Let’s be honest, laundry day is never the favourite time of the week. From tackling indestructible stains to accidentally turning our new white shirt a disastrous shade of pink – we’ve all experienced the tricky situations our washing machine can throw at us. With these life-saving tips, you can keep those nightmarish moments to a minimum whilst keeping your fabrics looking and smelling fabulous.

Laundry Tip No.1: A squeaky clean washing machine

How can your washing machine effectively clean your clothes if it is releasing unpleasant odours or covered in mould and limescale? A monthly deep clean of your washing machine will enable it to function at its best – so you can enjoy truly fresh fabrics that have no lingering funky smells. You can invest in a Washing Machine Cleaner like this one from Brite, or you can use natural products like Bicarbonate of Soda that you probably already have in your cupboards. Read more here on how to keep your washing machine squeaky clean.

Laundry Tip No.2: Pre-treat those pesky stains

Red wine, food grease, coffee and ketchup spillages do not have to ruin your new dress forever more. There’s nothing more disappointing than unloading the washing and still seeing a stubborn mark on your clothing or bedsheets – but fear not, you can always pre-treat! Grab a powerful stain remover like Vanish or Wizz Oxi Action Powder. To use these products as a pre-treatment, simply combine a scoop with a small amount of water to make a paste. Then apply this to the affected area, wait 5 minutes, before rinsing and throwing in with the rest of the laundry.

Laundry Tip No.3: Separate Lights & Darks

The best way to keep your whites white is to only wash them with other light fabrics. The same goes for dark or coloured clothing. If you have the space, we recommend to just keep two laundry baskets in your room or bathroom which you can use to easily divide up dirty clothing when you’re finished wearing it. This will make it far easier when it comes to loading up the washing machine!

Laundry Tip No.4: The inside out trick!

To prevent your coloured fabrics from fading quickly, you can try turning them inside out before washing. Keep them inside out when you hang them out to dry and your dark clothes will remain just like new. No more faded colour or light grey blacks!

Laundry Tip No.4: Treat your towels

Don’t chuck your old towels away just yet! Try taking them from drab to fluffy n’ fab with these simple methods. First put them through a normal wash with a cup white vinegar, and then go in for a second cycle but this time with half a cup of bicarbonate of soda. Those dull and worn towels will come out feeling fluffy, super soft and like new! You can even throw in a dryer ball or a tennis ball for maximum fluffiness.

Laundry Tip No.5: Try not to overload the washing machine

We know that you want to get through that massive pile of dirty socks as soon as possible, but overfilling your washing machine will mean that your clothes will not clean as well. Very large loads require lots of detergent and will probably come out damper and not smelling super fresh. Over-stuffing is definitely a no-go! You should try to fill your drum up about ¾ full for an optimum cleanse.

Laundry Tip No.6: Get To Know Your Dryer

Tumble dryers can be a much more convenient option than hauling bundles of laundry across your garden to hang up – especially if you live in the UK where rain can appear at any moment. When using your dryer, try popping in a dry, clean towel with every load to absorb excess water from your clothing. This will reduce the time it takes your load to dry – so you can save both money and time!

Laundry Tip No.7: Drying with good old fresh air

Hanging your laundry outside to dry is always the better option. It takes a little more time, but it will save you energy, money, as well as being a greener choice for the environment. Clothing and fabrics can actually wear faster if you opt to tumble dry, as the harsh tumbling will stretch and batter your clothing over time.

Laundry Tip No.6: Be environmentally aware

Most laundry loads will not actually require a high temperature in order to be cleaned. By setting your cycles to 30˚C, you can save yourself energy and money, as well as actually keeping your clothes looking like new for longer. There are now many detergents that will work effectively at lower temperatures – meaning you do not have to sacrifice clean clothes at all. Get your hands on this Ariel Original Liquid Laundry Gel which works brrrr-illiently even in a cold wash!

Laundry Tip No.10: Boost that scent

Laundry sheets are perfect for giving your laundry routine that extra bit of care. If you’re conscious about colours spreading, you can avoid that disaster by placing a colour catching sheet in your drum before a wash. Sometimes the heat of tumble drying can beat the fresh scents of your detergent out of your clothing. To combat this, you can pop a scented dryer sheet like these Lenor Tumble Dryer Sheets in Summer Breeze into your drum for a fragrance boost and to reduce static cling.