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

# 7 Laundry Tips That'll Actually Make Your Life Easier (Even If You Use a Laundry 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. --- ## Related Reading - [How to Wash Your Winter Clothes Without Ruining Them](/posts/how-to-wash-winter-clothes-without-ruining-them) - [Laundry Tips for Families: How SLC Parents Save Hours](/posts/laundry-tips-families-salt-lake-city-parents-saving-hours) - [Dry-Cleaning vs. Laundry: What's the Difference?](/posts/dry-cleaning-vs-laundry-salt-lake-city-guide) Let Foam handle the rest at [foamlaundry.co](https://foamlaundry.co).