This week I’m excited to share a post with a fellow mom and blogger, Mary Gagliardi – Clorox’s Dr. Laundry. As a Clorox scientist and mom of two, Mary is a bona fide laundry expert. Take a sneak peek of our chat about laundry piles, household helpers and New Year’s Resolutions.

Tiffany: Obviously everyone in my house wears clothes, but somehow I’m the only one who does the laundry. What’s it like in your house and how do you recommend getting more family involved to help save time in the laundry room?

Mary: I used to feel the same way! Getting the whole family involved with the laundry may seem like work at first, but it’s worth it.  At my husband’s request, I made a cheat sheet for him with basic instructions for cycle, temperature and products. It wasn’t my first choice for wall art, but it got him started.  We work as a laundry team now. Getting kids involved is important, too, and works best when it happens in stages.  First they need to learn to put their dirty clothes into a laundry basket.  With young children, make a game of tossing the laundry into the basket and slightly older kids can help with color sorting. Getting everyone involved is really the best way for a busy mom to cut down on laundry time.

Tiffany: I love those ideas! What about stains?  I’m sure you remember when your kids were as young as mine – they can get very messy.

Mary: I remember like it was yesterday! You can teach kids of all ages to tie a knot in their stained clothes. For example, if your child drops food on her jeans, have her tie the legs together so you know which items need pretreatment before going in the wash.

Tiffany: What a great idea! My kids come home with mystery stains that I tend to miss in the first wash. With all the laundry I do I consider myself somewhat of a pro, but I bet there’s room for improvement. What should my New Year’s resolution be to help take better care of our clothes?

Mary: I’m sure you’re a pro already, but if you want to step up your game, here are two laundry techniques that will help make the most of your clothes.

1. For super dirty clothes, do an overnight pre-soak with powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster.  Just dissolve a scoop of the powder in hot water, and submerge the items (rinse away any loose soil first). In the morning, drain the soaking solution and then wash with detergent and more Clorox2®.


2. Always air dry and check for success when dealing with a stain.  Not only does this prevent heat from setting stains, it also helps preserve fabric color.  Dryers get so hot, and they can bake stains on while baking color off. 

Tiffany: I’m so glad Mary could be here to share her expert advice. Ask her a laundry question and read more time and clothes-saving tips on her blog, Dr. Laundry. Don’t forget there’s still time to share your messy stories at www.BleachItAway.com  to get Clorox® Regular Bleach coupons and the chance to win $25,000! Log on and share your ickiest stain stories and other messy moments today.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 United States (D.C.), 18 years or older who did not purchase any equipment for purposes of entering the Promotion. Enter Contest by 2/12/12. Sweepstakes ends 2/12/12. To enter and for Official Rules, including prize descriptions, and Sweepstakes odds disclosures, visit www.facebook.com/clorox. Void where prohibited.

Use as directed. Keep out of reach of children.