Please keep in mind that new sneakers should be washed by hand to prevent any early wear on the shoes.

#1 – Remove the Insoles

It is very important to remove the insoles of your sneakers before putting them in the wash, these can be washed separately by hand using some liquid detergent and soaking them while working them into a froth.  Once cleaned remove all excess detergent with water and let them air dry.

#2 – Put the Shoes in the Washer

First remove the shoelaces from the shoes and place them in a separate pillow bag or equivalent and throw them in the wash.  Then make sure your shoes have been rinsed from any exterior dirt/mud that may be on them.  Throw the sneakers into a mesh bag and add them into the wash along with some old towels.  Use enough liquid detergent for a small load and add a tablespoon of vinegar to help disinfect the shoes.  Run them on a delicate, cold cycle to prevent the shoes from overheating and stretching out.

#3 – Air Dry the Shoes

Yes, it takes much longer, but it is important to air dry your sneakers rather than putting them in the dryer.  The reason for this is that the high heat of a dryer will almost definitely ruin the size and shape of the sneakers.  If you live in a sunny area keep them outside for a few days to dry up or simply place them by a window sill in a dry area for the next few days.

#4 – Enjoy Your New Clean Shoes:)

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#1 – The Ice Cube Trick

Adding some ice cubes into a dryer set on HIGH for about 15 minutes can steam and smooth out wrinkles in a hassle free way!

#2 – The Vinegar Trick

Spritz a mist of 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar and let the garments air dry, this is a very gentle method for eliminating wrinkles.

#3 – The Shower Trick

The shower trick is pretty well known but still effective, simply hang your wrinkled garments in your bathroom with the shower on high heat. The steam from the shower will help remove the wrinkles in about 10-15 minutes.

#4 – The Pot Trick

If you’d like to get a more professional ironing job done with no iron, simply boil water in a large pot and once boiling toss out the water and use the bottom of your pot as an iron.

#5 – The Hair Iron Trick

If you’re looking to remove some small wrinkles (this won’t work on a whole piece of clothing) simply clean your hair iron and you can iron out wrinkled spots from your clothes quickly and easily!

So the next time you find yourself in a wrinkle bind, use one of these helpful tricks and live wrinkle free!

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HAND WASH

When you want to get the job done in a way that is guaranteed not to damage your delicates and will leave them almost as good as new, hand washing is the way to go.  Let’s run through the steps for hand-washing your delicates:

1 – Fill a bucket or sink with warm water while adding your detergent (many detergents have specialty brands for delicate clothing).

2 – Soak your delicates in the warm water (don’t overfill) and let them sit for 5-10 minutes depending on how much clothing is in the solution.   After this time period, get your hands into the clothes and whirl them around while gently rolling them for a few minutes and then allow them to soak for a few minutes longer.

3 – Carefully remove the clothing and set aside, remove the soapy water and fill the sink or bucket with cold water. Put the clothing back into the cold water and whirl around to get out the excess detergent.  Do this 1 to 2 more times depending on the load and detergent used.

4 – Once finished carefully place the laundry on a drying rack and allow them to dry overnight. 

MACHINE WASH

Machine washing your delicates also works (yes even with those that say hand-wash only) but be very careful in following these steps:

1 – Add delicates to a mesh laundry bag

2 – Use your machines setting for delicates (or the most gentle cycle available) and use minimal amounts of detergent.  Be sure to add a bit more clothing alongside the delicates in this wash to keep it even.

3 – One finished air dry on drying rack. (If you plan on using a dryer, which is not recommended, use the lowest setting and remove the delicates half way through the cycle)

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Separate Your Workout Clothes & Hang Dry Them

It’s very important not to throw your sweaty workout clothes in the hamper with the rest of your laundry.  It will contaminate the other clothes with the sweat and create a large pile of extra smelly laundry.  Instead, hang dry your sweaty laundry and let them dry out to prevent mold/bacteria growth and then keep them in a separate pile from the rest of your laundry.

