7 Laundry Day Upgrades You Need Right Now

These fragrant, OXI power–enhanced discs are a perennial winner in Good Housekeeping’s laundry detergent tests, not only for their cleaning strength (tough on stubborn stains like grease and grass) but also for their versatility—they work with all machine types, including traditional top-loaders and high-efficiency front-loaders. Plus, since they’re pre-measured, you’ll never overdo the detergent like you might with bottled or powdered formulas. (Safety note: As with all laundry pods, be sure to store them out of reach of kids and pets.)

It’s a pain to clean your lint screen every time you run the dryer, but if you don’t, lint and other debris can find their way up into the machine’s duct—and if enough of it collects, it can impede airflow and increase the risk of a dryer fire. (Nearly 3,000 such blazes happen each year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.) The Lint Lizard does the dirty work for you: All you have to do is attach the plastic contraption to the end of your vacuum and insert it into the dryer through the lint screen compartment, and it will suck the lint right up.

These powerful tablets zap the residue and grime, and potentially mold (ick), that builds up inside your machine with regular washing, helping your washer last longer and your clothes smell fresher. Pop one into the drum and run the “clean washer” cycle or a normal cycle with hot water, and—voilà—the gunk is gone.

Sold as a set of two, this simple, hanger-like contraption is the answer to your disappearing sock issues. It comes with spring-loaded buckles to hold up to nine pairs in place while they’re being washed—just toss the whole thing in with the rest of your load.  

Front-loaders typically get top marks in performance and efficiency, but they also tend to trap moisture in the drum and rubber gasket surrounding the door, leading to stinky mold build-up. This $15 contraption eliminates the issue by leaving your washer door slightly ajar (not open and in the way) between loads, letting the inside of the machine air out. Set-up is easy too: Suction one end to the inside of the door and the other end to the outside of the machine, and a bungee keeps it from closing. 

With a combined 68 linear feet of drying space across its five pullout nylon lines, this extendable clothesline enables you to line-dry your delicates or other laundry even when you don’t have loads of room. (In order words, it cuts down on energy usage and saves you money.)

Dryer balls speed up drying times by allowing hot air to circulate more freely; they’re also reusable, making them a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to dryer sheets. And, of course, this set’s adorable hedgehog design is a big bonus.