Drop a bowling-ball size gizmo into your clothes hamper or laundry basket. First it burrows through the laundry, steaming everything to loosen soil, then it electrostatically sucks the dirt right out of the fabric before blowing hot air through the pile to dry. This futuristic concept from the Electrolux Design Challenge might make the washing machine obsolete. You’ll still have to fold, press and hang your clean clothes. Some things will never change.

To avoid spreading lint throughout your entire load of laundry, always separate the into three groups: high, medium and low lint production. Towels and terry robes are high, corduroy, fleece, socks and sweaters are medium, and jeans, T-shirts, workout ...

Cotton is not just for weekend anymore – we’re seeing it used in designer wear for summer – but be careful when attempting to clean extra special pieces yourself, even when the label tells you home cleaning is OK. Natural fibers are prone to losing color over time, and special designs and styles require professional cleaning to make that piece last more than a few wears. Also, cotton is more susceptible to damage from harsher home cleaning detergents – even those detergents that claim to be eco-friendly have a higher pH than those used by professional cleaners.

White canvas shoes are perfect for summer – until they start looking beige. Here’s how to remove stains, thanks to How to Clean Stuff. Scrub away dirt stains with shampoo on a nail brush, wipe residue away with a damp sponge. Use dish soap on grass stains, and nail polish remover on grease or tar. After you’ve removed as much as possible, apply oxygen bleach with a nailbrush or toothbrush to any remaining off-white areas. If you don’t mind losing the new look, canvas shoes can usually be machine washed on a gentle cycle with warm water. Hang to air dry.

Before you store that down vest or comforter, make sure it’s perfectly clean. Small items can be washed in a front-loading machine, on the permanent press cycle, using a detergent that’s safe for down. If the item is really soiled, stop the machine midway and let everything soak for an hour. To make sure you’ve removed every bit of cleanser, run an extra wash cycle with water only. Use low heat and lots of time for drying. Add a few new white tennis balls to the dryer to break up clumps and restore fluffy loft to the down. Or bring your down to us. Our experts use specialized cleaners and commercial-size machines for perfect results.

After a steamy shower or bubbly bath, there’s nothing as refreshing as a big, clean terrycloth towel. But some home laundry practices actually diminish the terrycloth’s absorption. For instance, fabric softener can prevent a towel from soaking up water. And residual detergent will harden the fibers. If your towels aren’t smelling so fresh, add baking soda to the wash. White vinegar freshens mildewy smells. Nothing smells better than a towel that’s dried in the sunshine on a clothesline.

Spring and summer wouldn’t be nearly as comfortable without classic cotton. Breathable, long-lasting and easy to clean, cotton’s a staple for every wardrobe, from workwear to sportswear, casual to classy. Yes, cotton will wrinkle (we all do, after a few years) but a few laundry-room tips can help. Try air drying cottons to avoid shrinkage and fading from hot dryers. Mist lightly with water before ironing for a crisp finish. Or let us delight you with drycleaned or laundered cotton cleaning. We make chinos, golf shirts and jeans look crisp and fresh.

Let’s hope you find the crayons before throwing the laundry in the dryer. You’re in for a surprise when you open the dryer door and find waxy, colored stains on everything in the load, perhaps even on the dryer door and walls. Take a deep breath and bring the stained items to us. Drycleaning can remove the melted-in crayons, and our stain removal experts can take care of any residual tints.

Favorite T-shirt? To get the longest life from a special tee, wash it in cold water with similar colors on a gentle cycle. Lay it flat to dry as you would a sweater. Throwing a t-shirt into a hot dryer will cause fading, pilling and can make sleeves twist and stretch out of shape. If there’s beading or other bling on the shirt, turn it inside out and machine wash in a mesh laundry bag, then air-dry.

Spilled coffee down the front of your shirt? We’ve all spilled a little now and then, and the instinct to rub it is hard to resist.  Blot, blot and blot. Sometimes a stain removal pen (like Tide) can help in the short term. The best answer is to bring us the garment as soon as you can. Our stain removal experts use professional products and procedures that can take the coffee out of most fabric.