Five less obvious but extremely useful things you need in your laundry

“I love doing laundry,’ said no one. Okay, maybe some people find it therapeutic but for the rest who don’t, making sure the laundry room or area is stocked with the things you need can make a difference. So, what do you have in your laundry arsenal? Apart from the usual laundry detergent, softener, laundry basket and drying rack here are some less obvious but extremely handy items you should have in your laundry.

Vinegar

Adding white, distilled vinegar to laundry is an excellent way to keep your laundry clean and preserve its colour. It can even act as a fabric softener and lint detergent. Got allergies? Vinegar is also an allergy reducer if added to a washing machine during a particular cycle. Pour 1/2 cup of white, distilled vinegar into a load of laundry to protect colour from fading. Using white, distilled vinegar with dark fabrics in this way can also protect them from becoming dull. Do you have scratchy towels? To soften towels and clothes, simply add 1/2 cup of white, distilled vinegar to the last rinse cycle of a load. Easy!

Baking soda

Baking soda is a natural deodoriser and cleanser. Did you know that apart from soaking, you can also add baking soda to laundry to gently clean your clothes to remove tough smells and stains? Using baking soda can also help soften clothes and boost your detergent’s power. All you need to do is add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the wash when you add your regular liquid detergent. The baking soda has been known to give you sharper whites, brighter brights, and odour-free clothing. Great news if you have old linen or clothes you want to revitalise. Baking soda can be very effective at removing stains formed by age. Because it is a natural cleaner, your you can trust that your older linens will be whitened and brightened rather than damaged. As a bonus, it helps your washing machine stay clean, too. 

Mesh bags

Clothing made of delicate fabrics, like lingerie, hosiery and swimwear, need special care and if you have been laundering these items by hand, you know how time consuming that can be. Most washing machines have delicate cycles that offer a lower agitation setting than a regular laundry load, but delicates can still use an extra layer of protection, so inexpensive mesh laundry bags on hand. Simply zip each item into its own mesh bag and toss them in the washer with delicate wash detergent. The bags will help your delicates retain their shapes by protecting them from unnecessary wear and tear.

Over-the-door shoe organiser

Storage an issue in your laundry room? Toni Hammersley, expert behind the blog, “A Bowl Full of Lemons,” repurposes a common closet helper: the canvas shoe organiser. It hangs over the laundry room door to keep everything conveniently at eye level, and the individual compartments are adequately sized to house all the products and tools she keeps on hand. “Vertical space is always forgotten when organising a home,” says Hammersley to Today. “I can fit all of my cleaners on the door and view them all at once, instead of digging in a bin or closet. I’ve organised with shoe hangers for years!”

Chalk

Keep a piece of chalk around your laundry space to give a boost to greasy spots. Instead of using extra laundry detergent to pre-treat, turn to our old school friend — white chalk. Simply rub onto greasy stains and the chalk powder will absorb the grease, making the stain easily removable by the laundry soap in the wash. It might sound silly, but it’s worked wonders for everything from lipstick to bacon grease!

Which tip have you used before? Do you have other tips you’d like to share?