Laundry is simply one of those chores that never truly seems complete. As soon as you get it all nice, clean, and folded, you pretty much start all over again. It's no wonder it often piles up on us.

These smart tutorials showcase how easy it is to cut down on your laundry time while getting your clothes cleaner than ever. All it takes is a few smart moves to conquer your mountain of laundry.

1. Start with a clean machine
The key to clean laundry is a clean machine, especially with front loaders. Grime and gunk can build up within the door seal and create odors that linger in your towels and other items. A thorough cleaning on a regular basis will keep your washing machine in top shape and your clothes smelling great. Try using vinegar as a washing machine cleaner.

2. Save money by making your own laundry soap
You don't have to be a chemist to create a laundry soap that cleans your clothes. According to Jackie at Happy Hooligans, you can even make a year's worth of laundry soap for $10. That saves you a lot of money. No more running to the store for laundry detergent with this handy tutorial.

3. Homemade dryer sponges
Say no to static without spending a fortune on dryer sheets. These handy dryer sponges are quick and easy to make. Fill a Tupperware container with equal parts water and fabric softener. Pack the container with a collection of new sponges and let the solution sit so the sponges can completely absorb the liquid. When it’s time to do laundry, throw a softener-soaked sponge in with the wet clothes and let it work away in time to the drying cycle. When the load is complete, simply replace the sponge into the solution for the next time.

4. Easy stain remover
Tidy Mom calls this the "Miracle Cleaner." What do you do when you don't have the right stain remover around? This is an all-purpose stain remover. All you need to do is combine 1 part blue Dawn and 2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide. Shake and spray.

5. Use the whitening power of lemons
Forget the harsh chemicals and bleach, the power of lemons is all you need to brighten and whiten. This technique is recommended for lines and even your socks. Simply boil sliced lemons with your whites, then hang outside for extra brightening power.

6. Put the iron away
There's no need to get out the iron when the shirt you want is just slightly wrinkled. This homemade wrinkle release spray will leave your clothes wrinkle free and smelling fresh. All you do is mix, shake, spray and go!

7. Fluff your towels
Adding a few foil-wrapped tennis balls to your dryer will fluff your towels and help prevent wrinkled clothes. You don't need a lot - just a couple will do the job.

8. Make an indoor drying rack
Have you ever noticed that your washer finishes earlier than your dryer? You can actually fit more washing into your laundry day by hanging a few loads of clothes to dry. It can actually help your delicates, t-shirts, and favorite pieces look new longer. A Diamond in the Stuff repurposed this crib springs into an awesome drying rack.

9. Sort your laundry with baskets
Ana White is the queen of easy furniture DIYs. This simple basket dresser uses dollar store plastic laundry baskets and is a great way to keep your laundry sorting neatly contained. Find the free plans for her laundry basket dresser here.

10. Give yourself a reminder
If you get into this habit, you can make washer to dryer changes go very quickly. Remind yourself of items that need to be air dried by marking on your dryer door with a dry erase marker. The Krazy Coupon Lady recommends this laundry hack to save you time and keep your clothes from accidentally shrinking.

11. Unshrink clothes with this trick
We all know what it's like to accidentally shrink our favorite sweater. You may think that what is done is done and now it's the perfect sweater for a child. You may be able to stretch your piece back out with a good soak in water and 1 tablespoon of hair conditioner. Let sit for 15 minutes. Once it beings to dry, carefully stretch the piece back out.

12. Fold right away
Folding the clothes immediately as they come out of the dryer makes all the difference. This method reduces the amount of work you have to do by immediately reducing the amount of wrinkles you have. Try it out for yourself!

13. Do a daily load
A load of day keeps the laundry monster away. Well, it'd be nice anyway. Doing a load of laundry does actually keep things from piling up. Try doing a specific load a day (i.e. whites on Monday, light colored clothes on Tuesday, etc.) according to a preset schedule.

14. Give up the whites
Trying to get stains out of whites can take up a lot of your time. Try not buying your children white clothing. It's just too difficult to keep your whites bright with your children rolling in the floor. Colors last longer and hide stains better than whites.

It's not to difficult to turn a mountain of laundry into a closet of clean clothes with these awesome ideas. Share how you keep your clothes clean with your friends and family on Facebook!

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