Eleven steps to loving your laundry

Easy steps to laundry heaven

1. Makeover your laundry corner: put up chunky shelves for baskets to store cleaning products; splash out on a beautiful new ironing board cover, even if you are just going to admire it from a distance, and leave the ironing to someone else.
2. Reorder your linen cupboard. Use a blanket bag to zip away spare duvets and throws. Hang an organiser on the back of the door, and fill with scented drawer liners, soap and cedar balls to ward off moths. Invest in a shallow box or wicker basket for each set of linen, so you can keep matching pillow cases, duvet covers and fitted sheets together. Roll up flannels, baby washmits, muslins and face cloths in a basket for easy access.
3. Separate washing in three baskets. Basket A: whites and pale colours. Basket B: dark colours and brights. Basket C: do-not-touch-my-precious-cashmere-cardigan basket. Get in the habit of turning dark colours inside out and emptying the pockets as soon as you throw them in the wash.
4. Keep a sewing box with all your laundry paraphernalia – along with scissors for cutting off itchy labels, and space for keeping spare buttons and fastenings. It’s a good idea to keep some iron-on mending tape here, too, for hemline emergencies.
5. Wash children’s clothes and bed linen in Fairy Non-Bio and Fairy Fabric softener, which leave clothes brilliantly clean and feeling soft and gentle next to delicate skin. Dermatologically tested, the range has been awarded the British Allergy Foundation Seal of approval by Allergy UK.
6. If you have room track down a laundry unit which includes a rail for hanging ironed dresses and shirts, and a top shelf that can by used as an airer.
7. For an average family you’ll need a washing machine with a drum capacity of 5kg or more.
8. A Dutch or traditional ceiling-mounted airer makes the most of limited drying space. Make sure it’s secured to a strong joist.
9. Spoil your clothes rotten, keep your cupboards smelling sweet and ward off dreaded moths with cedar hangers.
10. Buy up a big supply of soft-grip pegs and a cute little straw basket from a girls’ accessories section to use as a peg bag.
11. Don’t overload your machine: it’ll leave your washing soapy and grubby looking. Dig out the instructions on maximum washing loads.