National Laundry Day Tasks To Keep Your Clothes And Linens In Tip-Top Shape

This Saturday, April 15, is National Laundry Day. The most obvious way to celebrate this holiday is by doing your laundry. But you can also take this opportunity to wash some items you probably haven't cleaned recently, like your throw blankets or the covers on your couch pillows. If you live with young children or others who may not know how to do the laundry, Saturday could be the perfect day to teach them how to complete this chore correctly.

Another task you could complete is tidying up your bedroom and linen closets. When organizing either of these spaces, you'll follow the same basic steps, which include removing all the items, decluttering things you no longer enjoy or need, cleaning the shelves with a wet rag and cleaner, organizing your pieces, and placing everything back. If necessary, you could invest in storage bins, labels, and dividers, ensuring everything is always easy to find. You could also learn two things in preparation for National Laundry Day: how to keep stored linens fresh and remove pesky stains from fabrics. 

After linens or clothes have been stored away for some time, they may develop a stale scent. This could occur either because the closet contains moisture or the fabrics weren't completely dry before they were folded, as both can lead to mildew growth. Moths and their larvae, in addition to creating holes, can also leave a musty scent in their wake. The best way to fight these odors is to make sure your fabrics are clean and completely dry before folding them. Unlike fabric or cardboard containers, wire shelves and bins will also keep your items from absorbing moisture. 

Another way to make your clothes and linens always smell fresh is by adding odor neutralizers to your closets, which should be replaced at least annually. These include things like an open bowl of cedar chips, a box of baking soda, or a sachet, which is a small bag filled with beautifully-scented items like dried herbs and flowers. If you add lavender to the sachet, the smell will also help repel moths. 

Removing stains is another way to celebrate the occasion, which can be done with a commercial additive such as OxiClean Odor Blasters, sold on Amazon. However, perhaps you'd rather use a homemade mixture, or maybe something was just spilled and you need to work fast but don't have a cleaner on hand. If so, pour half a cup of baking soda into the wash with your stained items.

Several homemade cleaners will help remove stains; allow these mixtures to soak in for 30 minutes before throwing the items in the wash with baking soda. If the stain was caused by red wine, dab the area with a damp rag, then pat in shaving cream. A coffee stain can be removed by blotting with dish soap and a sprinkle of baking soda, while makeup can be eliminated with dish soap and micellar water. For tanning lotion, spread a paste of baking soda and water over the area. If you're dealing with a pen mark, hold a cloth behind the fabric and apply hair spray. Finally, grease stains can be cleaned with laundry detergent, then washed in hot water.