspoon of lavender oil into a 1L spray bottle of water and lightly mist the spray over my clothes immediately before putting them on. The creases drop out by the time I have reached the front door.