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How to get your clothes to dry faster and other laundry hacks.

Laundry and clothing care hacks

Costume designer, dresser, costume maker, wardrobe mistress….working backstage in the costume department of live theatre, I learned quite a few “clothing hacks” that are useful outside the theatre for anyone who wants to make doing laundry and taking care of their clothes a little easier.

Laundry room tips:

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In a rush for something to dry in the dryer? Throw in a clean and dry hand towel with a wet load. It helps absorb moisture for a faster dry.

You can also add in dryer balls, which bounce around the dryer and help the load dry faster by separating the clothes as they bounce around.

Air drying something delicate that doesn’t go in the dryer? Set up a fan to blow on it to cut down on drying time.

Hate hand washing? Put your item in the sink with detergent. Let sit and swirl around. Instead of rinsing and hand wringing, if your washing machine has a “rinse and spin” feature, let that do the rinsing and wringing for you!

For washing clothes I have recently started using Tru Earth Laundry Strips. This is an eco friendly option that cuts down on packaging – instead of big laundry jugs, the detergent is in a convenient strip.

Remove deodorant marks

Use a balled up old nylon stocking to quickly rub off deodorant marks on your shirt. Works for lint as well. (Bonus: you don’t have to make your shirt wet with a rag!)

Fix a Stuck zipper

We’ve all had a zipper that is just a bit sticky that you have to fight and wiggle just the right way to get going. Run something waxy along the zipper such as beeswax or a dry bar of soap. This helps lubricate the zipper and get it going again. I will usually try this before replacing a stuck zipper.

Adjust the buttons on a jacket, coat or shirt sightly to get a better fit

Have a blouse that gapes over the bust? Sometimes moving the button closer to the edge of the fabric can make a blouse gape less. I also often adjust button placement on my coats and jackets – make it button a little more snugly by moving it in, or sew it closer to the edge for a bit more ease. I’ve been able to make jackets a little on the big side fit with this trick!

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Do you have more clothing care hacks? What tip here are you going to use first? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Want to learn more about altering clothes you already have, to fit your unique body and style? Receive my free guide full of tips to get you started doing your own clothing adjustments by signing up to my newsletter here.