Share your best laundry tips 🧺

[Rebecca]

Hello hosts 👋

Laundry tips seem to be a great conversation starter across the Community Center and we’ve seen some wonderful advice shared here recently. I bet there are loads of little laundry hacks that people do day-to-day, without ever realising.  

So, what’s working for you at the moment? Anything that has helped with stains, keeping your linens fresh, speeding things up between stays or even just making the whole process easier? Share your best laundry tips below 👇

I’m looking forward to reading your replies!

[Rebecca]

Hi @Palesa4 👋

It's great to hear from you. Thanks so much for sharing a bit about your current routine. I wondered what the purpose of pre-soaking all the linens and towels was? 

I agree - there is nothing better than air drying linens! Nothing beats the fresh air and the disinfectant properties of the sun! 

I enjoyed reading about @Jhing0's comment about the spray. @Jhing0 do you measure this out or is it a rough quantity? 

[Jhing0]

I just measure them roughly normally but I try to do it with 60% water, 30% fabric softener and 10% vinegar. I also use the same solution to wipe off counters to keep the house smelling nice. 

[Palesa4]

Rebecca I laughed when you asked about the purpose of pre- soaking because my daughter says it's an unnecessary step. I believe it may come down to personal preference. In my mind, pre-soaking the linen helps to remove minor stains if any, while the washing cycle provides a more thorough clean. I may consider discontinuing it in the future😃

[Rebecca]

Haha @Palesa4 🙈 I was genuinely interested in the pre-soak, because my mum does the same thing. Perhaps I should start pre-soaking my washing... but as a family of 5, who all do sports I think it would slowly mount up! (Sometimes, it feels like a never ending mountain!) 

How do you store your linens once they're washed? Do you have a few sets? 

Thanks @Jhing0 for sharing your mixing ratio! 😊 I'm going to try this for sure! Love the tip about the surfaces too! 😍 

[Palesa4]

I work on a 3 Par Level  and I plan on adding one more.

So that is linen currently in the  guestroom, one set resting a bit (It is important to let the linen rest) and then there is the dirty set of linen to be washed.

I store everything in labelled containers (linen like material) for each type of linen. And I spray the linen-spray inside the containers - smells great as you take them out. 

[Livia120]

@Rebecca ….Oooh I don’t presoak either 🫠

[Jill1625]

There are great tips here for cleaning linens, and I already follow some if them. For stain removal, I use a product called Grandma's Secret Stain Remover. It works great! I buy it online - it comes in a 6-pack of small bottles, but I don't know if it's available in other countries. For easier to remove stains, I use Stain Solution, a plant-based product from the Laundress.

 

I also use the Express Wash setting on my washer, which I saves a lot of time and energy (more eco friendly). 

- Jill from Washington state. USA

[Rebecca]

@Jill1625 - Thank you so much for sharing this. The marketing of 'Grandmas secret spot remover' is brilliant! Who doesn't love a passed down 'granny hack'! Does it lis the secret ingredient on the bottle though, as we don't get it in the UK? I wonder if it's something that can buy, or perhaps replicate 🤔

I love the express wash setting on my machine too! 🌍 

[Laurel229]

Pre-soaking with a small amount of stain remover definitely does the trick. 

I would also love to know the ingredients for Granny's Secret Spot Remover to see if I can find / make something similar here in SA?

I would love to know tips on how to keep towels soft and fluffy, if anyone here knows?

And I'm also interested to know how regularly you guys change the linen or towels during a guest stay - what is the norm?

- Laurel (Cape Town)

[Nandini11]

Hey @Rebecca 🌸,

This is honestly my favourite part of hosting to talk about🌻.

One thing that has worked really well for me is soaking linens overnight in a good-quality detergent. If I notice any stains, I add a stain remover directly into the soak along with the detergent.

Also, a small but super important tip — I always keep the water lukewarm. I’ve found this makes a huge difference in cleaning effectively while still being gentle on the fabric.

Since I use good-quality linens, they don’t fade and come out fresh and bright every time.

And I always add a fabric conditioner as well — it gives the linens a really nice, fresh fragrance. 

It’s a simple routine, but it’s been a game changer for keeping everything clean, fresh, and guest-ready hassle free ✨

[Rebecca]

We have another pre-soak host here too @Nandini11, @Palesa4! We were chatting below about why some people do this? Is there a reason you pre-soak? 

I think with detergents being able to be used at lower heats, some as low as 15 degrees celsius is fantastic. That being said, I read about the need to wash at 60 to remove bacteria/fungi and things like that - what do you think? 

[Livia120]

Yes, I always wash bed linens and towels at 60degrees… and by using white cotton sheets and towels, they seem fine. 

Additionally I have pillow and mattress protectors and wash those too between guests to provide an extra level of freshness and comfort. ♥️

[Stephani3651]

@Rebecca We have all white towels and sheets, but sometimes not even bleach will get out tough stains.  The key is to treat the stains before you wash them.  I have used make-up remover on makeup stains (works great on removing mascara!), Fels-Naptha laundry soap, as well as vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.  For stubborn stains, let them soak in cool water for a couple of hours before laundering (I see lots of questions about why to presoak laundry, and I never did until STRs, but the water helps loosen those stubborn stains).  I always check to make sure the stains come out before I place the laundry in the dryer.  The heat will set the stain and make it even harder to remove.  We also use wool dryer balls.  Since we have 2 queen beds and 2 king beds, we wash the queen and king sheets separately, so that when we're folding sheets, we don't have to figure out which size is which (we also ask guests to leave sheets on the bed, so it is easier to see stains and keep sizes separate).  

We have four sets of sheets and towels, and we keep the folded sheets in one of the pillowcases and have a bin for King sheets and another one for Queen sheets.  The towels are folded and stacked by bath, hand and washcloths.  This makes it easy to make beds and put out clean towels when you're short on time in between rentals.  

[Rebecca]

@Stephani3651 - thank you for this wonderful insight into your STR laundry world! I really like your tip about asking the guests to leave sheets on the bed to keep the sets together. I bet that makes life so much easier when it comes to making the beds again. 

How do you get the folded sheets in a pillowcase? 😱 Are they flat sheets or fitted? 

[Stephani3651]

I fold the fitted sheet (all four corners tucked into each other, then folded in thirds, then in half), the flat sheet folded the same size as the folded fitted sheet, and one pillowcase on top of those, then put them inside the other pillowcase at the bottom, then fold over the top of the pillowcase to store them all in a neat set.