Nobody teaches you how to fold a fitted sheet. It’s one of those adult skills you’re just supposed to figure out on your own, usually after years of shoving it into a ball and then shoving that ball into the linen closet. So let’s fix that, along with a handful of more laundry tips and tricks that will make laundry day feel a lot less like a chore.
- How to Actually Fold a Fitted Sheet
Hold the sheet by two adjacent corners, the elastic side facing you. Tuck one corner inside the other so the elastic edges line up, then do the same with the remaining two corners, tucking them into the first pair. What you’re left with is a rough rectangle. Lay it flat, fold in the edges to straighten it out, then fold it into thirds like you would a regular sheet. It won’t look perfect the first few tries, and that’s fine. Even a lumpy fold is better than the ball.
- Turn Clothes Inside Out Before Washing
This is the easiest one on the list and somehow still the most skipped. Inside out means less fading, less pilling, and less wear on anything printed or embroidered. Takes an extra two seconds per item, saves you from replacing your favorite tee in six months.
- Don’t Sleep on the Lint Trap
A full lint trap doesn’t just mean lint everywhere, it means your dryer is working overtime and your clothes are taking twice as long to dry. Clean it out before every load, not once a month when you remember.
- Cold Water Is Doing More Than You Think
Hot water has its place, but for most everyday loads, cold water gets clothes just as clean while being gentler on color and fabric. It also uses less energy, so it’s one of those rare habits that’s better for your clothes and your electric bill at the same time.
- Stop Ironing, Start Steaming
If your dryer has Kenmore’s Wrinkle Guard option, turn it on before you walk away. It gives the load a quick tumble every so often after the cycle ends, so if you can’t pull clothes out right when the buzzer goes off, you’re not coming back to a wrinkled mess. Cheaper than an iron and way less effort.
- Sort by More Than Just Color
Color matters, but fabric weight matters just as much. Towels and jeans washed with delicate blouses means your delicates are getting beat up by heavier fabrics. Keep the heavy stuff together and save the gentle cycle for anything lightweight or delicate.
- Let a Quick Wash Cycle Earn its Keep
Not every load needs the full hour and a half. Kenmore’s Accela Wash technology gets a full load fully clean in as fast as 29 minutes, perfect for the stuff that’s more “been worn once” than actually dirty, jeans, light jackets, that top you tried on and immediately regretted. Save the long cycle for when you actually need it.
- Vinegar Is a Laundry Room Secret Weapon
A splash of white vinegar in with your regular detergent helps cut odor, softens fabric, and can even help brighten whites over time. It sounds like a strange thing to pour into your wash, but it works, and it’s a lot cheaper than most fabric softeners.
- Trust the Sensors, Skip the Guesswork
If your dryer has Kenmore’s SmartDry Technology, use it instead of setting a timer and hoping for the best. It reads how dry your clothes actually are with digital sensors and stops the cycle right when they’re done, so you’re not overdrying towels into stiff cardboard or pulling out clothes that are still a little damp.
- Give Your Washer a Break Too
Your washer needs cleaning as much as your clothes do. Run an empty hot cycle with a cup of vinegar or a washer cleaning tablet once a month to keep buildup and that faint musty smell from creeping in.
- Fold as Soon as the Cycle Ends
This one’s less a hack and more a life philosophy. Clothes pulled straight from the dryer and folded right away come out with way fewer wrinkles than clothes left in a basket for two days. It takes ten minutes now or twenty minutes of re-ironing later. Future you will be grateful.
If you can conquer the fitted sheet, you can conquer laundry day. Go forth and fold with confidence. Try one of these hacks this week, keep the ones that stick, and let the rest go. That’s really all laundry day needs.
