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PRESORT AND PRETREAT It seems like a no-brainer, but this two-step laundry strategy is a total game-changer.

1One pile for lights and one for darks,

right? Nope. “Ideally, you should have categories by fabric, too,” says Melissa Maker, host of YouTube’s popular channel Clean My Space. “Lights—white, beige, light grey—colours, darks, delicates, jeans, towels and linens should each have their own cycle.” If you feel your whites (undershirts and underwear) need to be washed in hot water, they can be done separately. Once you stop lumping items together, you’ll prevent colours from bleeding, reduce lint transfer and prevent pilling, all which make your clothes look worn.

2Removing a stain is easiest when

it’s fresh. Stash a pretreating stain-remover stick/spray (read the directions first) beside the laundry hamper to get a leg up on stains at the end of each day, if you can.

No chance? All is not lost, but know that set-in stains may require more effort. “Time and temperature are a stain’s worst enemies, so presoak it for up to six hours,” says Michael Vercelletto, group product manager for OxiClean Stain Fighters. In a large bucket or sink, dissolve an all-purpose stain remover like OxiClean with the amount of water suggested, then submerge the item. Use the hottest temperature recommended by the garment’s care label. “If you have an item that should only be washed in cold water, dissolve the product first in hot water, then add the mixture to cold water,” says Vercelletto.

Gabrielle laundry set, $526, potterybarn.com.

Put the Walls to Work

In a space-strapped home where the laundry area co-opts a corner of the kitchen, bathroom or mudroom, there’s often no place to go but up. That’s what makes this wall-mounted rail-and-peg system such a smart investment: Complete with hanging shelves, canvas hamper and drying rack, it’s a one-stop laundry supply station that takes up no floor space.

Neatfreak Quad laundry sorter, $53, canadiantire.ca.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER Sorting clothes in advance can save a lot of time in the laundry room. When one of the hampers in this rolling rack gets full, simply lift it out and tip the contents directly into the washer.

WE TRACKED DOWN SIX LAUNDRY HAMPERS THAT ARE TOO HANDSOME TO HIDE AWAY. CHECK THEM OUT AT canadianliving.com/hampers.

TREAT YOURSELF TO A ROOM WITH A VIEW

The scenery outside serves as a welcome distraction from laundry duty, so Alcorn limited window treatments to a simple fabric valance.

Counter Measures

The moisture in a laundry room can be tough on countertops, which is why durability should be the key consideration when choosing a surface material. For this laundry room reno, Toronto designer JO ALCORN opted for a hard-wearing laminate that mimicked the look of natural stone. “Laminates have come a long way in terms of style,” says Alcorn. “They’re practical, waterresistant and an affordable alternative to granite and marble.”

INTEGRATE THE APPLIANCES

To give the new washer and dryer the polish of a built-in on a modest budget, Alcorn extended the laminate countertop over both appliances. The resulting surface makes an ideal workstation for folding clothes the moment they’re pulled from the dryer. Design, whitewashco.ca. Laminate countertop, belanger-laminates.com. Washer and dryer, whirlpool.ca. Cabinetry, cutlerkitchenandbath.com. Sink faucet, deltafaucet.ca. Accessories and artwork, bouclair.com. Wexford Fog 30GY 40/029 paint (on walls), cil.ca.

WASH & DRY PROBLEM Your upper-floor laundry room

These overachieving machines go beyond basic washing and drying to iron out specific laundry room wrinkles.

to put your dryer. at a low temperature,

Bosch’s Axxis 24-inch condensation dryer doesn’t need to vent outdoors. This makes for a uniquely mobile machine that can be installed anywhere in your home. shakes the whole house.

PICK PROBLEMSamsung’s 9100 front-loading washer boasts the largest drum capacity in the biz, but it’s surprisingly graceful for its size. Fitted with noise-reduction SOLVING APPLIANCES technology and a sensor that minimizes vibration even at high spin speeds, it’s designed to be easy on the ears—and your floors. $1,900, samsung.ca.

SOLUTION A rattle-reducing washer

ENTER ONLINE AT CANADIANLIVING.COM/ LAUNDRYCONTEST FOR A CHANCE TO WIN PROBLEM Your ductwork is nowhere TURBOWASH WASHER AND ELECTRIC STEAMDRYER, near the place you want VALUED AT $2,900!

SOLUTION A nonventing dryer WIN THIS LG

Because it dries clothes LAUNDRY PAIR!

LG’S NFC TAG ON $1,499, bosch-home.ca. PROBLEM You had your last washing-machine repairman on speed-dial.

SOLUTION

PROBLEM Storage space for your laundry supplies is at a premium. An appliance that can diagnose itself SOLUTION A washer with a detergent reservoir Usually, when something goes wrong with an appliance, it takes two pricey

Empty your detergent bottles directly into visits from a technician to GE’s XLTL high-efficiency top-loading get the job done: First to washer, then drop them into the recycling bin. suss out the problem, then

The washer’s built-in reservoir holds up to to return with the proper two months’ worth of detergent, and the parts to fix it. LG’s Ultra SmartDispense system automatically Large Capacity TurboWash releases the right amount of soap per load. Washer and Electric $1,649, geappliances.ca. SteamDryer save precious time with NFC Tag On technology that delivers

“Although the retail price of a new washer and a self-diagnosis directly dryer is an important factor in your purchase, you should also consider the ‘second’ price tag: the to your smartphone. Not only does the relevant app suggest a quick fix operating costs over their lifetime. Consult Natural but it also allows you to

Resources Canada’s interactive energy-cost monitor the status of both appliances and will even calculator for new appliances at nrcan.gc.ca.” tell you when it’s time to —BRETT WALTHER, HOME & GARDEN DIRECTOR clean your machines. Washer, $1,500, and dryer, $1,400, lg.com.