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March 11, 2017
by Laundry Expert
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More Laundry Disasters and How to Avoid Them

coin laundry raleigh nc Last blog post we began discussing some common laundry room disasters and how we can reduce or eliminate them from our lives. Today we are going to continue with more tips and tricks for you when it comes to your own laundry problems. The following are some things you can do to correct these problems and get your laundry back on track.

More Disasters in the Laundry Room! | Coin Laundry Raleigh NC

Dingy Looking Whites: You know what this looks like! Your once pristine white sheets, towels, shirts, and pants slowly over time began to look grayish. This can happen when the proper water temperature is not used or it just happens over time. First make certain that you are checking your fabric label on your clothes. This will tell you the proper washing temperature. Many times it simply happens over time. There are also laundry brighteners you can buy to help with your dingy laundry.
Shrinkage: There is nothing as irritating as finding that you have somehow managed to shrink a favorite clothing item. This can come from many different things. Water temperatures that were too hot. Placing the item in a hot dryer. The biggest problem is machine laundering an item that was a delicate and should only be handwashed. You may be able to fix the item by laying it flat when wet and gently shaping it while pulling it to a longer size. Gentle is the operative word! Some fabrics are forgiving enough that this may work.
Wrinkles: One of the biggest wrinkle producing problems is simply leaving your clothing in the dryer way too long. To combat this problem make certain you remove and fold or hang your laundry immediately after is is dry. If you forget then you can try placing a damp towel back in with the load of laundry and running a short cycle. This may help steam out the wrinkles. If not then you will need to re-wash the load and dry again or iron out the wrinkles piece by piece.
Stains: There are many ways to look at stained clothing. Even when we are at our best stains still happen. The best way to begin to treat a stain is to prevent the stain from setting in. Teach everyone in your household to alert you to the stain immediately. Pre-treatment is crucial when it comes to removal of the stain. Once a stain slips past you and makes its way through a wash cycle and then on to the dryer it will become set in. If this happens you can try lemon juice or a stain remover made to work specifically on set in stains. The best way however is to prevent the stains by acting quickly before laundering to help prevent the stain from setting.
Gum and sticky stuff: If you have kids, even big ones, it id inevitable that gum and stickers will find their way into your laundry. Once dries these sticky gooey messes seem impossible to remove. Ice is your go to item here. Press the ice on to the gum or glue to freeze it. Then use a blunt knife or scraper to gently scrape away the mess. You may have to use this method several times to remove it all. Once done then pre-treat the areas and launder as usual.

Coin Laundry Raleigh NC

We hope these tips and tricks have helped you with your laundry disasters questions. Laundry Express knows your time is valuable. We can help you get your laundry under control and work to solve your laundry disasters. We offer a wash, dry, fold service as well as a coin laundry in Raleigh NC with state of the art washers and dryers to help you get ahead of the laundry chore. Stop by today!

March 1, 2017
by Laundry Expert
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Laundry Disasters and How to Avoid Them

When we are on a path to getting our laundry under control the very last thing we want to have happen is a laundry disaster! There are so many things that can lead to a huge laundry. An errant lost crayon, a forgotten lip balm left in a pocket, and the dreaded ink pen buried deep in the laundry. All of these things and more can ruin an entire load of laundry. What can you do? Well over the next couple of blog posts we are going to look at some things that could help you save your laundry. We must say up front that these remedies may not work every time. Some stains will come out eventually over time with repeated laundering.

Disasters in the Laundry Room! | Fluff and Fold Raleigh NC

Lets talk about some things you can do to avoid the common disaster before they happen to you and your laundry.

Shrinking:

If we are not careful to properly read the tags on our clothes we can potentially do them harm. Shrinkage is one of the top problems we have when it comes to laundry problems. There is nothing worse than putting a larger sized shirt into the dryer after washing and taking out a new size small one. Keep in mind as you wash and dry laundry that some fabrics are prone to shrinkage during the first wash. but some will shrink loads if you do not use the proper care when laundering. To keep this from happening look closely at the care instructions of your garment. This will usually be on a small tag sewn into a seam in your clothing. Pay attention to it. There is a wealth of information there for keeping your clothes safe. If it says wash in cold then never, and we mean never, use warm or hot water temperature settings. If you want to be absolutely sure you get as little shrinkage as possible then line dry the item and never put it in the dryer.