Use High Heat & Don’t Overdue the Detergent

With smelly workout clothes it’s important to use the highest heat possible on both the dryer and washer settings.  Many people agree that this will eliminate as much germs/bacteria as possible and clean the clothes to the fullest extent.  It’s also important to use the same amount of detergent you would normally use for that particular sized load of laundry.  Many people think they should add more detergent, which can actually be counter-productive as the excess soap can remain without being washed out and can sometimes harbor fungus/bacteria growth.

Dryer Sheets!

Even if you have washed your sweaty workout clothes fully, there can often times still be a lingering smell on the clothes/towels.  Dryer sheets are a fantastic way to keep these materials smelling great.  There are a variety of different types of dryer sheets, some brands even offer “sports” variations of dryer sheets which are extra potent for smellier loads.

We hope these tips help with your smelly workout laundry and keep all your clothes as fresh and clean as possible!

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Although it may feel like an antiquated technique, hang drying clothes can be an energy efficient and cost effective method.  This technique should only be used on light clothes however and in the right season, as thicker clothing can take a longer time to dry and sunny weather always works better.

Many people overlook this crucial process in energy efficiency.  Properly cleaning your clothes dryer will not only make it more energy efficient, but it will also make the dryer function at an optimum level!  The lint filter doesn’t catch all the lint and it’s important to take a vacuum’s hose extensions and eliminate the lint build-up around that gathers in the inner drum.

Many of the newer models of clothes dryers offer options for energy efficiency beyond normal settings.  Moisture sensors are becoming popular in clothes dryers, which detect when clothing becomes dry and turns off automatically.

One trick that many people don’t know about is that running a “perm press” cycle will increase efficiency.  The reason being that perm press cycles will normally run a bit of cold tumble near the end of the cycle which is still effective and more energy efficient

Many people don’t clean their lint filters every time or don’t clean them properly.  It is important to clean your lint filter to the best of your ability after every use.  It’s also important to clean the outside air vents often, when they become clogged they require more energy and wear your machine down quicker.

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#1 – How Does She DIY Detergent

Our first method comes courtesy of the How Does She blog and is regarded by many as one of the best recipes on the market.

Check out the full recipe here: http://www.howdoesshe.com/cheaper-and-better-diy-laundry-detergent/

#2 – DIY Natural Detergent Recipe

The next recipe we are showcasing comes from DIY Natural and is much more stripped down than the first recipe.  It only has 3 ingredients and boasts the most effective/cost effective on the web.

Check out the full recipe here: http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-laundry-detergent-soap

#3 – Emilie Lefler DIY Detergent

The final recipe we are going to showcase in this post comes from Emilie Lefler and the variations of this method have become the most common practice of making your own detergent:

Credit: Emilie Lefler YouTube

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The immediate benefits of laundry pods are:

– Pre-Measured Pods

Simply drop a pre-measured pod into your wash and you never again have to worry about whether you have added just the right amount of detergent

– No Mess

Without the need to measure your detergent the pods eliminate the messy aftermath that is accompanied by these measurements

– No Waist

The last big advantage is that no detergent is lost in the process of using pods, while with liquid detergent, even the most careful laundry expert will lose at least a little detergent in the process.

However there are some downsides with using Detergent Pods:

– They Tend to Be More Expensive

This is of course a relative metric of measurement as liquid detergents and pods come in a variety of different forms and prices, but on the whole the consensus among consumers is that laundry pods are slightly more expensive.  In one study on bankrate.com it noted that the price can as high as double the price when comparing the same brand’s pods vs their liquid detergents.

– They are Dangerous For Children

As of July 16, 2015 Consumer Reports has now removed laundry detergent pods from their list of recommended laundry detergents, citing a study showing that in the first 6 months of 2015 poison control centers around the nation received over 6,000 reports of children 5 years old and younger coming in contact with the pods.  This contact ranged from ingesting, inhaling, skin burns, & eye contact.  Although the industry is making adjustments to make the pods safer for children, it seems to be a relatively higher risk to keep around the house than traditional liquid laundry detergent.

As you can see there are both upsides & downsides to using laundry detergent pods as opposed to liquid detergent and depending on whether on your budget, whether you live with children, & your free time to do laundry it can make an impact on your decision.

