If you dread laundry day with its sorting, washing, drying, folding and ironing, you are not alone.  We have a few tips and/or suggestions to help simplify those dreary tasks and which will hopefully save you some time.

• Prevent wrinkles.  If you hate to iron, wash your wrinkle-prone garments in warm water and rinse them in cold water.  After they are washed, toss them in the dryer with a clean, dry towel and they will come out of the dryer wrinkle-free.
• Keep colors vibrant.  One of the worst things that happens over time is the fading of vivid, vibrant colors.  To prevent fading, turn the clothes inside out before putting them in the washing machine.  This will protect the garments from the friction that causes the colors to fade.
• The spin cycle saves time.  If you want to cut back on drying time for heavy towels and rugs, add an extra spin cycle at the end of the wash cycle to wring out as much of the excess water as possible.
• Fluff up the fabrics.  When drying your towels and blankets, toss in a few new tennis balls with them.  The tumbling action of the tennis balls will help fluff up the fibers in the fabrics.
• Save money on fabric softeners.  Instead of spending money on pricey fabric softeners, put a scoop of ½ cup of baking soda in with your regular detergent for softer, brighter clothing that is odor-free.

Hopefully these suggestions will help you save some energy and will save you some time so that you can devote that extra time to something you enjoy more than doing the weekly laundry.