How often do you wash your clothes? It’s become a habit for most of us to throw our entire outfit into the laundry basket once we change into our pyjamas in the evening, even if we’ve only changed to go to the supermarket for a couple of hours.
While it’s common knowledge that items such as underwear can only be worn once before they should be changed and washed, most of our other garments can survive a second wear without needing to be washed.
In fact, some items, such as jeans, can last four or five wears before needing to be washed – provided they don’t get stained or actually dirty.
We understand that putting on a pair of trousers or a jumper you’ve already worn can feel unclean, though, so we’ve got the perfect solution to share with you – a DIY spray that can help refresh your clothes without the need for a full wash.
The spray hack was shared on Instagram by Nicola Lewis, who said most people “overwash” their clothes, which increases their water and energy bills for no reason.
She said: “Before you reach for the laundry basket, stop! Those jeans and jumpers you wore today? Not dirty, just needs a little refresh. Stop over-washing! Most jeans only need a wash every 4–6 wears, and jumpers 2–3.
“Here’s my super-easy, inexpensive trick that actually works: make your own linen spray! Perfect for giving ‘in-between’ items a quick spritz and a second chance.”
You will need
- An empty spray bottle
- Distilled water
- Your favourite essential oil
- Witch hazel or vodka
Method
Grab a clean and empty spray bottle to begin the trick. Picking up one that’s sold as empty is best for this, but you can reuse an empty spray bottle from a cleaning product – just make sure it’s fully clean inside, as you don’t want traces of bleach or other chemicals to land on your clothes.
Then, fill three-quarters of the bottle with distilled water. This is achieved by boiling water and then letting it cool.
Add approximately 10 drops of the oil to the bottle, which will give the mixture a pleasant scent, and then add 1-2 teaspoons of either witch hazel or vodka. Both help to kill bacteria and make the scent last longer.
Give the bottle a gentle shake, then spritz it onto any linen or clothing that needs refreshing. You can use it on your laundry, bedding, towels, curtains, and cushions – but avoid spraying on anything made of silk, leather, suede, or velvet.
Commenters on the video were blown away by the trick. Many said they were guilty of overwashing their clothes, so would be trying this trick out themselves to cut down on their laundry loads.
One person said: “What a great idea! If I’m wearing a base layer, I’ll wear jumpers and sweatshirts until I spill something on them, which, to be fair, is fairly often!”
Another added: “Oooh, definitely giving this a try! Anything to reduce the wash loads in my house!”
