When it comes to cleaning expertise, I am a generalist. By that I mean this: If it needs to be cleaned, chances are I know how to clean it. While my knowledge of cleaning is expansive, there are topics I gravitate toward, and one of those is laundry and fabric care.
Which is all a fancy way of saying that I really love laundry! (Weird, but true.) I enjoy the act of doing laundry, but I also love the science behind it — how the mechanical action of the washing machine works to coax soils and odor-causing bacteria out of clothes, the chemical makeup of stains and the corresponding stain treatment products used to remove them and the peculiarities and special needs of fabrics themselves. It’s all fascinating to me.
In the dozen or so years I’ve been writing about cleaning, I’ve gotten to speak to countless other experts and specialists and I’ve toured detergent manufacturing plants and dry-cleaning facilities to learn the tricks of the trade. And of course, I do my own laundry.
Ahead, I’ve rounded up the laundry and fabric care products I swear by, from detergents to stain removers to kits designed to care for temperamental fabrics like leather and suede. You probably won’t need all of them, but if you’re looking to build a collection of the right products and tools to keep your wardrobe looking its best, this is the place you want to be.
The basics for washers and dryers
Liquid laundry detergent is incredibly versatile, making it the best choice for most people. It allows for precise dosing, unlike pre-measured detergent pacs, and it can be used as a stain remover or pre-treatment product. Tide’s Ultra Stain Release formula is the best I’ve tried, and it’s what I recommend when people ask me what detergent to use.
Liquid laundry detergent may be more versatile, but in terms of convenience, nothing beats detergent pacs — especially for people who use shared laundry rooms or go to laundromats. Even though I am no longer laundromat-dependent, I still use them as my go-to for regular loads of laundry.
Never again worry about a stray red sock turning an entire load of laundry pink! Color catchers look a lot like dryer sheets, but are designed to trap fugitive dye, preventing it from transferring to other items in the wash.
Scent beads, which add fragrance to a load of laundry, are used in the washer alongside regular detergent. If you want to move away from using fabric softener, but you miss the scent it imparts, scent beads will fill that void.
Dryer balls create more airflow in the drum, reducing drying time and eliminating wrinkles and static cling. Dryer balls are especially useful with bulky items and/or items with fill, because they help to redistribute and fluff up the filling of pillows, duvets, parkas and puffer vests, etc.
The best stain removers
When treating set-in stains, or cleaning mattresses and furniture that cannot be washed, a laundry brush is a great little tool to have on hand. It creates mechanical action that moves detergent and/or stain-removing products into the fibers, helping to loosen and lift the stain.
When it comes to stain removal, unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Most households won’t have a full arsenal of stain-removing products, so if you only have one, Shout is the one to choose. Simply put, it’s the best all-around stain remover I’ve tried. Also worth noting: Shout is especially effective on food stains like chocolate, tomato, hot sauce and soy sauce.
Enzyme-based stain removers are the secret to eliminating protein stains, which include blood, sweat, urine, vomit, grass and mud. Zout is one of the best enzymatic stain removers on the market.
Krud Kutter Sports Stain Remover is another excellent enzyme-based stain remover that can be used to treat sweat stains as well as stains from soils like grass, dirt, mud and red clay.
Lestoil is a pine-based cleaning agent that has a number of household uses. It is especially effective at getting oil and grease stains out of fabric. If you often end up with grease or oil stains on your clothes from foods like pizza or salad dressing, Lestoil is a good thing to stock in your laundry room.
Rubbing alcohol is an excellent all-purpose stain remover, and it is especially effective at removing stains from ink, dye and other pigmented substances, like fiery red sriracha or brightly colored lipstick.
OxiClean is used in addition to regular laundry detergent to eliminate stains and brighten whites. It’s also the key to eliminating “dinge” —?that grimy, sometimes yellow buildup that can happen over time on bedding, towels and white clothes.
Bluing is an old-fashioned laundry whitener and brightener that works by imparting a slight bluish cast to counteract yellowing and make whites appear whiter. While there are more modern laundry products available for whitening whites, bluing is fun to know about and is particularly good at restoring white bedding.
The best products for hand-washing
Hand-washing is pretty straightforward, so it’s worth trying out yourself. Soak Wash, a no-rinse detergent formula, makes hand-washing that much easier by eliminating the rinse step.
A good drying rack will extend the life of delicate items (like swimwear, workout gear and sweaters) that should not go in the dryer, and it’s essential when laundering garments by hand. A flat mesh drying rack is ideal for indoor air-drying because it allows air to circulate evenly without requiring that you hang a wet garment to dry, which can cause stretching and damage. They can be stacked on top of one another, but note that they’re sold separately.
Genius problem solvers
Jason Markk’s leather-cleaning kit is perfect for cleaning and caring for leather goods, including shoes, jackets, belts and other accessories. The kit comes with a brush, a soft cloth for buffing, leather cleaning foam and leather conditioner.
Suede care kits are essential for cleaning and maintaining everything from suede footwear to outerwear — and even suede furniture! Look for one that includes a brush and a suede eraser, in addition to protective and cleaning agents.
A steamer can be used to de-wrinkle clothes as well as to sanitize everything from the couch to bedding. Our pick for the best fabric steamer, the Conair Turbo steamer got high marks for its straightforward controls, wide range of useful steam levels, convenient attachments and comfortable, well-balanced design.
For many years, I wrote a cleaning advice column called Ask a Clean Person, and I encountered a great many messes via my readers. Occasionally, I’d get a question about how to remove a particularly foul and stubborn odor from clothing (I’m talking things like spilled gasoline or oil from tinned fish — yikes!) and every time, washing the items using Dr. Bronner’s proved to be the answer.
Mesh washing bags are incredibly useful and are the key to ensuring delicate items don’t take a beating in the wash. They help protect items like bras and swimsuits from getting tangled and stretched, and they keep laces, scarves, sashes, and the like from winding around everything else in the load.
I told you about Dr. Bronner’s, the secret to eliminating strong and foul odors in laundry, and now I will tell you about Biokleen Bac-Out, which is the secret to eliminating a very specific strong and foul odor: cat pee. When kitty tinkles in your suitcase or on your comforter, Biokleen Bac-Out is the product to reach for.
The Gleener Fuzz Remover is the best sweater depiller I’ve found (and I’ve tried a lot). It comes with three changeable blades in different weights for removing pills from fine, medium or heavy fibers, and the handle is fitted with a lint remover to make cleanup quick.
Padded hangers protect very heavy or finely constructed garments from damage to the shoulders due to dents and undue stress. Invest in a small set so you always have the right hanger on hand.