Sort Carefully:

The biggest laundry disaster is color bleeds. This happens when you have a new garment like jeans or a red shirt and it inadvertently gets mixed into a light colored load of laundry. The result is disastrous! To keep this from happening to you remember these tips:

You must always take the proper time needed to carefully sort your laundry. We know that time is valuable but this is a step you have to do in order to prevent disaster.
If you have items that are brand new and never been washed launder them separately the first few times. This is the safest way to protect the rest of your laundry.
There are products out there on the market you can use to help prevent any color bleeding during the wash. There are also some that can keep the other clothing from absorbing any running colors in your wash.

Smelly Laundry | Fluff and Fold Raleigh NC

When we wash our laundry we expect it to come out of the dryer smelling clean and fresh right? Well this does not always happen. Take care that your laundry does not sit in a damp musky smelling basement. You also need to be certain not to use too much detergent. This will buildup and cause smelly issues as well. Using fabric softener will cause this as well, especially in your towels. Use some baking soda regularly and an extra rinse cycle to help rinse the buildup away.

Laundry Express | Fluff and Fold Raleigh NC

We hope these tips have helped you learn how to avoid some common disasters from happening. Laundry Express is your go to laundry expert for all your laundry needs. Come by and check out our laundry services for fluff and fold in Raleigh NC today!

February 25, 2017
by Laundry Expert
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Getting Motivated to Clean, Part Two

laundromat Raleigh NC Let’s face it! Some of us are cleaning fiends, and some of us, well not so much. We all want a clean house right? The reality is that unless we have company coming over or a holiday party planned we just aren’t motivated to keep our house as clean as we want. Last blog post we began looking at some ways to get us motivated to begin the process of establishing some cleaning routines. Today’s post will take it even further. Need more help than just ideas for getting motivated? Stop by our laundromat in Raleigh NC to do all your laundry at once! It’s easy and quicker than doing it at home!

Cleaning Motivation! | Laundromat Raleigh NC

In today’s time there are many blogs available to help us with getting good routines established when it comes to cleaning our home and doing the laundry. Several of them use the mantra of a 15 minute time frame for getting various jobs done. The idea is that if we spend just fifteen minutes per room or task and then move on to something new we will stay motivated. The idea is to eventually get a good routine established.

Before we begin our cleaning make sure you get dressed. Now we don’t mean out on the town dressed, but some comfy sweats will do. If music is a motivator then turn it up. Do turn off the television as we find it is a distraction and will side track you in a quick minute. If you have some sort of timer this helps you stay on task and on time. It is so much fun to race the clock against ourselves.

The first thing you will want to tackle is the laundry. After all if you get it in the wash first it will, well, do the job itself while you move on to something else. Just make certain to check back and get it booted into the dryer on time. Follow it with hanging, folding, and putting away. You will be amazed how much better you will feel with fresh clean clothing all done and put away by the end of the day.

As you start cleaning the rest of the home begin in one room and work clockwise around that room. Clear off the top surfaces of the tables and dust or wipe clean as you go. Have a handy basket for placing stray items that don’t belong in that particular room. These can be put away into the proper place as you move from room to room. Finish each room before moving on to another. Sweep or mop the floor as you leave the room.

In the kitchen you may also want to start a dishwasher full of dishes before you begin other rooms. This will give them time to get done so that you can put them away when you get to the kitchen cleaning. In the kitchen wipe down your cabinet doors, counters, and appliances. This is the one room you will want to establish some “rules” for yourself to help with keeping this room clean. Make certain dirty dishes are loaded into the dishwasher as you use them. This will mean keeping the dishwasher loaded and unloaded daily. This will be such a huge help in keeping your kitchen routine going.

The laundry room is another place you need a good routine. A laundry load a day all the way to finish will help you not have the mountain of laundry to tackle at the end of the week. We all want to enjoy our weekend by relaxing and enjoying our family and friends. The better your cleaning routine is during the week the more time you gain on the weekend. That should be the best motivator there is!

Laundry Express will help you get that laundry under control. Call or come by today! Our laundromat in Raleigh NC is the best in the area!

February 20, 2017
by Laundry Expert
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How Often Should We Wash Our Clothing?

coin laundry raleigh nc When it comes to washing our clothing we do so to remove the dirt and smell and keep them looking fresh. For many this means washing our clothing a lot. Doing so however, will also cause extra wear and tear on our clothing leading to a shortened life span. There is a delicate balance to be figured out on how much washing is enough. Today we are going to look at the clothing we wear and how often it is recommended we wash. If you need help keeping clothing washed up and ready, stop by to use our services for coin laundry in Raleigh NC.

