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

One of my top tips is to stay on top of it! I hate when the laundry pile builds up so now I try and do a wash as soon as there's enough in the basket to make it worthwhile. With four of us it's never ending but at least by doing a little every day/every other day it doesn't feel like such a chore.

School socks were the bain of my life with two little ones in same colour. Until I discovered Aldi with size inside them

I'm a 'chuck it in and hope for the best' type too. Unsurprisingly most of my clothes are dark now.

I do take care to use stain removers on white school uniform and wash as fast as possible but they're are some paint stains which are just not budging.

have separate baskets for lights, darks and wool/silk/leather. Lowers the risk of DH ruining things

I've recently discovered a soak in cold salty water before the wash will get out blood and blackberry juice (and who knows what else?)
It's my new go to trick.

I am a TERRIBLE housewife.

Sunlight works wonders on stains, even on an overcast day I'll have clothes out on the line

Best laundry tip is to make sure that once a month, you do a service wash on your machine.

That way everything keep fresh smelling and clean :)

I actually wash all my baby clothes seperate from the rest of the families clothes on the baby setting on my washing machine. If any are really badly stained I rub a little vanish bar on the area before the wash.

Teach children to take laundry down to the utility room as a game. (They're 1 and 4 at the moment) so by the time they're teenagers, they're well trained! (I know, mere wishful thinking)....

I always put a washload on at night so it's ready to be pegged out first thing.
If I do it in the morning I find half the day of sunshine has gone and stuff never dries

I would definitely recommend using Dylon Colour Catcher sheets in the wash as it allows you to wash a mix of clothes without worrying about the colours running and ruining your clothes. Saves times too

Wash daily or else it takes over the bathroom!

I tend to shove everything together but baby clothes go in a little washing machine mesh bag to keep them together and separate from the rest of the load. I have also made my own laundry sheets is a cheaper alternative tobhying expensive fragrances for the washing machine. I used some left over material I had from making some curtains sewed into squares and leave in a large Tupperware soaking in fabric softener to which I had essential oils.

Stain slayer or desolv it spray. So toxic smelling but works.

Thanks all for sharing your tips - the winner of the prize draw is @ThePug