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

Use colour catchers with all new clothes and put a load on first thing as it stops the washing building up!

We never tumble dry school polo shirts, even if the label says they're fine, because they will still shrink a bit/go stiff.

I do tumble dry loads of things that say they can't be, like pyjama bottoms, hoodies and sweatshirts.

Top tip: use a dehumidifier when drying indoors. Makes a massive difference to the speed you can dry stuff.

Second top tip: use an IKEA whirligig (pictured) on the washing line for hanging out loads of pants, socks and small person leggings/PJ bottoms. I love mine so much I want two more!

When on holiday and packing to come home use spare carrier bags to separate your darks, whites and colours and then when you get home you are ready to wash :)

Marry a man who comes with his own iron and knows how to use it.

I never iron :)

When taking off socks, roll them into a ball before putting them in the laundry basket. That way you're sure both socks get washed at the same time.

I always do whites separately, and i have two laundry baskets - for whites and coloured, but still need to check what has been put in.

I soak clothes with stains overnight before washing as normal, which usually works, and if not meh - am not too fussy, it will be in the wash the next day anyway.
How to get clothes dry in summer when it's raining, just leave it until the sun comes out again.

I use colour catcher sheets with a mixed wash and find then really good. Buy at B and M as supermarket ones are extortionate.

If your colour catcher doesn't have dye on it, dry it out and reuse it.

Separate out washing - whites, lights and darks.
Use a high temperature for all bed linen.
Wash your feet before you lie down in/on beds.
Wash things regularly.
Cycling gloves go in on their own (they are very stinky).
Don't use too much washing powder or fabric softener.

Recently i have divided laundry into three piles instead of whites and darks, I have found with all the colours we wear nowadays, that i have a lights pile also, pale colours that will seep into the real whites, but will also get darkened by the darks, if that makes sense, not sure why i never thought of this before but there you go, works for me!

I usually do 2 or 3 loads at the weekend, only 2 of us here. Then it goes straight into the tumble dryer as I don't have a washing line. It's easy to take it out and fold and put away then.

dont let the washing pile up! put clothes on to wash as soon as you have a load. Do washing on sunny days so you can save on electricity and hang them on the line instead of using tumble drier!

separate everything into whites and colours .

We keep the small human's clothes separate from ours, helps ensure no tiny lost socks in the wash (or at least reduces the number of tiny lost socks). Always line dry when possible (except towels). Very relaxed approach to colours etc, just shoe it all in, hope for the best. Oh, and make the husband iron his own shirts and never ever iron anything else.

I use the eco wash and always put them on the line to dry when I can I vary rarely use the tumble dryer

Get the washing sunned on whenever possible. I love that smell.

Fairy liquid washing up liquid will shift most stains, just squeeze some onto the affected area and wash as usual.

Monthly hot wash - I usually do this after washing the dog beds!

Oh and fold everything as soon as it's dry. It saves a LOT of ironing.

I swear by the boil wash for the messy baby grows. No soaking, no special products... just pop into the washing machine at 90 degrees and a couple of hours later they are stains free and ready to be hang on the line. Sounds long but as any mum with the young baby knows anything that safes time is a winner. It also leaves your drains sparkling too! Haha sadly doesn't work as good for the filthy socks when they grow older!

I try and wash whites separately, towels separately, and then good luck to everything else.

My washing gets darked on all the time lol!
I don't buy white clothes, bedding or towels as they just get stained/discoloured. This means I don't need separate coloured washes.
i tumble dry all underwear all year round and it gets put in a separate laundry basket to make this easier. This saves me pegging out minimum of 21pants, and 42socks each week!

Vanish works on poo stains if you scrub it really well - and yes, you need to treat front and back. Useful if you don't always hang laundry out for the sun to bleach it, or if you can't rely on a sunny day!

Don't put it off otherwise it just builds up and it feels like a mammoth task, when the sun is out get the washing out!

Bu a laundry bag to wash and dry delicate items such as tights to prevent them snagging or getting caught on velcro, zips etc.

I chuck everything in together. I do at least 1 load a day so never have a build up. I hang it outside as much as possible - sunshine helps remove any stains left.

I have a laundry basket for each member of the family and then a extra one for towels and bedding.
Itmakes my life so much easier!

I tend to wash every day, and tumble dry and fold as I go on, that way I am not overwhelmed after a couple of days. As I use Fairy Non Bio which I love and trust, stains are not usually a problem, apart from mashed carrot which I put a splodge of the detergent rub in and leave over night. Tends to do the trick. I buy multi packs of white vests and socks which are the same style, sorting is not an issue. There is nothing quite like seeing a full washing line full of fragrant clothes blowing on a nice sunny day.