What are the best laundry tips for people who use a laundry service?

Even with a professional laundry service, these tips help: separate items that need special care before bagging, turn jeans and dark clothes inside out to preserve color, empty all pockets, zip up zippers to prevent snagging, and communicate any stain treatment needs or special preferences to your laundry service.

How can I make my clothes last longer?

To extend the life of your clothes: wash in cold water when possible, avoid over-drying, turn delicate items inside out, use gentle or low-heat dryer settings, and avoid overloading washers. Professional laundry services like Foam follow these practices by default and let you set custom preferences for each wash.

Should I sort my laundry before giving it to a service?

With Foam, you do not need to sort your laundry. The professional team handles sorting by color, fabric type, and care requirements. Simply place all your laundry in your Foam bag and add any special instructions for items that need extra care. This saves you time and ensures proper sorting by experienced professionals.

How do I get stains out of clothes?

For best results with stain removal: treat stains as soon as possible before they set, do not put stained items in the dryer (heat sets stains permanently), and note any stains when scheduling your laundry pickup. Foam's professional team has experience with common stain types and uses targeted treatments for best results.

What laundry mistakes damage clothes the most?

The most damaging laundry mistakes are: washing in hot water when cold is sufficient, over-drying clothes (causes shrinkage and wear), using too much detergent (leaves residue and stiffens fabric), ignoring care labels, and overloading the washer (causes uneven cleaning and excess friction). Professional services avoid all of these common mistakes.

7 Laundry Tips for Salt Lake City | Foam Laundry Service

Discover 7 laundry tips to simplify your life! Save time and frustration with Foam Laundry, Salt Lake City's premium pickup/delivery service.

Whether you're doing it yourself or letting Foam handle it, these tips will save you time and headaches

Look, we get it. Even if you use a laundry service (like Foam), you still want to know how to handle laundry smarter when you're doing it yourself—or just want to make your clothes last longer.

Here are 7 practical laundry tips that actually work, whether you're doing loads at home, at a laundromat, or prepping your clothes for pickup.

1. Sort Smarter, Not Harder

Forget the "darks, lights, colors" rule that takes forever. Here's what actually matters:

Heavy vs. Light fabrics (jeans with jeans, t-shirts with t-shirts)
Lint givers vs. lint takers (towels separate from synthetic workout clothes)
Delicates (anything you'd be sad to shrink)

This cuts your sorting time in half and prevents that annoying lint situation.

2. Pre-Treat Stains While They're Fresh

The 5-minute rule: If you can treat a stain within 5 minutes, it'll probably come out. If you wait until laundry day, it might be permanent.

Keep a stain pen in your car, purse, or desk drawer. Future you will thank current you.

3. Use the Right Water Temperature

Hot water: White cotton items, towels, bedding (kills bacteria)
Warm water: Most everyday clothes, light colors
Cold water: Dark colors, workout clothes, anything stretchy

Cold water saves energy and prevents fading, but hot water is your friend for sanitizing.

4. Don't Overload the Machine

If you can't fit your hand comfortably on top of the clothes, it's too full. Overloaded machines don't clean properly and can break (ask any college student about their dorm's broken washers).

5. Shake Out Clothes Before Folding

This one sounds obvious, but most people skip it. Give each item a good shake before folding—it prevents wrinkles and makes folding faster.

6. Deal with Socks Differently

Stop losing socks. Either:

Wash them in a mesh bag
Safety pin pairs together before washing
Accept that socks are consumables and buy 12 identical pairs

The third option is actually life-changing.

7. Time Your Loads Right

Best times for laundromats: Tuesday-Thursday mornings or early afternoons (avoid Sunday evening chaos)

Best times at home: Start a load before you leave for work, switch it when you get home

Best times for Foam pickup: Schedule for mornings—you'll get your clothes back by evening

Bonus Tip: Know When to Outsource

Here's the real talk: Some things are worth your time, others aren't.

Good candidates for DIY: Quick items, delicates you're picky about, single emergency loads

Good candidates for outsourcing: Weekly loads, bulky items (comforters, sleeping bags), when you're busy/traveling, anything you hate folding

The Bottom Line

Laundry doesn't have to be complicated. Whether you're doing it yourself or using a service like Foam, these tips will make the process smoother.

And if you're tired of spending hours every weekend on laundry? That's literally why Foam exists. We handle the time-consuming stuff so you can focus on things that actually matter.

Ready to get your weekends back? Try Foam for one week—$25, same-day service, and zero time spent folding.

7 Laundry Tips That'll Actually Make Your Life Easier (Even If You Use a Laundry Service)