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Courtesy of www.maketowelanimals.com we have been provided with a few expert instructions for some of our favorite towel animals, let’s go through a few of the top ones:

# 1 – Towel Mouse

This will require (1) Hand Towel & (1) Washcloth:

Step 1 – First fold the hand towel about 30% lengthwise in both directions:

Step 2 – Fold out a sleeve as shown and roll the towel down:

Step 3: To create the head take the washcloth and fold it from one corner and then the other to create a triangle

Step 4: Next fold the tip inward and the sides over as shown:

Step 5: Next take the two corners of the towel and fold them inward as shown and then separate the ears apart:

Step 6: Then simply add the head to the body and viola! Add googly eyes for added affect.

# 2 – Towel Elephant

This will require (1) Hand Towel & (1) Bath Towel:

Step 1: Layout the bath towel and fold it lengthwise from both sides inward to meet perfectly in the middle:

Step 2: Then roll the towel inward from the top sides to meet in the middle once again, then fold in half, stand upright, & push down to wide out slightly.

Step 3: Next to form the head layout the hand towel, fold the corners in to form a triangle as shown, & then roll the bottom corners from both ends to meet in the middle.

Step 4: Next pick up the towel, turn it over and pull the top part down as shown:

Step 5: Then pinch the back of the cuff, while holding the pinch turn the ears inside out as shown:

Step 6: Then simply add the head to the body, you can optionally add googly eyes for added affect:

We hope you have fun with some of these animal towel creations!

The post Let’s Make Some Towel Animals! appeared first on Laundro Xpress.

Simple things like shutting off the water when you are not using it, using eco-friendly detergents, and doing larger loads of laundry at once are all steps we can take towards a more green future. One way many new parents are eliminating their carbon footprint is by choosing to use cloth diapers instead of disposable ones.

Cloth diapers have been used for many years until the disposable diaper made it easier to just toss it all away without having to worry about it. But many people are resorting back to cloth diapers because they save money and are much better for the environment.

An average of 3.4 million tons of diapers fill landfills every year. And it is estimated that the average child will go through 10,000 diapers until they are toilet trained. That is a huge stress on the environment and could be radically different if everyone used cloth diapers.

People are a bit hesitant about adopting cloth diapers because they are unfamiliar on how to use them. The key to using cloth diapers is keeping them clean. We want to share the best way to clean your cloth diapers and how you can even clean them at a Laundromat.

First you want to soak the dirty diapers in a liquid detergent. Let the diapers soak for 2-3 hours depending on how soiled they are. You can even add some baking soda to reduce smells. Rinse off the diapers once soaked and toss them in the laundry machine using hot water.

Make sure to wash the diapers separate from your regular laundry. Letting the diapers air dry can also reduce odors. Also make sure you have enough diapers available while you wash to ensure you can rotate during the wash if necessary.

Using cloth diapers is a huge benefit for everyone. It is more comfortable and less irritating for your child, it saves you a bunch of money, and it greatly reduces your carbon footprint on the environment. Follow these simple steps on how to keep them clean and you will never go back to the disposable diaper again!

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There are two main things to consider when sorting your wash, colors & weight.

Sorting your clothes by color:

The most important part of sorting clothes is color, the main categories to sort your clothes by are: Whites, Darks, Lights (light blues, yellows, light greens, etc..), Jeans (denim materials), Delicates (lingerie, silks, pantyhose)

By sub-dividing your clothes in these color categories you can be sure that your clothes will not bleed into each other and that the fabrics colors will maintain their integrity.

Sorting your clothes by weight:

Another important but often overlooked area of sorting clothes is sorting by fabric weight.  By mixing thin delicate fabrics with heavy rough materials it can lead to tearing/ripping of the more delicate clothing or simply discoloring the delicate clothes because of the abrasive heavy fabrics.  Another important factor to keep in mind is drying time.  If you mix heavy wet fabrics with more light fabrics or clothing it is safe to assume that these clothes will not dry at the same time.  It is best to keep heavier fabric loads using a low amount of fabric and high heat with the dryer to ensure they are dried thoroughly.  Mixing heavy and light fabric loads in the dryer could lead to some of the heavier materials staying damp/wet.

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