The Mumsnet Laundry Rules - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

Fairy Non Bio is sponsoring the Mumsnet Talk app, so we’d like you to talk about your top laundry tips for families.

Do you have tips for removing the plethora of stains your DC somehow produce? Maybe you’re skilled in mixing wash loads with zero colour transfer? Or perhaps you’ve got a cast-iron system for laundry that keeps the job from overwhelming you (and your machine).

Whatever they are, share your laundry tips for families below. Everyone who posts on the thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

If you're an avid Mumsnet talk boards user, you should download the app for yourself. It's free, and allows you to be part of the conversation wherever you are!

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

I now hang up all socks on one of those hangy things with pegs on, much easier to sort them into pairs as you take them off.

Don't forget to look after your washing machine it does a lot of hard work! Give the rubber seals a good wipe after a wash so mould doesn't collect there. I always leave the door and draw open to air dry afterwards too
Also I find a toothbrush is handy for cleaning inside the dispenser draw as mine was too fiddly to remove.

Washing up liquid, baking soda and vinegar are 3 stain removing staples!

Baking soda on yellow armpit stains helps quite a bit before throwing it in the wash!

I WISH my kids would put both socks in the laundry - my sons seem to have a thing where they put one of their socks somewhere random around the house...kitchen surface, pool table, computer desk, etc and the other makes it into the wash.

We also do a wash load in the evening and dry it the next day - just seems to fit into our lives better that way.

The only laundry tip I have is separating whites from darks/coloured! Everything just goes in together then hung on the line when it's dry enough.

I used to use Fairy but it doesn't lift stains as well as a biological detergent so I'm now using Arial. Sorry!

Don't do your washing on cold settings

It will make your washing AND washing machine stink, mould will grow, it will end in tears.

To the tune of Roy Castle's Record Breakers: Separation, separation, separation of the colours!

I try not to overwash my clothes, use a lower temperature when machine washing prolongs clothes life too.

Hot water with salt to remove stains that washing machine cant remove . Bleach wash whites to get them white again lol and always wash clothes inside out

I use napisan or bleach and cold water to soak stained white shirts or towels. It works great.

Check all pockets for tissues before putting clothes in the laundry basket; you will forget to do so when shoving everything from the basket into the machine then have the joy of soggy paper snow all over your freshly washed clothes.

If you have girls start a pink wash. Even if you don't think you will have many pink clothes(for whatever reason) you may be surprised. Keep your pinks pink!

always use a good amount of conditioner

Do my best not to let her wear white to start with but otherwise I just separate colours and hang it out in the day. Do the kids stuff with the adults to save time

Just make sure you separate colours and whites, make sure!

I've used non-bio since the children were babies as it's gentler on their skin. I leave heavily stained items on the washing line in the sunshine as the sun helps to fade out the marks.

My motto no dirty clothes allowed! Not too fussy about ironing! Modern material doesn't need hot wash I say dirty on thirty!

To keep my clothes looking great and to prevent my whites becoming grey, i seperate my washing into 3 loads (whites, coloureds and darks). This prevents any colour run accidents and keeps clothes looking like new

Always use old style Ariel powder as contains bleaching agents for whites at 60° and every so often a whitening sachet and Ariel colour liquid for colours and darks at 30/40° with dettol anti bac for clothes as the powders fade the colours due to bleaching agents.... a top tip from a washing machine rep where I worked years ago.... proud to say I am the go to sister in the family when they want their whites made white again
Wash colours, darks and whites seperatly every time
And my favorite is sunlight bleaches out tomato based stains amongst others every single time!
ps Ariel user as everyother brand triggers allergies..

I regularly use Colour Catchers to keep lighter colours pale. I put shirts and similar on hangers to air dry so rarely need to iron.

Top tip: Don't line dry bedding in the summer if you have hayfever.

I just lump them all in together and hope for the best!

Rule #1

Before any items go into the laundry basket they are turned the right way out, buttons are unbuttoned and pockets are checked for tissues/cash/junk.

It's taken a while but DH and DCs are all well trained now.

Add a cup of salt to colours to stop them running, even works above 40 degrees!