I’m a mother of eleven children – my simple ‘break hack’ keeps school shirts pristine white
A SAVVY mum-of-11 has spoken out about how she keeps her children’s shirts pristinely white ‘all year round’.
Now that the kids are going back to school, it often feels like there is no end to the pile of clothes and shirts that need to be thrown in the washing machine.
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Someone who knows something about this is mother Joanne O’Rourke, who has eleven children and was struggling with the laundry load – until her friend shared a groundbreaking method.
Before the friend revealed their favorite hack, Joanna left 32 shirts in a bucket to soak so they stayed ”bright and white”.
Not one to keep up the simple trick that makes doing laundry a breeze, Joanna also used TikTok to spill the beans in a recent video.
She started with the ‘brilliant’ and hassle-free method of putting all the white clothes in the drum of her washing machine.
Then she threw in laundry pods and added “a few scent boosters for good measure.”
To complete the additions, the cleaning fan is explained in the clipshe used Vanish Oxi Action (£4 at Tesco) and fabric softener.
When it comes to turning on the perfect setting, Joanna said she set the temperature to 40 degrees and started a 60-minute cycle.
Joanne said: “What I do now is I leave the machine on for the first fifteen minutes on Saturday evening so it gets really soapy and foamy.
”And then what I do, I pause the machine, and then I leave the machine on pause all night, so the whites sit there, and they sit there in the Vanish and all the bits that I put in there.
“So it’s like an overnight soak, so when I get up on Sunday morning I hit un-pause and the laundry continues.”
The smart parent, who posts under the username @ofourkesmaddnesandmayhemcalled it a “quick way to ensure white clothes stay white and smell great.”
While the effective washing machine hack had charm, skeptical social media users questioned Joanna about her electric bill.
How to dry wet laundry indoors, in winter
Drying rack or drying rack
Fill your drying rack with wet laundry and place it near a heat source (such as a radiator or direct sunlight) to distribute the air around your clothes.
Dehumidifier
Connect a dehumidifier in a room where clothes are hanging so that they dry quickly and prevent moisture and mold. Many now have a laundry setting.
Tumble dryer
A tumble dryer can heat moisture from wet laundry, which saves time and can be used in all weather conditions.
Heated airer
Many brands and stores now sell heated airers for as little as £30. The racks are heated by electricity and can speed up drying time.
Open a window
Choose a spare room or unused room to keep your laundry and open a window but close the door behind you.
Use curtain poles
Hang wet laundry on radiators and then hook them on curtain rods with the radiators underneath. The heat will rise and dry the items. Alternatively, if you have a shower curtain rod, you can hang your clothes in the bathroom with a window open.
The mother admitted that it will increase “but it works for me”.
Joanna confirmed that soaking the garments in the machine ensures that ‘everything comes out’.
Viewers responded enthusiastically, with one person replying: “I wish I knew this years ago when mine was in school!”
Another person chimed in: “Oh great! I’m definitely going to try this! Thank you.”
The brilliant trick was also loved by others, with one TikTok user adding: “I do this and I thought I was crazy so I didn’t share it.
“I hated having to soak in a bucket and then go to the machine.”
