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

First rule is: Was anything stained immediately, the longer you leave it the worse it gets. Rub a good old fashioned bar of soop on stains, then puit it in the machine.
Also, put a dishwasher tablet in the machine with tea towels/dishcloths instead of detergent, brings them up a treat!

I have a strict laundry routine or it's death by washing
I do three washes a day, I separate everything and only have white towels and bedding which makes life much easier.
I use fairy on ds vests and shirts as he has sensitive skin and some detergents give him a rash.
I agree with sunlight being best st getting satins out and keeping whites nice and white. I also rub I little bit of the detergent in the bottom of socks and onesies before they go into the wash if they look grubby.
I'm going to do even more loads today as I've taken all of the Sofia and chair covers off, and will be washing all of the dc winter school costs so they can be passed to the charity shop.

For difficult baby stains (ie poo!), I use a pre-wash stain remover in addition to the laundry detergent - that usually deals with most of the stain, but what really ensures the stain disappears completely is hanging the clothing outside with the stain in direct sunlight. The remainder of the stain will completely vanish!

Always pre-treat stubborn stains in cold water and never use hot water otherwise it will set the stain.

If you get school or work shirts that have sweat stains under the arms, run them through a wash with half a bottle of white vinegar. Removes the smell and staining and also helps to properly clean and descale the washing machine.

If you are in a hard water area you can use less washing powder if you add half a cup of soda crystals to the washing powder drawer. This will soften the water and make less detergent more effective.

If you are replacing your washing machine, consider buying one with a larger drum, so you can do more clothes in one wash. It means fewer loads per week and hopefully saving a bit on electricity as well as time.

Always put through an extra rinse to get the nasty chemicals out.

ZimZamZoo, what are you using to wash your clothes?

If I cant get all the stain out of white clothing I put them outside in strong sunshine it helps fade the stain.I dont put dark coloured clothes out in strong sunshine as they will fade.

SORT BY ROOM, NOT BY COLOR
Sorting by rooms saves time as it cuts out two steps: distributing clothes back into piles by owner and walking back and forth all over the house to put them away.

I am a huge laundry geek & the following protocols must be followed!!

• Strictly separate white & coloured garments.
• Everything has to be turned inside out before washing.
• A colour catcher sheet goes in every wash, inside a net bag (otherwise the odd one will creep down & block the filter)
• All washing gets hung out on the line, inside out & upside down.

I'm quite precious about it & find the whole process quite cathartic! Sad I know, but if it works for me.. ! :)

I don't have a tumble dryer, so instead I have 2 large airers and a hanging tripod thing. In winter or when raining , Wash gets done last thing at night and then put out over night, clothes get hung over 2 bars on the airers rather than one. Means everything drys quicker and usually is ready to be put away by morning. Means I don't have to sit staring at clothes airers all day!

I also try and put stuff out on the line even if it looks like it won't dry. If the patio Slabs are drying, then I will put washing out, even if it's only for an hour - it's worth the hassle as it makes the clothes smell so much nicer

Separate laundry bags/baskets to save time on sorting when the washing needs doing, and avoid missing things - whites, darks and colours would be the obvious but in my case it's more like lights, darks and turquoises!

Teach your dcs to use the washing machine and let them learn what happens if they mix their new jeans with their white shirt. Then teach them to iron and ignore the burn marks and creases. Then teach them not to wear matching socks. All good.

I've recently tried using a proper staying remover before washing and it seems to have worked but not sure how much more effective it is than washing up liquid tbh and it's really expensive.

Try not to use the dryer which causes loads of bobbling and destroys bras!!

I work for the NHS and wear white tunics. My secret tip is Napisan, keeps them lovely and white and clean. We get student nurses coming on placement with greying tunics but they always leave with them gleaming white!

Any particularly bad stains, I rub in some Vanish powder into the stain first then throw it into the wash. Works perfectly!

That the (tedious) task of separating whites and colours and also different material types is, ultimately, worth the effort!

Wait for a dry day to dry your washing better than a dryer

I always rub a stubborn stain with washing liquid then steep in cold water for a few hours - that usually works for me.

i always buy and was clothes with same colours so yellows go in a yellow wash pinks in pinks reds in reds light blue in light blues, and so on so the colours never run. its always been a good system for me

I am rubbish with rules for washing - tend to bung most of each kids stuff in together and hope for the best (of course avoiding any cheap, darker/brighter clothes going in cause I have learned from experience these tend to colour run). For us I just sort washes into whites/colours/darks.
My daughter suffers from terrible hay fever so I have to do all her drying indoors in the tumble dryer - no line drying for me, I'm afraid.