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 think our best laundry tip would be that sunshine bleaches out baby poo stains. Its like magic :)

Stay clear of red socks

My top tip (with a family of 5) is to do a load of laundry a day. This way you keep on top of the dreaded washing pile. Boring but necessary. Also soooo much better than letting it build up and having piles even after just one day. Do it!

I always put a colour catcher in with my lighter/white washes although I usually wash as just 40 degrees I have been caught out many times when the colour has run. It does not work out too expensive as if they are clean they can be used again and again

Napisan gets out stains that absolutely nothing else does!

I'm quite old school and still have a washing day - which is Friday evening. That way I can get it all dry by Sunday in time for the other half ironing it.

Recently I did read that half a cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle can help prevent cat hairs from sticking to clothes so this is now been put to the test

I just wash socks and pants separate the rest is just washef together . Turn socks back to right way before washing .

No one has ever said anything about my clothes

Washing is washing

I sort everything into three loads: darks, pastels and whites. I wash at least one load every day and hang out washing if the weather's good. If there's any risk of rain, it goes in the tumble dryer - I can't be bothered to run in and out every two minutes!

dry outside whenever you can AND turn anything dark inside out to prevent fading

Use vinegar and baking soda instead of detergent for towels that have seen better days. it will really give them a new lease of life. Also putting a bit of salt in with the clothes helps keep their colour vibrant.

Bio wash then non bio as sensitive skin kids here.

To keep on top of the washing I bought a smaller laundry basket, that way I had no choice but to do the washing :D
Also, I get the kids as involved as I can for their ages, making sure they put their dirty clothes where they're meant to be and put their clean clothes away, when everyone chips in it runs like a well oiled machine !
The best stain remover I've found is Ecozone stain remover, it's cheap as chips too so win win !

At this time of year sweat marks can be a problem on clothes. Simply rub a bit of washing up liquid into the stain and it usually shifts the mark first time for me

I wash brightly coloured items separately but only the first time I wash it. After that I wash everything together and so far have not had any colour runs thank goodness.

Put bras and smaller items into net bags
Turn jeans, trousers etc and anything with metal bits attached, inside out, so that other clothes don't get damaged by them
ALWAYS check/empty pockets
Interested to read other people's tips here, I've picked up some useful ones!

As soon as children are old enough to help with washing then get them involved. Even if they just hang the socks up it makes life easier. Then once they're older they can empty the whole washing machine if you're busy doing something else.

Two children under 5 in our house; the washing machine is never off. I like to chuck some zoflora in with the fabric conditioner when washing bath mats/towels/stuff that's really filthy because it is a disinfectant but smells nice too.

I soak whites in hot water with a drop of bleach overnight then wash as normal

It was a revelation to me that detergents for "coloureds" really do work. As someone with a 90% black wardrobe, this has been life-changing, no more 50 shades of grey tops in various stages of their life! Also, always wash everything dark inside out, and dry darks inside out, and whites right side out in the full sun.
I sort darks and whites meticulously, and nothing except the most delicate at less than 60 degrees. Capful of dettol etc with towels or undies.
More controversially, as someone whose machine has been broken a couple of months, that "crunchy" state that clothes, especially towels, sometimes have is NOTHING to do with your powder, conditioner, the hardness of your water or your method of drying. It is entirely due to the fact that NO machine (especially if overloaded) rinses thoroughly enough. The crunchiness is soap residue Don't believe me? Run a bowl of clean water and immerse a "clean but crunchy" item then agitate and observe ........I have been handwashing for a few months, using very hot water, lots of different detergents and no conditioner. Really thoroughly rinsing till water totally clear, spun to hell in an old spin drier then line dried. My towels especially have never been so fresh and soft Dunno how long I can keep up the daily work out, but my clothes seem way fresher, and my electricity bill has halved. Maybe I'll rethink that come winter, though

I have recently been introduced to colour catcher sheets and I still cannot get my head around how they work - BUT THEY DO! Seriously, even when you have washed things many times over you think they do nor run but my colour catcher sheets change colour every wash and my whites and lights look so much brighter! Quite simply I will not do a wash without them - OH ANOTHER tip - save your tumble dryer sheets and use them to wipe down stainless steel - they are fab!

I just make sure never to wash whites and colours so the whites stay white, however I think I'd be better off washing lights together as pastel yellow always seems to go grey when washed with darker colours.

Why buy stain remover for clothes? What does washing up liquid do? Cuts through grease... rub some on your stain before putting in the wash. Use a washing up liquid which does not test on animals. Look for the leaping bunny.

Erm... my best tip (or rather what I do in my house) is wait till there is so much laundry... about 2 or 3 weeks!!! - that I can make 6+ seperate loads up in all shades. We usually have a light pink, dark pink/red, whites/very lights, black, light blue, dark blue and a mixed synthetic sports wear load!! I hardly ever have to deal with colour runs!!!

Forgot to add, BEWARE THE YELLOW DUSTER OF DOOM. Never, ever EVER let one of them anywhere near your washing, with the possible exception of a totally black wash. Better a manky grey duster than permanently streaky yellow washing - voice of experience

Dylon colour catcher sheets - they actually work and have saved my washing from turning a universal grey/pink etc so many times!