The worst part of growing up is the housework. Being responsible for keeping your own space tidy is perhaps one of the most frustrating things I’ve had to get used to as an adult. I miss the days when I’d come home from school and everything was pristinely tidy thanks to mom’s magic touch. Now, I have to do it all myself – and I hate it. But perhaps the worst household chore that I loath is laundry.
Laundry is one of those incredibly tedious tasks that requires a good few hours to complete between the sorting of the dirty clothes, the washing of the clothes, the drying of the clothes, and then the folding and putting away of the clothes – easily the worst part of it all. While many of us can agree that laundry is an annoying chore, what we didn’t know is we might have been doing it wrong without realizing it.
It’s a safe bet that most of us measure out the detergent using the cap that doubles as a measuring cup. But where we go wrong, is that many of us probably measure it out using the cap and then pour it into the side compartment of the machine. After a few washes of doing this, the cap gets rather sticky and gross – something that makes laundry that bit more of an irritating chore. However, if you were to look at your laundry detergent, it probably says somewhere on it to drop the cap in the wash.
That is correct. Most laundry detergent caps were made with the washing machine in mind. No more having to figure out how to get the cap clean. The easiest solution – the one it was made for – is to drop it into the machine alongside your clothes.
All this time the answer has been right under our noses. While it is a relief to know that the cap can go in the washer without a fuss, it should be noted that there is some caution. Most instructions are to only drop the cap in the wash every couple washes in order to keep the plastic caps from warping at high speeds or temperatures.
Apparently, the same is true for the caps of fabric softeners. Detergent caps aren’t the only surprising items that can withstand a wash cycle from time to time. Other things that can be washed include curtains, shower curtains, car mats, mop heads, and yoga mats. Granted, if you’re going to wash these items it’s always recommended that you check the tag for official care instructions before just throwing it into the wash. But at least we know now that these lids can take a tumble, so hopefully, this helps to take the sting out of the laundry.