Camping in the outdoors. Swimming in the pool. Enjoying backyard barbecues. These staples are part of what makes summer fun. But camping brings campfire songs and smoky clothes, pools bring cannonballs and piles of wet laundry and barbeques bring memories and greasy stains.  

Use these helpful summer laundry tips to make life easier. From washing swimsuits to flip flops in the washing machine, these laundry hacks will have you ready for everything summer brings.

1. Smooth wrinkles without an iron. 

If ironing a load of clothes isn’t on your list of favorite to-dos on hot summer days, there are cooler ways to get rid of wrinkles. 

If you have wrinkles in your clothes, just use a water bottle to spray them down with water and then give them a few good shakes. You’d be surprised at how well this trick will smooth out wrinkles.

2. Use ice cubes for no-fuss steam treatment.

Another easy way to get wrinkles out is to steam-treat them. And there’s a laundry hack for doing that without the hassle. Just throw a few ice cubes in the dryer along with your dry, wrinkly clothes. The combination of ice and dryer heat creates steam that will smooth the wrinkles in no time.

3. Use alcohol to deodorize.

If you’re short on time and looking for a laundry hack that lets you freshen clothes quickly, look to your drink cabinet. Choose a clear alcohol like vodka, add to a bottle and spray directly on your clothes.

It might seem odd, but using a bit of alcohol is a fast way to make your clothes smell light and fresh.

4. Freeze clothes to remove sticky substances.

When your child gets gum stuck to their shirt, stick it in the freezer overnight. The next morning, it should easily peel off.

5. Speed up dry time when you’re in a rush.

Some days, you just don’t have enough time to wait for your favorite summer dress to dry before leaving the house. Here’s an easy laundry hack: throw a dry towel in with your wet clothes to absorb additional moisture from the load.Just make sure to remove the towel after 15-20 minutes. By that time, it’s soaked in all the moisture it can hold. Any longer than that will defeat the purpose.

6. Use chalk on grease stains.

Dinners on the patio, potlucks and neighborhood parties usually involve food, fun and unfortunately, greasy stains. 

Fortunately, there’s an easy fix for getting grease out. Before you throw the soiled item in the wash, rub chalk across the stain. The chalk acts like a dry powder to absorb the grease before it’s treated with soap and water.

7. Create a wet clothes drop-off station.

As soon as the pool opens, make a plan for how to wash swimsuits and other wet clothes—before they wind up in sopping piles on your floor. Set a plastic laundry basket outside your door and tell your kids and spouse to drop their dripping wet laundry there. This mom even made a cute sign as a reminder for her crew, telling them “Wet Gear Goes Here.”

8. Save your favorite clothes from stains. 

It never fails. You’re excited to wear your favorite clothes, only to discover a stain.

  • Smudge of make-up on your shirt? Just put some shaving cream on it to break up the stain before you throw it in the wash.
  • Something sticky on your shorts? Barbeque tastes amazing, but if some sweet-and-spicy lands on your white shorts, run cold water over it to get the excess off, let liquid detergent sit on it for 10 minutes, dab white vinegar on it and rinse. Repeat the process until the stain disappears.

9. Get flip-flops clean without scrubbing. 

Flip flops are one of the most convenient summer apparels—but they quickly collect dirt. Many try to wash by hand, but you can wash flip flops in washing machine to get them looking new again.

Just use a little bit of detergent, about a pea-sized amount, and use the delicate cycle. Once the cycle’s through, let your flip-flops air dry.

Which summer laundry hacks are your favorites?

Whether you’re trying to figure out how to wash swimsuits or flip flops in the washing machine, everyone has their own little hacks that make summertime laundry so much easier.

Leave a comment on social and tell us what your tried-and-true summer laundry tips are. We’d love to hear from you!