Five Tips to Spring Clean Your Laundry Routine

There’s something about the longer days and warmer weather that says it’s time to spring clean! Usually when people talk about a ‘spring clean’ they mean cleaning and decluttering their homes, but how you clean can be just as important as the cleaning itself. We all know that cleaning isn’t a once-a-year thing, so we suggest using this time to set yourself up for cleaning success all year. This spring, why not give your laundry routine a spring clean – here are 5 rural and urban-living approved tips to get you started.

Tip 1 – Clean your washer with white vinegar and baking soda.

This may surprise you, but your washing machine can get really dirty. Detergent residue that can trap soil and bacteria, leading to smells, mold, and mildew. Counterproductive to fresh, clean clothes and linens, right? Spring is a great time to give your machine a deep clean, all you need is some white vinegar and baking soda! Here are instructions for cleaning your washing machine (both top and front loading)

Tip 2 – Use ULAT dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. 

For many of us, dryer sheets are just as much part of our laundry routine as detergent. They help soften fabrics, reduce static cling, and add a fragrance to our freshly laundered clothes. But with studies indicating that the chemicals in dryer sheets might not be that great for us in the long run(not to mention the unnecessary waste they produce!) it could be time to spring clean those dryer sheets right out of your laundry routine. Instead, toss a set of three ULAT dryer balls in with your drying. ULAT dryer balls are made of cruelty-free Canadian wool and have a unique patented design that sets them apart from other dryer balls on the market. Not only do they help soften your laundry, reduce static, and offer a variety of essential oil scents – they also help your laundry dry faster! Better for you and for the planet.

Tip 3 – Natural odour killers

You know how some scents just linger on your clothes simply because you were around the source of the smell? Like when you spend time in a café, and your clothes smell like coffee? Your clothes are really dirty per se, but you don’t want to walk around smelling like a stale latte, so you pop them in the wash. But no so fast - washing your clothes isn’t the only way to remove odours! Sometimes hanging your clothes outside (or even inside) in the sunlight is enough to air out those odours. For tougher scents, you can actually use vodka to freshen your clothes. Put some (cheap) vodka into a spray bottle and give your smelly garment a good spritz from a distance – the alcohol dries quickly, and the scent will be gone with it. This even works on some dry clean only fabrics (like a silk blouse) but we suggest doing a spot test somewhere inconspicuous first to be safe. The more we can cut down on laundry and dry cleaning, the better for the environment!

Tip 4 – Use Chalk to fight grease stains.

Is there any more annoying stain than a grease stain? Luckily, we found a natural way to help remove them! All you need is some standard white chalkboard chalk. Chalk is super absorbent, so if you treat the stain quickly, it can do most of the work. This means cooking grease, car and bike grease, and yes, even lipstick marks can be taken care of with chalk. You do have to treat the grease stain right away with chalk for this to be effective, so if you’re prone to dripping salad dressing on yourself, you might just want to carry some chalk around with you. First remove any excess oil with a clean paper towel, then cover the whole stain with chalk. Allow for a few minutes for the oil to absorb and when you launder the garment, make sure to use the hot water setting. Voila! The grease is gone.

Tip 5 – Brighten white garments with lemon juice.

Do the brighter sunny days that have you noticing some of your whites aren’t looking as bright as they used to? If you want to whiten your whites but you don’t like the environmental impacts of bleach, you are in luck. Natural alternatives like white vinegar, baking soda, lemons, and even sunlight can help get your whites shining! Simply add ½ cup of either baking soda, distilled white vinegar, or lemon juice to your white wash along with your regular detergent for a boost of brightness. Hang your freshly washed clothes to dry in the sun for extra whitening.

We can’t promise these tips will make you enjoy doing the laundry any more than you already do, but at least you’ll know you’re making a difference for the environment with each load! What’s more, the ingredients or tools you need might already exist in your household, so you’ll be saving money too! Has this gotten you excited to spring clean your laundry routine? Check out our website and social for more laundry tips, and share your favourite laundry tricks too.