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You already know that you should get rid of most of your crap (but hug it and thank it for its service, first!), and how often you should clean the stuff that remains. But how? As always, we're here to help. We've scoured the internet, the dark internet (for like, a minute--it's scary), asked GQ colleagues, a clean freak or two, and made it through hours of too-long YouTube clips to bring you the best, actually easy hacks to make your laundry cleaner, better-smelling, wrinkle free, and even quieter.
The Ice Cube Trick If you're lucky enough to have your very own washer and dryer in your home, make use of it beyond laundry day. If you have something that's wrinkled or has been worn once and could use a quick freshening up, toss it in the dryer with a dryer sheet and an ice cube for 10 minutes and it'll be smooth as a baby's ass and smelling like a summer's day.
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The Towel Trick If you need a load to dry more quickly, toss a dry towel in there for 15 to 20 minutes. It's a scientific mystery as to why (not really, the dry towel just helps absorb moistures from the other items).
The Merino Wool Trick Turns out that despite commonly held belief, you can, in fact, wash merino wool. "You can absolutely, 100 percent put merino wool through a wash cycle," says staffer Justin Fenner. "Nothing will happen to it."
The Laces Trick Need to dry some shoes quickly but hate the banging sound they make in the dryer? Take the laces and close them in the latch door.
The Aluminum Foil Trick Want fluffy, absorbent towels but don't have any dry sheets? Use a balled-up sheet of tin foil. Added bonus is that it will reduce static electricity and it can be re-used for a month.
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The Self-Cleaning Trick With all the work it does, your washing machine is bound to get dirty itself. Don't forget to clean it out so that it's ready to take on the filthy work you give it. Learn how to clean it here.
The Lemon/Baking Soda Trick Get the yellow/gray armpit stains out of shirts by applying a mixture of lemon juice and baking soda to it, letting it sit for at least an hour, and then washing as you would normally.
The Nail File Trick Get dirt that gets caught in suede out by using a nail file.
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