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    "parsed_content": "HomeCloset and laundryDoing Your Family\u2019s Laundry Is a Drag. Here\u2019s How Wirecutter Parents Make It Less Miserable.Published September 14, 20267NYT Wirecutter\/Source photos by LG, Adobe StockBy Brooklyn WhiteBrooklyn White is a mom of four who's done thousands of loads of laundry. \nDoing laundry \u2014 the endless sorting, bargaining with slothful dryers, and folding each piece \u2014 is a drag. But every family, no matter the size, needs clean clothes.At Wirecutter, we\u2019ve spent over a decade meticulously testing laundry appliances, detergents, and laundry aids. We\u2019ve compiled practical, science-backed techniques for getting clothes their cleanest \u2014 and helping them last longer \u2014 without compromising the fabrics or irritating your family\u2019s skin. And that\u2019s just during our 9-to-5s.In our own homes, we\u2019ve weathered temper tantrums \u2014 from tots and teens \u2014 over grass-stained shirts, and we\u2019ve struggled to sort mountains of laundry belonging to multiple kids and our partners. And because we\u2019re Wirecutter journalists, we have some hard-won advice for how to make the whole process a little bit better.\u00a0I connected with nearly a dozen of my colleagues to learn how they optimize this arduous task. I\u2019m sure one of their hacks will help wash away your stress \u2014 and maybe save you some time, too.\u00a0Clean EverythingGet step-by-step advice on how to keep everything in your home squeaky clean. Delivered every Wednesday.Sign UpFor information about our privacy practices, including how to opt out of marketing emails, see our Privacy Policy. For general questions, contact us anytime.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTUse a good detergent, and wash on cold\u201cA well-formulated detergent makes a huge difference,\u201d said senior writer and mom-of-two Andrea Barnes, who has reported extensively on laundry and large cleaning appliances. Andrea had been a devoted user of boutique laundry detergent (think botanical-smelling products with pastel packaging). But then she tested laundry detergents for Wirecutter and witnessed firsthand how terrible her chosen cleaner was at removing stains. After Andrea switched to our pick, Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent, she noticed that colorful items remained bright, and she needed to pretreat far fewer stains.Top pickTop pick, The best liquid detergent Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry DetergentTide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry DetergentThis fragrance- and dye-free detergent was the most well-rounded liquid option we tested. It effectively tackled a variety of stains and odors. And it was also good at loosening up stains before washing started.Buying options: $15 from Amazon, opens in a new tab(105 ounces)$23 from Walmart, opens in a new tab(166 ounces)A well-formulated detergent will contain enzymes \u2014 naturally occurring molecules that devour organic soils, like sebum (body oil), blood, and grass. If you use a detergent that lacks enzymes, your children\u2019s clothes may still have remnants of applesauce and mud pies after they\u2019ve been washed. To see whether your detergent includes enzymes, look on the ingredients panel for amylase, lipase, mannanase, or other \u201c-ase\u201d additives. (Our five picks for best laundry detergent all contain enzymes, since we find them to be among the most effective cleaners.)One of our top picks, Tide Ultra Oxi Powder Laundry Detergent, is particularly good at cleaning clothes that kids go hard on. It contains the enzymes amylase (good for starch-based stains like baby food and chocolate) and subtilisin (helps to remove stains from blood, grass, and sweat, as well as body odors).Top pickTop pick, The best powder detergent Tide Ultra Oxi Powder Laundry DetergentTide Ultra Oxi Powder Laundry DetergentThis powerful powder dissolves swiftly and completely, eliminates many tough stains, and leaves a light scent. But it\u2019s less effective on greasy stains than our liquid picks.Buying options: $20 from Amazon, opens in a new tab$24 from Target, opens in a new tab$20 from The Home Depot, opens in a new tabAnd, as a general rule, we recommend washing in cold water \u2014\u00a0not hot water. \u201cA lot of kids\u2019 clothes are brightly dyed,\u201d said Andrea. \u201cWashing in warm water can make those clothes look dingier and faded.\u201dTake time to pretreat itemsLooking back, mom-of-four and deputy director Courtney Schley (who formerly oversaw our coverage of cleaning appliances) realized she\u2019d prematurely parted with some of her children\u2019s stained clothing. \u201cI used to toss clothing that had those mysterious dark spots, like oil residue, that only appeared after they dried,\u201d she said. \u201cNow, knowing how to pretreat helps me avoid the frustration of washing and drying something just to find it\u2019s still soiled.