Laundry Room Buying Guide

Laundry Room buying tips

The key to making laundry day easier is having the right tools to get the job done. If you wear clothes, then you'll need to do laundry eventually, so having the proper laundry supplies ready will save you worries later on. Of course, you'll want to consider which clothes you wear as you choose laundry supplies. If you rarely wear anything besides t-shirts, you may not need a steam press iron. If you leave the house in a suit five days out of the week, a clothes steamer should be high on your list of things to buy while online shopping. Many people find that garment steamers do much of the work irons do, so you may be able to choose one or the other.

Laundry Room components

Here's a list of a few of the most important laundry tools to help you survive laundry day and to keep your clothes looking their best.

Hampers

Start the laundry process by being organized with a hamper or two. When you have a laundry hamper, you can always put your dirty clothes into one place; no more piles on the floor, on the chair or on the exercise equipment. You'll know that it's time to do a load of laundry when the hamper is full. When you have two or three hampers, you can separate the different loads as soon as you take off your clothes. One hamper is designated for whites (to be washed in hot water), one for colors (to be washed in warm water) and one for darks and delicates (to be washed in cold water). With pre-sorted laundry, you won't have to think twice about how to wash your clothes.

Make the job even easier by getting your clothes laundry-ready before you put them in the hamper. Turn items that may fade inside out. Unroll any cuffs, check that all pockets are empty, zip up zippers and button those buttons. Clothes will retain their shape better when washed the way you wear them. You won't have to spend extra time on laundry day if the items are already prepped for washing in the hamper.

Garment Steamers

Garment steamers are a quick, gentle way to remove wrinkles from clothing. You can even use clothes steamers on household fabrics such as curtains, tablecloths, slipcovers and more. Simply fill the water chamber, let the garment steamer heat up and wave the steam over the wrinkled items. A clothes steamer can also make clothes feel fresher when they don't quite need to be washed. Maybe you've been saving out-of-season clothes at the back of your closet, only to pull them out and see that they look a bit droopy. A clothes steamer will perk them up with a little blast of steam. A travel garment steamer will reduce the wrinkles that come from folding clothing into luggage.

Pressing Irons

When you need a crisp crease, nothing beats irons for giving your clothes that pressed look. Irons don't need too many features to be helpful, and even the least expensive irons cover your basic needs: adjustable temperature, a non-stick soleplate and the ability to use steam. Other features on irons are available to suit your preferences, such as ergonomic handles, lightweight designs, self-winding cords or an automatic shut-off. The more you iron, the more you'll appreciate the extra features on irons. Don't forget to pick up an ironing board, too.

If you are ironing many items, start with the ones that need to be ironed on a lower temperature, such as silks. Then increase the heat and move up to the heavy cotton items.

It doesn't take much effort to keep irons running well. Using the steam feature on irons will make ironing heavy items easier; filling irons with hard water, though, can cause damage. If you do have hard water, you may want to fill your iron with distilled water to prolong its life. If you use a spray starch, let the product soak into the clothes for a moment. Ironing right after spraying will cause build-up on the iron's soleplate.

Garment racks

When you're done ironing your laundry, hang your clothes on a convenient garment rack. Add a clothes rack to your laundry room so you can hang clothes straight from the dryer, preventing many wrinkles before they start. A garment rack added into your bedroom can make up for a lack of closet space. Or, if you need to store out-of-season clothes, you can put a clothing rack in your basement or attic. Adding garment racks to your house is much less trouble than trying to add more closets!

Lint Shaver

"Pilling" is what happens to older clothes and upholstery when small balls (called "pills") form on the fabric. A lint shaver trims the pills off, making the fabric look smooth and new again. Soft clothing items, especially sweaters, are susceptible to pilling, no matter how careful you are about doing laundry. With a clothes shaver and a little time, you can keep your wardrobe looking great. Most clothes shavers cost far less than replacing a pilled item of clothing. Every laundry room should include a clothes shaver, and you may also want to keep a clothes shaver at work or in your car for last-minute touch-ups.

Many lint shavers are battery operated, while others are rechargeable or corded. When a lint shaver's power runs low, it loses its effectiveness and can even start to damage delicate fabrics. Be sure to keep your clothes shaver powered up or have extra batteries on hand.

Laundry Room tips

Follow the Instructions: Remember to read the care label for any item of clothing or household item before laundering. It's always easier to prevent a laundry problem than it is to fix it. Every clothing description at Overstock.com includes basic care requirements for that garment, so you'll know exactly what the laundry care will be before you buy.

Drying your Clothes: Empty the lint trap of your dryer before every laundry load to maximize its drying ability and to prevent fires. Or cut down your home's CO₂ emissions and hang your laundry to dry on a clothesline or on a clothes rack.

Use the Right Detergent: Front-loading washers require low-suds laundry detergents, which are usually liquids. These are often marked with the letters "HE" for high-efficiency. For top-loading washers, choose between powders and liquids based on your water and your stains. Powdered laundry detergents work better when you have hard water; they are also better at breaking down muddy stains. Liquid laundry detergents are better at removing oily stains and grease; they also work well as a pre-treatment. Follow the measurement directions for laundry detergent. More detergent doesn't mean cleaner laundry; when you use too much, it doesn't all rinse out, making clothes itchy.

Stop those Stains: With any laundry stain, you'll have better luck removing it if you treat it as soon as possible. Occasionally, you'll need to treat the stain twice: once to remove the oil and once to remove the color. Pre-treat and soak stained items in a sink or in the washer for half an hour before washing.

Wash your Bedding: Down comforters can be washed by hand or in the gentle cycle of a front-loading washer. Be sure to use a low-suds laundry detergent and rinse thoroughly. Use the spin cycle in the washer whether you wash it by hand or in the machine. Tumble dry the down comforter on low, adding in a few tennis balls to fluff up the feathers. You can use the same method for washing pillows, down or synthetic.

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