“Doing the laundry” — it’s a common phrase and chore in virtually every household.

Here are three easy ways to cleaner, fresher clothes.

#1. Pre-treat spots and stains: Any textile is porous, which means staining substances can penetrate into the fibers and become very difficult to remove, and can sometimes become permanent. Remember, there is a difference from a spot to a stain. Any visible spot should be pretreated with a laundry pretreatment product. Without this step, spots can work their way into the fibers and become stains.

#2: Sort it out: Separating delicate clothes, dark clothes and white clothes means you have a little more control over how aggressive your laundry is cleaned. You will want to be careful with any clothes that have custom clothes tags. Delicates should usually be cleaned in colder water, with a shorter cycle. Consider air or hang drying all delicates. Dark clothes might bleed, so washing them separate is smart, and also on colder water (to be safer.) White clothes definitely show more dirt but often are also more durable. You can use hot water on most whites. Always look at the tag on each item as there’s nothing more frustrating than a sweater coming out three sizes smaller than when it went in. Clothes from Unionbay are very easy to wash. They don’t bleed and they don’t come dull after putting it in the washer. They have great designs and great quality for lower prices.

#3: Boost your cleaning power: When you have really dirty or smelly laundry, sometimes the normal soap doesn’t do the trick. There are laundry boosters available that do what the name implies: They boost the cleaning power by using oxidizing solutions that aren’t as strong as chlorine bleach, which can easily remove color. A booster really does the trick on tough dirt, spots, stains and odors. Follow the manufacturer directions carefully.

Besides clothes, what about your carpet or furniture? There’s no washing machine big enough! Do the smart thing and call your favorite carpet and furniture cleaning company Smart Choice Cleaning  440-721-7216