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

chuck a load in the machine first thing every morning and you don't get laundry mountains building up

Family of 5 so Separate laundry baskets for everyone. You can check who is wearing stuff for 10 mins then putting it in the wash. And no more sorting of washing for hours. Wash, dry, return straight back to one bedroom.

One load every other day helps me keep on top of it.
I also don't worry about separating colours/ whites and just shove a mixed load in!
For any really stupid born stains like blood I rinse it in cold water asap then treat it before putting it in the machine.
Being able to dry outside is great too when the sun is out.

My rule is always wash the school uniform on Friday night and put it out to dry (indoors if the weathers not good).
Never leave it until Sunday night.

If you must marry a farmer regularly empty the washing machine filter of detritus like hay, straw, metal washers......etc

If you get lily pollen on clothes don't rub it, dab with sellotape and wash in cold water and washing up liquid before putting in the washer with bio powder/liquid.

Lidl Bio Formula powder removes every stain known to mankind if soaked for a few hours.

Train your dc from toddlerhood to put clothes in the laundry basket and to separate coloureds/whites/darks while they do so. Saves so much time and effort when you actually do a load of laundry.

Always ALWAYS check for tissues in pockets before putting a load on

Buy a washing machine with a large drum and do not overfill it. Use a colour catcher and a whitener in your washes. Hang all your washing out on the line as often as you can, this can help to minimise ironing if you hang it carefully. Wipe your line down regularly to avoid dark line marks on your clothes.

I never usually separate whites and colours. I wash everything at 40deg and never had a colour run.

Only exception to the rule is if something is new!

All goes in one load every morning and hung out on line as much as possible. But same socks for everyone so easy to pair up after. Buy cheap clothes in general so not too big a deal if something gets stained, I just replace it.

Between working a load of extra hours recently and the rubbish weather here for the past few months - I don't have a tumble drier - I've been getting my laundry done for me by the local laundrette, so it arrives back clean, dry and all folded ready to fling in the wardrobe and drawers carefully organise and put away.

Sounds lazy/extravagant but it costs me £10 for my full week's washing and, in comparison to the price of detergent, treatments and heating costs for drying, I feel it's not only fair value for money, it frees up time to do other things!

If your machine has a timer make good use of it! We put a load in every day whilst clearing the kitchen after dinner and whack it on timer so it's finished just as we will be coming down in the morning and so ready to hang to dry (if sunny!) whilst making the morning brew and all away by lunch. I love this routine bc it takes care of itself - there is no 'laundry day' taking any time but the laundry is always done & bc everything is away by lunch it doesn't feel like we live in a laundry constantly.

Most stains can be shifted with a cold soak before washing. Especially mashed banana if your currently living with toddlers/babies.

Crappy cheapo school blazers come out the dry cleaner looking grand after 30 minutes.

sunshine beached my dd's nappies nicely!

Always smells nicer and looks brighter after line drying, just wish the weather played ball and co-incided with when I have time to do laundry!

Use lemon juice as fabric bleacher for a more environment friendly choice. Half a cup of lemon juice add to laundry rinse cycle when washing whites, or put juice directly on to stains, then allow to dry in the sunshine is my tip.

Have a separate clean basin for soaking clothes.. Washing that's been rained on and left out will most often still smell better than indoor/dryer dried.

My first rule is it only gets washed if it's dirty... with a family of four including a weaning baby in reusable nappies and my extra washing for my disabled brother, I don't do any more than necessary!

No eggs in the tumble drier suddenly became the most important laundry rule in our house

I use a combo of Soap Nuts and washing sofa crystals. Works well for my hypoallergenic family and helps keep my machine clean and free from gunk.

I have realised that I am a bit uptight about how the washing should be done in my house

Rule #1 always separate by colour AND seperate out any handwash, woollen and delicate items. I do a separate wash for each of those types organised by colour.

Rule #2 the laundry is sorted into IKEA laundry bags in the utility room by colour. The stuff at the bottom of the bag probably needs a special wash so don't fricking bung it in and murder it dh! so that will collect until there is enough stuff to make up a small load.

Rule #3 buy a washing machine with cycles for hand, wool and quick washes. Also have one that weighs the load so small loads can be done as and when, but make sure it is large capacity so it can do all the towels at once or a duvet.

Rule #4 if mixing lights and brights (I know, but I can't help it) use a colour catcher. Colour catches can also be reused if fished out the drum and left on top of the machine to dry.

Rule #5 do not use fabric softener.

Rule #6 pre-treat stains with Vanish, Dr Beckman, Ace, Napisan, Biotex, bicarbonate of soda etc etc depending on type of stain (again, I know) and use a good bio powder. I also put a whitener in with the school shirts and the white towels.

Rule #7 use a third half the recommended amount of powder. Do not use tablets or capsules.

Rule #8 empty machine promptly.

Rule #9 hang everything up so it doesn't need any as much ironing.

Rule #10 line dry everything where possible. Put towels in the drier if you want them fluffy. Tell anyone who complains about line dried, scratchy towels that they are getting the "Hamman experience" and should think themselves lucky!

We also have a table I bought from a wholesaler who fits out bars and restaurants that is high enough I can sort a whole load of washing in the utility. That's good.

And a squashy laundry basket from Lidl that can hold a whole load one handed. Ideally I would have two laundry baskets so I can empty and sort with more flexibility.

Put a towel in with every load where possible because it helps agitate the laundry and get things clean.

Yeah, I have a problem but my clothes and my family's look great!

When sending your teens to university or college make a point of sending them with underwear and t shirts etc all the same colour as far as possible. That way they don't need to separate their clothes when washing.

Buy a really nice washing machine! I just got a new one and it's made an incredible difference

Oh I like the idea of two laundry baskets I might do that.

DH doesn't think about washing so I joke that the washing fairy comes to our house as it just magically gets done in his eyes...!

I do at least one load a day to make sur edit doesn't build up.

Top tip to not put fabric conditioner in with towels as its not good for them.

I also use Napisan, works well and it's non-bio.