The experts at Consumer Reports offer tips to keep your dark clothing items looking fresh and unfaded. Their video advises  turning inside out for infrequent laundering in short, cold water cycle before air drying. We recommend dry cleaning to preserve like-new colors and just-purchased texture.

We all love the comfort of what we used to call tennis shoes. Now there’s a special shoe for every sport, including lounging and lazing. Most sneakers will clean nicely in the washing machine, tucked in with a load of towels. Take out the insoles and laces first, then rinse off the shoes before laundering. Pricey…

Favorite T-shirt? To get the longest life from a special tee, wash it in cold water with similar colors on a gentle cycle. Lay it flat to dry as you would a sweater. Throwing a t-shirt into a hot dryer will cause fading, pilling and can make sleeves twist and stretch out of shape. If…

Laundry experts take sorting to a new level when they recommend sorting not only by color but also by fabric type. We always separate linty laundry like towels and sweatshirts from corduroys, permanent press and smooth fabrics that can pill. Separate loads for pure whites, lights and patterns on white, darks, brights and delicates lets…

If you forget to put wet laundry into the dryer, you may experience that nasty mildew smell on clothes or sheets. Here’s an old, but effective trick: add two cups white vinegar and rewash. Put the clothes right in the dryer when the cycle ends – the heat removes the vinegar smell. Worst-case scenario –…

Need to touch up the clothes you just ironed last week? Sometimes mixing things up in the laundry room only undoes all your careful work. Keep clothes of the same type together—pants will lie together neatly and a heavy jacket won’t crush your shirt collars. And remember when ironing 100% cotton, like sheets and shirts,…

Here’s an easy way to keep mates together. Take a lesson from pro laundries and wash napkins or socks in mesh bags. Fill the bag half way and secure with a pin or zip, then toss in the machine. Pairs stay matched, and you save time sorting the cleaned clothes. Give your kids their own…

Spilled coffee down the front of your shirt? We’ve all spilled a little now and then, and the instinct to rub it is hard to resist.  Blot, blot and blot. Sometimes a stain removal pen (like Tide) can help in the short term. The best answer is to bring us the garment as soon as…

Here’s how you can remove grease stains safely at home. You’ll need a double sink or bucket, a jug of white vinegar, a cleaner like Woolite, and half a bucket of ice cubes. First, submerge the item in an ice water bath. The thermal shock of the cold causes the fabric to contract, pushing debris…

Cold season leaves tissues pushed into pockets and run through the washer. How to remove the tiny shreds and lint?  Pick out the biggest pieces before putting in dryer where the lint trap will do most of the work. Remove while damp and shake out the remaining scraps. Use a clothes brush on napped fabric,…