Yahoo Lifestyle The Game-Changing Product That Makes Laundry Day So Much Easier
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While there's no one quick fix to make laundry day easier, the key to making this mundane task more manageable is a combination of using the best tools at your disposal — the best washing machines, the best stain removers and the best detergent, for starters — and creating systems that ultimately save time and effort. And it all starts with the hamper you're tossing your dirty clothes into.
While there are many great laundry baskets available, depending on your needs, divided hampers can help streamline the process from the start. Here's how, according to Good Housekeeping Institute Home Care & Cleaning Lab Executive Director Carolyn Forté.
Seagrass Handcrafted Divided Hamper
Double Laundry Hamper with Removable Bags
Tota Laundry Hamper Separation Basket
3-Section Rolling Laundry Sorter
Saves time
With a divided hamper, you can separate your laundry into categories — most commonly, lights and darks — right from the start. When it's time to do laundry, you won't have to spend additional time sorting a huge load into different piles. Instead, everything in one section can go in one load; everything in the other in a second.
Minimizes mistakes
Sorting clothes, whether by color or fabric type, helps avoid mishaps like color bleeding or shrinking. While standard two-section hampers are generally reserved for lights and darks, some have additional compartments.
Depending on your sorter's size and number of sections, one compartment can be reserved for hand-washables or dry-clean items, so these don't get inadvertently mixed with machine-washable clothes and potentially damaged. Similarly, you could use one section for stained items that need extra pre-treating.
Feels more manageable
Starting with one huge pile of laundry can make the task seem overwhelming — like something you might want to put off for another day. But when you divide your laundry into more manageable sections from the start, the job can feel more approachable.
Many divided hampers even have removable sections, making it easy to transport just one section to the washer and dryer when doing a single load.
Easier to divide and conquer
If you share the task with someone else in your household, a divided hamper may make it easier to split up the workload. One person can tackle the darks, while another handles the whites. Assuming space allows, a divided hamper is also a great solution for siblings who share a room — each person claims one side of the hamper, eliminating squabbles about whose turn it is to do laundry.
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