#laundry-tips

#laundry-tips

'Dishwashers need space in between dishes and crockery in order to circulate water, so you're not saving any money by squeezing everything into your machine.'

The results? They picked out 26 cleaning solutions, calling them their favorites. From tried-and-true staples to brand-new discoveries, see below for our top picks.

Washing machine rubber door seals are one of the biggest hidden breeding grounds for mould in the home. They trap moisture, detergent residue and fabric fibres during and after washes, creating the perfect warm, damp environment for mould and bacteria to thrive.

Change dishcloths at least once a week, as they are breeding grounds for bacteria, which thrive in the presence of food particles and in warm, moist environments. Every time you dry your hands with a kitchen towel or use it to dry dishes or wipe the counter, you're potentially spreading germs from one place to another.

When you hire the cheapest operator in town, you usually aren't getting a clean floor. You are getting a soaking wet carpet, hidden upcharges, and a sticky chemical residue that acts like a dirt magnet the second it dries.

My husband and I just upgraded our apartment here in Germany to one with much more space. The downsides of this is we have hard marble floors and a tall-ceilinged living room (oh woe is us!). It's very echo-y and looks directly into our neighbors across the street. The windows have external shutters, so light-blocking isn't needed, but we'd love to get

I'll be honest: Washing my actual pillows (not just the cases) used to be one of those chores I knew I should be doing, but rarely actually did. As long as my pillows were tucked inside clean pillowcases, I convinced myself they were fine. But that all changed after I came across this article on Apartment Therapy where three popular pillow-washing methods were put to the test.

Your eyes don't deceive you. The use of polyester has ballooned with time, according to Henry Navarro Delgado, an associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University's school of fashion. It's partly because polyester can be quite useful, he said. It is a type of plastic made from petroleum compounds that are cooled and stretched into yarn, according to Michael Palladino, a fashion industry veteran and lecturer at Kingsborough Community College's business of fashion program in New York.

Kids and clean cars don't mix. Between snack crumbs, stray toys, and sticky fingerprints, your backseat can feel like a disaster zone. No matter how often you tidy up, the mess always returns. So how to keep the car clean? But a messy car doesn't have to be your reality! With simple systems and quick clean-up habits, you can keep things under control. The key is working with the chaos instead of against it -because kids will always make a mess.

It's about what happens in those crucial minutes before bed. The psychology behind this makes sense. As behavioral scientists have found, our environment significantly impacts our stress levels and mental clarity. A cluttered space often leads to a cluttered mind. Those who maintain consistently clean homes have figured out that small, nightly rituals prevent the overwhelming buildup that sends the rest of us into cleaning frenzies.

When it's dreary outside, I usually hunker down and do household chores - running the dishwasher, catching up on laundry, maybe even taking a long shower and shaving my legs. These days, though, I take the opposite approach: I never do chores that require water use when it's raining outside. That's because I recently learned that my city, Milwaukee, has a shared sewer system - which means rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater collect in the same pipes.

Stainless steel is known for its shiny look and incredible durability, which makes it a great choice in your kitchen, whether we're talking stainless steel appliances or cookware. But when cleaning cooking residue and grease from pans or polishing off your stainless-steel fridge, it's important you don't reach for the paper towels since they can leave scratches and leftover fibers on the surface of the material.

The best way to overcome travel accidents is to always be prepared. That includes packing just a little soap before you go. "Bring concentrated liquid detergent in a small travel bottle-it's easier to rinse out than powder," O'Connor said. " Dr. Bronner's or Woolite works well for hand washing. You can skip fabric softener. This just adds rinse cycles you don't need."

When you lack the good fortune of having an in-unit washer and dryer like I do, you have to be extra judicious about how many times you wear clothes before tossing them in the hamper. Laundry piles up quickly, after all, and I refuse to go to the laundromat more often than necessary. The only issue with re-wearing clothing items is that they wrinkle - fast - and they don't always smell daisy-fresh, if you catch my drift.

Weighing only 26.5 ounces, it's the lightest steam iron Panasonic has ever made. It's also cordless, comes with a handy carrying case, and heats up in 50 seconds on the accompanying power base (that plugs into a standard electrical outlet). The power base features a built-in cord compartment to make setup and storage easy. So already it solves some of my biggest gripes with traditional irons.

Any time I've felt like a room in my home was "missing something," it's almost always been a rug. They have a way of subtly tying the details of a space together and can enhance the aesthetic without you having to make much effort. In my opinion, the hardest part is picking one out - but knowing where to shop is a great place to start.

This research-based design project by Laura Oliveira investigates discarded as a potential raw material for sustainable design applications. Human hair is produced continuously and in large quantities through everyday grooming practices, yet it is almost always treated as waste once separated from the body and typically disposed of in landfills. Despite its material properties, strength, flexibility, and durability as a keratin-based protein fiber, its remains uncommon within design and research contexts.

When I was growing up, shampoo options were limited, and Johnson's Baby Shampoo was a household staple. It lathered well, smelled clean, and was gentle enough to use every day. At some point, my mom realized that same gentleness made it effective on clothes, too. She believed in the product so completely that I never questioned it - and eventually, I adopted the same habit in my own home.

Whether you're whipping up a labor-intensive meal or are working from home at a stand-up desk, these cushioned floor mats are about to make your legs and back so much happier. They're made with memory foam and supportive padding to help ease pressure on your joints as you stand. They're also waterproof to stand up to spills and splashes, and come in a variety of colors and sizes to suit your space.

Activewear that's made of sweat-wicking materials, like spandex or polyester, is great for pulling moisture away from your body so you feel dry and can continue on with your workout. But the problem with these types of fabrics is that although they pull sweat away from you, they still trap odors within the material itself. That's why thoroughly washing your workout clothes is so important, and I love using Persil's dedicated Activewear Clean Liquid Laundry Detergent to get activewear clean.

Getting dressed shouldn't feel like a daily obstacle course, but if you've ever battled a loose button or a hem that just won't cooperate, you know the struggle is real. That's where these low-key genius clothing hacks come in. Think: tiny tools and brilliant fixes that make your clothes actually work for you. These all solve those oddly specific wardrobe problems you didn't even realize had such easy fixes. Scroll on for more.