Washing Clothing | Coin Laundry Raleigh NC

A really good guide for the laundering of some of our items of clothing would be:

Socks and Hosiery items: After each and every wear.
Underwear: After each and every wear.
Bras: Every three to four wearings.
Tops and shirts: Every one to two wears depending on how soiled they get.
Pants and skirts: Every three to four wearings, again depending on how soiled they get.
Dresses: Every one to two wears.
Jacket and blazers: Every five or six wears.
Coats: Once a season
Pajamas: At least every four to five wears.
Sportswear or swimwear: After each wearing.

This is simply a guide and common sense tells us if we have an excessively hot day where we sweat a little or a lot more than usual then we will need to launder our items more often. There are some who will still want to wash after every use and that’s OK as well. Just remember that the more you wash, the more wear and tear on your clothing you will have.

One item of clothing that is always one that is questioned is Jeans. If you ask the manufacturers of jeans this question they will tell you you do not need to machine wash your jeans. Ever. Common sense however tells us we need to wash them periodically at least every four to six wearings at least. So which way is the correct way? Maybe somewhere in the middle.

Once the jeans are in wear they immediately begin to collect stuff. This stuff includes dirt, microbes, natural oils, skin cells, and whatever is on the seat you were just sitting on. Most of these things are just harmless microbes you collect all day long so why is there a need to wash?

The problem then becomes smell. We certainly never, ever want to have a smell about us. If our clothes smell however, so do we. There are some who feel a stint in the freezer will help. Your jeans of course not you! Placing the jeans into the freezer is thought by some to kill the bacteria on the jeans. The problem is the freezer is really not cold enough to do this and as soon as they begin to thaw they will also begin to smell again. Hand-washing the jeans will also not get them truly clean. Denim is a tough fabric and it will take some pummel ling to get them clean. You just can’t get away from a good scrubbing now and again.

Coin Laundry Raleigh NC

When it comes to laundering our clothes and in particular our jeans the best rule of thumb is to wash as needed. With jeans let your nose be your guide. If they are smelly by all means wash them. After all no one else wants to smell your funky smelly jeans anymore than you do. Laundry Express can help you with all of your laundry or dry cleaning needs. Give us a call today or stop by our state of the art laundry facility today!

February 17, 2017
by Laundry Expert
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Get Motivated to Clean, Part One

No matter where you live, in a small apartment or a big home, cleaning is one of those things that has to be done. For some of us this is as easy as can be but for others we must be motivated. It is easy to want to either go out and have fun or stay in and read a good book or watch a movie in our free time. Even though we know we need to get motivated to clean our home, other things just are more fun. Over the next couple of blog posts we are going to look at ways we can get motivated to clean. Our Raleigh laundromat is here to help!

Raleigh Laundromat Offer Tips on How to Get Motivated to Clean!

As with anything elsewhere are not so fond of doing sometimes its best to get it done early in the day. You have the satisfaction of getting it done and going on with the rest of your day. The sense of accomplishment will carry with you throughout the rest of the day and maybe keep you motivated in all the other jobs you will need to do.

Make a Plan | Raleigh Laundromat

One of the best ways to get things done regularly and without procrastination is to sit down and plan. Think about your weekly schedule and the time it takes to do the 911 things like your job. Add in any other time consumables like getting the children to their many activities and errands. In the beginning aim to find one hour, just one, that you can dedicate only for cleaning. If you can keep going after the first hour great. If not then you should aim to get as much done in the hour as possible. The long range plan will be to establish a really good regular routine for getting the cleaning done.

Be Prepared

For those times you find yourself with a bit of time on your hands you need to be prepared. By this we mean have a cleaning tote of sorts already prepared to grab and go. Fill a caddy of your choice with all of the cleaning products and cloths you need to move about the house with. Doing this will allow you to make the most of your cleaning time. Not having to run back and forth to get things to use will save you loads of time and energy.

Start a Routine

Setting a routine will help you become most effective in using the time you have for cleaning. Just like in our jobs we need to get the work done as effectively and fast as possible, we can apply this to our cleaning. Simply making a list of the tasks we need to accomplish will help begin a good routine. Break the jobs into time frames on specific days in the beginning. Then you can apply this to figuring out the best weekly routine for you.

Get Started!

The biggest hurdle of any kind of job is just getting started. Many of us will procrastinate beginning anything we do not enjoy such as going to the gym. Once we do get on the proper clothes and get to the gym we usually find we are enjoying it. Cleaning is the same. Just get yourself going and you may find you get a lot more done than you thought you would.

Laundry Express | Raleigh Laundromat

If you find yourself needing help with establishing a laundry routine and you are overwhelmed give Laundry Express a try. We are here to help you catch up on all things laundry. Stop by today!