Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

During the winter, it’s just not an option to hang your clothes outside to dry. Plus, sometimes you just don’t have all of the time in the world to hang your clothes outside or inside for drying. With the Folding Electrical Clothes Hanger you can dry clothing, shoes and other accessories faster. In addition to using it at home, you can also take it with you when you’re traveling or on vacation.

Some of the basic features include: durability, quiet operation, temperature controlled setting, insulated and heat resistant frame and rust proof hanger exterior. Because the temperature of the hanger can’t get too hot, your items won’t get burned.

In order to use the hanger, you put one or more items on it as if you were hanging them. Then you plug the hanger into an outlet. It’s best to button or zip the garments so that the heat stays trapped and dries the clothing faster.

Ironing clothes takes time and what happens when you’re rushing to work and need a wrinkle-free shirt in a hurry? If you would like to have wrinkle-free clothes and bedding, you need a more efficient device than an iron.

The Go Mini is a miniature steamer that packs 850 watts of steaming power. Within two minutes, this device creates steam, so you can undo those crinkles in your clothes within minutes when you’re on the go or traveling away from home.

This small but efficient steamer comes in the following colors: pewter, lime, tangerine, lemon, lavender, cornflower blue, white or desert rose. It measures 4.75”L x 3.25”W x 5”H. The Go Mini comes with a detachable steaming head and a cloth storage bag. If you’ve had steamers in the past that leak or spill, this particular steamer has a unique shape as well as a comfort-grip handle to prevent these issues.

Fortunately, sewing a pant hem or replacing a button on a sweater doesn’t require too much talent. However, in order to accomplish small sewing tasks, you have to lug out your large sewing machine. If you don’t sew often, it’s probably collecting dust in a closet.

The Handheld Sewing Machine from Urban Outfitters is a solution to those snags and tears. You can purchase it in red or black, and it’s only $15. This is also nice to have when friends or family stay for long periods of time, because you can quickly fix their clothes and be deemed the world’s best hostest in their eyes.

Its dimensions are 7”W x 1”D x 2.5”H, and it can run by battery or AC adapter. The handheld sewing machine includes three steel bobbins, two sewing needles, one threader and an extra spool pin. Now if you’re rushing to work and notice your hem is loose, you can fix it up in a jiffy.

Are you frustrated with the iron you currently own? If it doesn’t get out the wrinkles easily, maybe it’s time to invest in a professional iron. Although ironing is a meticulous task, you shouldn’t have to waste a bunch of your time to get out stubborn wrinkles.

The Rowenta DW9080 Steamium Iron has a one-touch steam and temperature selection LED display, an ergonomic design, steam on demand, automatic shut-off options and various steam and mist functions. Your ironing board doesn’t even have to be close to an electrical outlet, because this Rowenta model has a seven foot cord.

The pump injection technology enables you to direct more steam to a centralized location on your clothing, so you can say goodbye to wrinkles. This model also has a large water chamber, which allows you to get through more clothes at one time without feeling up so often. These features come in handy when you have a hectic life and a large family in need of freshly pressed clothes.

A common item from your closet that you might hate ironing is a collared shirt or blouse. These can be a pain, but if you iron in a step by step process, you can have it perfectly ironed in a cinch. Begin by ironing the collar then proceed to the cuffs, sleeves, back and finally the front. Also, make sure that you’re working with a lightly damp shirt. If the garment has pleats or ruffles, you can remove wrinkles with the tip of the iron’s nose. These easy tips make collared shirts seem less overwhelming.

So how can you make your own starch at home? Well, all you need are two simple ingredients: cornstarch and water. Add one tablespoon of cornstarch to one pint of water and mix them together so the cornstarch dissolves. Since it’s easier to spray starch onto the areas where you need it the most, transfer the solution into a spray bottle. You can always keep the extra solution refrigerated in a separate container.

Laundry rooms are often tucked away either in the basement or on the first floor in an isolated room. Even though you have to catch up on laundry, it doesn’t mean you should be stuck doing it in the dreariest and loneliest part of your house. If you’re a multi-tasker, laundry room closets can give you the freedom to be near your family while finishing chores.

As you get older or busier with work, lugging your laundry down to the basement can seem like a horrible chore in itself, especially if you have several children with mounds of dirty clothes. Relocating the laundry room to the first floor in a large kitchen closet can reduce some of the hassles associated with washing clothes.

This closet pictured below has the washer and dryer as well as other cleaning supplies on high shelves where they are out of your children and pet’s reach. You can keep laundry moving while having breakfast with your family.

Whether you’re trying to save on energy costs by drying your clothes on the line instead of the dryer, or you just have some delicates that won’t stand tumbling in the machine, you may find a use for this handy little underwear dryer.

“This clever little invention will make drying your underwear convenient, discreet and classy. It can hang almost anywhere, includes 18 suspended clothing pins and can expand and contract to fit into any small space.”

In other words, you don’t have to hang your briefs (or Victoria Secrets) outside on the line in the yard for all the neighbors to admire.

The simple pine-wood dryer costs $24.

From the Conran Shop.

If you want to save energy this year–and you live in a climate that’s less damp than mine–you could cut out the clothes dryer and let your garments dry outside.  Even an energy saving dryer is a pretty big power suck, so using the sun and the wind can certainly lower your utility bill.

You don’t have to manually string lines up all over your house; just pick up an outdoor clothes drying rack.

The Whitney Design 3000 30-Line Outdoor Parallel-Style Clothes Dryer with Aluminum Arms (aside from having a very long name) makes efficient use of space, so even if you’ve got a small yard, you can dry your clothes outside.

And saving energy may not be the only perk:

“The benefits of air drying clothes are many–fabrics last longer, energy bills run lower, and clothes and sheets naturally smell better when hung outside–not to mention the health benefits of spending a few minutes outdoors in the sunshine.”

Pick up this unit for less than $70 at Amazon:

Whitney Outdoor Clothes Dryer

Laundry sinks tend to be big, utilitarian, and boring. They’re mounted on the wall and just hang there, looking bland and bulky.

If you’d like a laundry sink to wash your delicates in that is a tad more… delicate, you might appreciate something like this cheerful floral piece.

The wall sink is from Purple Sage Collections, and it can be used in the laundry room, but it can also be used outdoors. You could mount it on the wall of your house or shed and use it for washing hands and tools after working in the garden.

The sink is made from ceramic and the patterns are hand painted. The faucet isn’t included, so you’d have to order that separately.

$662 at Plumbing Fixtures

Is your washing machine doing all it could be to get rid of allergens and keep your clothes allergy-free (at least until the next cat or dog jumps on you)? If not, and it’s a concern that keeps you up nights, you may want to investigate the LG Electronics Steam Washer.

This high-speed washing machine uses “TrueSteam™” to penetrate fabrics, providing an “enhanced cleaning performance” that supposedly “reduces allergens by more than 95% with LG’s exclusive Allergiene™ Cycle.”

Hey, it beats taking Clariton every day.

Other features of the $1,600 washing machine include an extra wide door opening, a larger load capacity (which can save time and energy since you get to do fewer loads), sensors that determine the amount of detergent and water hardness and make automatic adjustments to the wash/rinse process, and a SteamFresh™ Cycle that lets you refresh and reduce wrinkles in up to 5 garments at one time.

Available at Home Depot