If your building's laundry room has two machines and forty tenants, you already know the Saturday morning line. A few tools let you handle the small stuff at home and save the laundromat for big loads.
Wash the small loads at home
A foldable mini washer handles socks, gym clothes, baby things and delicates in the tub or shower. Run it while you cook dinner and hang everything on a drying rack overnight. When you're done it folds flat behind the bathroom door.
- Keep loads small. A few items at a time wash better.
- Use a little less detergent than you think.
- Empty and dry the tub after each use so it stays fresh.
Scrub the tub while you wait
A long-handle spin scrubber makes the bathtub, the tile and the grout a ten-minute job, with no kneeling on a hard floor. Use the soft head for glass and the stiff one for grout lines.
Make the payoff worth it
Breathable cotton sheets stay cool in the summer and get softer every time you wash them. Wash them cool and tumble dry low at the laundromat, then enjoy one really good night's sleep.
This article is general information, not professional advice. For building-specific fire safety questions, contact your landlord or the FDNY.
