Dust is everywhere. Here’s how to get rid of it. |
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| Connie Park/NYT Wirecutter |
If you’ve ever found yourself trying to vacuum your curtains, puff up your pillows, or shake the dust off a pile of stuffed animals, you could’ve put them in the dryer instead.
The air-fluff cycle — sometimes called “air-dry” or “no heat” — can tumble and filter away much of the stale-smelling, sniffle-inducing funk that builds up in the hard-to-launder items around your house.
Our ultimate guide to getting rid of dust→
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Plus: How to get the most out of your washer |
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| Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter |
- Set your default to cold water: This is “one of the most environmentally impactful things you can do in the laundry room,” says writer Andrea Barnes. In our tests, we’ve found cold water to be effective at busting stains. Plus, it can keep your clothes looking better for longer and save energy, too.
- Don’t rely on the Normal cycle: A washer’s Normal cycle is not optimized to wash away solid dirt, remove detergent residue, or clean delicate items. If you’re not adjusting the settings, you’re doing your laundry wrong.
- Use the extra water setting to wash away certain stains: Flooding the tub with extra water during the wash cycle is usually the best way to handle mud, lint, pet hair, the contents of a dirty cloth diaper, and other solid soils.
- Let the washer clean itself: Running the self-cleaning cycle with an empty tub and a specialized cleaning product can keep the foulest gunk at bay.
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10 ways to make your washing machine work better→
More for the laundry room |
Today’s great deal: The softest towel we’ve ever tested |
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| Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter |
A favorite of ours since 2017, this plush, luxurious towel is incredibly dense and soft. It’s absorbent — and stays that way through countless washes — and feels downright extravagant to use.
A set of two is on sale right now→
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Happy cleaning.
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