As a parent, there’s no shame in admitting you need a little extra help with everyday tasks, so we’re sharing our favorite life hack products with you!  Moms, let the rejoicing commence.

Eco-friendly, easy and most of all adorable reusable strawberry tote bags are perfect for the forgetful mom.  These pocket-sized foldaway totes can fit in your purse or glove compartment, and can hold up to 20 pounds! It’s a cinch to clean and store away for those last-minute trips to the store.  You can even find these bags as bananas, carrots, apples and grapes!

Kangaroo Light is the first flexible, portable, and 100% waterproof light to hit the market, and its future is looking bright.  Funded entirely via crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, Kangaroo Light is exactly what every mom needs when on the go! Characterized by its interactive nature, this 24 built-in LED light source allows you to fold, bend, roll and adjust it to your particular needs. Use it to light up a big purse, diaper bag or suitcase, or rest it on your shoulder while reading.  Its soft glow also makes it perfect for kids to use as a nightlight. We love this ingenious little gadget, and so will you!

Perfect for smoothies, baby food, yogurt and even applesauce, Sili Squeeze makes taking food on the go as easy as ever! This reusable, durable and 100% toxin-free silicone food and drink pouch comes with a spill-proof spout – music to a parent’s ears.  Created by a mom for moms, Sili Squeeze is the mess-free way for beginning eaters and kinders to enjoy their favorite foods on the go.  Just don’t call it a bottle – it’s way better!

You know that arsenal of mix-matched wrapping paper leftover from the holidays that’s currently taking up valuable space in your closet? Yeah, it’s time to upgrade.  Invest in the only roll you will ever need again – universal wrapping paper.  The name speaks for itself: simply wrap gift and circle the applicable sentiment/greeting – there’s over 20 different occasions to choose from! Universal wrapping paper makes giving gifts as much fun as receiving them!

The Kinsa Thermometer is one of our favorite products on the market, period.   Keeping track of your child’s illness has never been easier, or smarter! This smart-phone adaptable thermometer plugs into your cell to help track your child’s illness, monitor symptoms and regulate medication dosages, all through the easy-to-read and kid-friendly Kinsa Thermometer app.  There’s even an ‘Under The Weather’ map currently in the works that will allows users to check the health of those around them (i.e. school, workplace, neighborhood).  It’s the perfect way to arm your doctor with quick and easy info without having to make several trips to the hospital.

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One of the never ending chores busy parents face is battling the mountain of laundry that gets generated each week.  How much time do you spend each week fighting stains, hunting down missing socks and sorting clothes? 

Time is something that parents just don’t have enough of.  If you’re looking for a system that works for getting the laundry done in an efficient organized manner, you’ll want to take note of these 10 simple tips for getting your laundry clean and extending the life of your clothes.

Sorting

More efficient sorting: Designate five to six separate piles when sorting laundry. 1) whites (entirely white), 2) light colors that include striped whites, 3) darks (blacks, blues, and browns), 4) brights (reds, yellows, and oranges), and 5) delicates. To prevent lint from spreading, create a separate pile for linty fabrics like towels, flannels, and sweatshirts.

Keeping socks paired up: Use a large safety pin to keep socks together in the laundry. Simply attach them in pairs or throw them in a small mesh laundry bag and assign one to each family member. When the laundry is done, the socks are still together and separated by family member.

Pretreating and Washing

Treating stains: Treat stains right away. Once a stain dries it can easily become permanent. Put the stained article of clothing in a bucket or sink full of water with a little detergent until you have time to treat the stain. Do not treat the stain before soaking.

White vinegar magic: Add one half cup of white vinegar to the wash cycle to prevent lint from sticking to clothes, remove soap build-up, remove stains (wine, mustard, perspiration, and more), and take the musty smell out of clothes left in the washing machine.

Grease stains: Rub chalk onto greasy stains. Don’t worry about the chalk powder, it will absorb the grease, and make the stain easily removable by the laundry soap in the wash.

Optimizing your wash cycle: Add powder detergent before adding clothes to the washing machine.  Powdered detergent will work more effectively if it dissolves in water before adding clothes.

Reducing your energy bill:  Make the switch to Cold Water/Bright Color wash for almost all of your laundry.  Unless a garment is severely stained, cold water cleans just as well as hot, is gentler on clothing, can save you $70/yr. on energy costs and has a lower carbon footprint. According to the US Department of Energy, 90% of the energy used for washing clothes in a conventional top-load washer goes to heat the water.

Using homemade laundry soap: Make homemade laundry detergent for about $10 using baking soda, washing soap and Dr. Bronner’s bar soap (the peppermint and lavender combined makes a wonderful laundry scent). It takes only 1 tsp. per load. One batch lasts for 1-2 months.

Drying

Fresher smelling laundry: Use an outdoor clothes line.  Clothes lines have become increasingly popular with the transition to more eco-friendly living. There are many benefits to using a clothes line: whites become whiter, clothes rarely need to be ironed, nothing shrinks, your towels smell wonderful and it uses no energy.

Residue free soft clothes: Spend a few dollars on a set of eco-friendly dryer balls that last for years instead of sinking money into fabric softeners or dryer sheets. Unlike fabric softeners and dryer sheets, dryer balls won’t leave a residue on your clothing.

 
About Jennifer Chung and Kinsights

Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more. Connect with Kinsights at https://kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).

The post 10 Sure Fire Tips for Getting Your Laundry Clean appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.