How much time do you spend doing laundry? If you’re like most people, it’s probably too much time—sometimes more than an hour each week! For busy entrepreneurs and professionals, this wasted time can take a serious toll on your productivity and your business profits. To help you spend less time doing laundry, here are clever ways to save time doing laundry every week and give yourself more time to focus on what matters most to your business.

Tips for Quickly Cleaning Laundry

It’s a few minutes before you’re supposed to leave for work, and you remember that you left a white shirt in your favorite pair of jeans last night (again). Now, you can either rush to finish cleaning your laundry before dashing out of the door or find ways to streamline your laundry routine. To save time doing laundry, follow these tips.

1. Staying organized is one key component to effectively cleaning your laundry quickly and efficiently; when you know where everything is, you won’t waste as much time searching through piles looking for an item.
2. Strategically sorting and folding your clothing is a great way to save time when cleaning your laundry. If you sort clothing into different piles (i.e., dark colors, light colors, delicates) before cleaning it, you can pull all of those items out of their dirty condition at once instead of sorting through them one by one. 
3. Find an effective laundry detergent that works for your laundry machine. You don't want to have to rewash the clothes because they didn't get clean enough!
4. Once you’ve washed the clothes, save even more time by using reusable wool dryer balls with your clothes. The dryer balls speed up drying time, prevent wrinkles, stop static, and soften the clothes.
5. Set aside time to fold and hang up clothes straight out of the dryer. This will prevent the clothes from getting wrinkly and add more time to your daily routine. Once you are in the habit of hanging and folding clothes as soon as they are done drying, you will appreciate all of the time you save not having to rewash or iron your clothes!
6. Choose cold water over hot, since hot water costs more money and uses more energy. 

By following these quick tips for quickly cleaning laundry, you’ll be able to save time doing laundry so that you can get more done during your busy day. 

What Not to Put in the Washing Machine

• Damaged Fabrics – Avoid washing clothing with any tears or holes in the washing machine, which can snag other clothes and cause excessive wear and tear. 
• Darks & Lights – Don't mix dark-colored clothes with light-colored clothes-- it will dull your light clothing and decrease longevity!
• Different Fabrics – Try to wash the clothing of similar fabrics to maintain the quality of the fabrics- don't wash delicate fabrics with denim or towels!
• Too Many Items –Don't overload your washing machine. If you have a full load, consider doing laundry with half of your laundry and doubling up on washes later in a day or two! 
• Delicates – Delicate clothing items should be put in a lingerie or delicates bag before being put in the washing machine, and you should avoid putting these in the dryer as well. Instead, hang them to dry with clothespins.

How to Treat Stains

Stains can be a hassle to deal with, but there are some effective ways to treat them. Treating stains at home can save you money and time over taking your clothes to a professional cleaner. Take these steps to treat common stains in your clothes 

• Baking Soda + Dish Soap – Try out a paste of baking soda and dish soap on your stain. The combination of the two work surprisingly well!
• Hydrogen Peroxide – Hydrogen peroxide is one of the best natural treatments for bloodstains. Fresh blood will clean up easily if soaked in hydrogen peroxide; it's also kinder to clothing than store-bought stain removers containing chemicals.
• Store-Bought Stain Removers – You can find a wide variety of stain removers at your local store from many different brands. Some stain removers are specifically for colors or specifically for whites, so find one that best fits your laundry needs. 

The Right Way to Separate Laundry Loads

Separating your clothes by color and lights and darks is the best way to lengthen the life of your clothing and keep them looking new for longer. There are two ways you can separate laundry: by fabric (i.e., cotton, delicates, denim, towels) or by color (whites, colors, darks). 

By separating out loads of laundry by fabric, you dodge the risk of harsher fabrics dulling or harming delicate fabrics. Separating laundry by fabric type will prevent pilling, rips, and tears. 

Separating out laundry by color prevents any colored shirts from bleeding clothing dye onto lighter clothes. Whites will stay white, and grays won’t turn yellow as quickly or look dingy over time. 

Finding The Best Detergent for Your Needs

Detergents work by removing dirt, sweat, and stains from your clothing. However, each one is made for a different type of stain and fabric—which means some are better for your white shirts than others.

There are different laundry detergents for whites, colors, darks, and more. There are also detergents even more specific like heavy-duty, for athletes, and for sensitive skin. While there are laundry detergents that can work for all types of fabrics, you may find yourself needing something more specific.

• Gentle/ Sensitive Skin Detergent –  These detergents are ideal for people with sensitive skin and easily irritated skin. They don’t have added fragrance and they typically clean your clothes well with gentler surfactants. However, they aren’t as effective at removing stains, which is why some people don't choose them.
• Heavy-Duty Detergent – This is a great detergent for getting rid of tough stains that won’t come out in regular washes. If you have kids or pets and have lots of messes to clean up, heavy-duty might be perfect for you! It will make sure your clothes are as clean as possible with stain-fighting power. 
• Athletic Detergent – These detergents are made specifically for high activity wear and athletes who need their clothes cleaned well while they sweat a lot at practice and games. It has added color guard technology so it can keep colors brighter longer, keeping your most vibrant clothing looking new longer!
• Detergent for Lights – If you’re looking for a detergent that specifically targets whites and light colors, look no further! It will whiten your clothes without bleaching them. It’s also great if you have a lot of these light clothing so you can keep them as bright and fresh as possible.
• HE (High Efficiency) Detergent – These detergents are made specifically for high-efficiency washers. They’re designed to work in high heat and low water so you get clean clothes but use less energy and resources. They’re great if you have a newer washing machine or if you’re looking for a more environmentally friendly option!
• Detergent for Colors – If you have a lot of colored clothing, or if you’re looking for a detergent that specifically targets your colored clothing, look no further! Color-specific detergents will keep your clothes bright and vibrant and looking like new. 

Professional Cleaning Services

The Plan: B Cleaning team is an expert on all things clean. If you are seeking a professional cleaning company in the Fishers, Indiana area, look no further! Plan: B Cleaning offers residential cleaning services and creates a custom client profile for every one of our customers so that your service is customized to you!

To get started with a professional cleaning service and get your home spotless, call Plan: B Cleaning at (317) 572-8515 or visit www.planbcleaning.com to learn more!