\u201dIdeally, you\u2019d pretreat stains as soon as you noticed them, and your best bet would be to treat stains based on the soil type. Some quick tips to consider: \u201cOil stains need liquid detergent or dish soap; soil stains need a paste of powder detergent and a tiny bit of water,\u201d Courtney said. \u201cThat plus patience.\u201d\u00a0You can also DIY a pretreating formula using our top-pick liquid detergent. Andrea said it\u2019s not only effective but also saves you from having to buy another stain-specific product. All you need to do is apply a simple mixture of about 70% Tide Free & Gentle and 30% water directly to the stain. Massage in the mixture with a gloved hand or a stain brush; then let the item sit for at least five minutes (but no longer than a few days) before washing it. For convenience, keep the mixture in a spray bottle.\u00a0Since parenting doesn\u2019t always involve ideal circumstances, you may not notice a greasy splotch right away. In that case, an overnight soak in warm water and a high-quality detergent, like Tide Ultra Oxi, can work wonders. Dissolve a few tablespoons of detergent in a water-filled sink or a wash tub, let the stained items soak overnight, and then wash and dry them as you normally would. You may need to repeat this process if stains remain. Not all stains benefit from being pretreated with detergent, however: Ink marks, for example, are best tackled with our top-pick stain remover, Amodex. But in all of these cases, it\u2019s worth taking the extra time up-front to make your family\u2019s clothes last as long as possible.Top pickTop pick, The best all-around stain remover Amodex Ink & Stain RemoverAmodex Ink & Stain RemoverThis creamy stain remover combats a variety of tough stains and is gentle on fabrics. It excels on ink \u2014 even the permanent kind \u2014 but isn\u2019t as strong on food stains like mustard and gravy.Buying options: $13 from Walmart, opens in a new tabAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTAssign a role to each hamper \u2026The more places you have to stash dirty laundry, the more likely you are to put off washing. And then you end up with a monstrous Franken-load. Establishing what all of your hampers and baskets are for can help with this.\u201cMy husband and I share laundry baskets, but one is for clothes that can be dried, and the other is for clothes that can\u2019t be,\u201d said two-time mom and editor Signe Brewster. \u201cKids also have their own basket.\u201d\u00a0Kalee Thompson, Wirecutter\u2019s senior editor for baby and kid coverage, used the 3 Sprouts Laundry Hamper for her oldest son\u2019s dirty clothes. When he was no longer using this sturdy-yet-lightweight hamper, she passed it down to her tween.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s really easy for kids to drag dirty laundry up and down stairs to the laundry room,\u201d she said.A soft bin with nifty handles 3 Sprouts Laundry Hamper3 Sprouts Laundry HamperThis tall, soft storage bin has handles, so it\u2019s easy to carry to the washing machine. It could also be used to store a pile of stuffies.Buying options: $29 from Walmart, opens in a new tab$39 from Wayfair, opens in a new tab\u2026 And you don\u2019t have to sort only by colors If you use a good dye- and fragrance-free detergent, you can wash your family\u2019s clothes all together. Yet separating them may actually be more manageable,\u00a0and you don\u2019t have to separate items only by colors and whites.\u00a0The Schley family\u2019s laundry usually ends up on the floor of one of the bathrooms. Courtney and her husband sort through the pile, divvying it up into bins in each bedroom. (Her two daughters each have their own room, and her sons share a bedroom.) So each bedroom gets a load, and her clothes and her husband\u2019s go together. \u201cI find putting clean laundry away much more laborious than getting dirty laundry into the machine,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I don\u2019t mind extra work sorting the laundry ahead of the wash.\u201dI am also a mom of four, and the hack that took me from having pyramid-sized clothing piles in the living room to (relative) order was washing everyone\u2019s clothes separately. I now organize by person, collecting and washing the contents of each basket one by one. And when each load is dry, I pop the laundry basket back into the room it originated from.Do your laundry once a dayThis may sound counterintuitive, but editorial director Lauren Sullivan swears by doing her family\u2019s laundry once a day. She finds that it makes the overall process easier and each individual laundry day less daunting.\u00a0It started as a cost-saving strategy: When Lauren and her family moved into a four-story row house in Philadelphia, her first big appliance purchase was a compact washer-dryer that fit in the hall closet just outside her bedroom. Lauren said her plan was to eventually invest in a full-size washer and dryer for the basement (which was hooked up and ready to go). She figured her family of five would surely need the bigger machines down the line.Six years and thousands of loads later, however, Lauren and her crew still have a compact unit, and the daily washing methodology has stuck. \u201cIt forces me to do one load a day,\u201d she explained. \u201cThen I don\u2019t have the dreaded \u2018laundry day\u2019 that I had for the first 15 years of my adult life.\u201dThis strategy does make returning from vacations \u2014 with piles of laundry to do \u2014 a little more annoying. But day to day, it is a game changer. And doing smaller loads can actually be more effective \u2014 and gentler on your machine. If your washer is too packed, the water may not properly dilute the detergent; this could leave thick smears on garments, forcing you to wash them again. Overstuffing the machine can also compromise the unit: The weight of unbalanced loads can dislodge the drum, which is incredibly expensive to repair.\u00a0AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTLet your kids handle their own laundrySome parents have a pesky tendency to take over chores that their kids can technically do themselves \u2014 and laundry is one of them. \u201cMy oldest was 7 when she complained that she didn\u2019t have any clean underwear,\u201d deputy editor Annemarie Conte said. \u201cI said it was her job to keep track of when she was out of clothes. By that age, many children should be totally capable of putting clothes in a modern machine, adding soap, and pressing start.\u201d Her oldest daughter is now 14, and she and her 12-year-old sister manage their own routines without issue.Enlist a smart washerAnnemarie\u2019s family has a (big) little helper that would make Jane Jetson jealous: a Wi-Fi\u2013enabled washer that fires off a text when the laundry is complete.\u00a0\u201cI have fewer forgotten loads now,\u201d she said. \u201cThe machine alerts me, and then I text the family group chat to let whoever know that they have to move their stuff to the dryer.\u201d This feature comes with most current LG front-load and top-load washers, including our top pick.Top pickTop pick, Fast, gentle, effective, and reliable LG WM4000HLG WM4000HThis speedy, gentle front-loader is excellent at removing all kinds of stains. It has a solid reputation for reliability, but LG\u2019s customer service is not great.Buying options: $929 from The Home Depot, opens in a new tab$930 from Best Buy, opens in a new tab\u201cMy other favorite trick is to load up the machine at night and set it to remote start one hour before I wake up,\u201d Annemarie said. \u201cThen I toss the finished wash in the dryer while my coffee is brewing.\u201d Father-of-two and smart-home editor Jon Chase was surprised by how much he liked his LG smart washer. It alerts you when your load is out of balance or if there\u2019s another issue that risks damaging the machine. Plus, there\u2019s an option to request a full performance review, which renders in seconds through an app. Think of it as your very own Rosie the Robot.\u00a0Consider a gas dryer to shorten drying time and save moneyJon remembers his childhood in two distinct periods: when his family had a gas dryer and when it didn\u2019t. The years spent without a gas dryer were shaped by incredibly long drying times, he recalled. (Perhaps this attention to appliance performance in his formative years foreshadowed his career at Wirecutter.)So when Jon and his family renovated their home in 2015, he repurposed the stove\u2019s gas line for the dryer \u2014\u00a0an older variation of the LG DLGX4001 (which is one of our picks). \u201cIt\u2019s not green, but it takes a fraction of the time to dry clothes, and it costs less to run, too,\u201d he said, noting that clothes are usually dry in 40 minutes (an hour, tops).If you do choose a gas dryer, keep in mind that there are additional safety measures to take: You need to have proper venting installed, and you need to consistently test for safe airflow by removing lint from the filter after each cycle.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTGet two washers and two dryers\u201cHaving two machines feels like the ultimate cheat code to being done with laundry in less than half the time,\u201d writer Nancy Redd said. Think of it as doubling your horsepower. If you urgently need to get something in the washer (say, your child\u2019s school uniform), but one washer is full, there\u2019s another one ready to save the day.\u00a0Until I can get to Nancy\u2019s level, though, these tips to make laundry a little less of a burden will do just fine.\u00a0This article was edited by Catherine Kast and Maxine Builder.Meet your guideBrooklyn WhiteWhat I CoverI am a senior staff writer covering babies, kids and pets. I focus on everyday items, such as breast pumps and cat trees, that make life easier for parents (of both humans and pets).AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
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