Keep clothes organized with our laundry folding tips. (Photo by Mike Garten)

Here are some genius clothing-care tips and top product picks from our Cleaning Lab pros.

Fold like a Gap star: Prevent creases down the fronts of shirts and keep their necklines flat by folding them in thirds. Lay shirts face down, and turn in each side toward the middle. Fold the bottom up once or twice.

Fight the fade: For dark or bright loads, use made-for-colors detergent (look at the label). The special formula deactivates water’s hue-fading chlorine ions.

GH Lab Pick: GH Seal Holder Tide Plus Colorguard Laundry Detergent ($8 for 46 ounces, tide.com).

Iron with ease: Throughout all our years of testing, ironing boards haven’t changed much – until now. We recently came across an innovative ironing board that flips. Button a shirt onto the board, and iron both sides by flipping it! You can use it like a regular board for small pieces.

What a time-saver!

GH Lab Pick: Flippr Rotating Ironing Board ($150, flippr.com).

Squeeze, don’t wring: For any delicate that requires hand-washing, immerse the item and squeeze suds through it to clean it (rubbing is abrasive). Then swish the garment in water, squeezing gently. Rinsing garments under the faucet or wringing them out can stretch fabrics.

Take a break from your dry cleaner: Special “dry-cleaning” kits freshen clothes right in your dryer to extend wear between professional cleanings. Put pants, sweaters and blouses in the bag with a moist cloth. Steam will swell the fibers and release odors.

GH Lab Pick: Dryel At-Home Dry Cleaner Starter Kit ($10 for four loads, dryel.com).

Zap the fuzz:

A battery-operated fabric shaver is the best way we’ve found to eliminate pilling on sweaters in friction-prone areas (e.g., sleeves and sides), even on expensive knits. To use the device safely and avoid nicks, hold fabric taut.

GH Lab Pick: Evercare Small Fabric Shaver ($8, cleanerhomeliving.com).

Never run into another snag: Turn sequined or beaded clothes inside out before folding or hanging to keep them from damaging other fabrics on shelves and in drawers and closets.

Try the bag trick: Corral socks and bras, or keep drawstring items from tangling, in mesh bags. The best ones are tightly knit with a covered zipper pull to prevent snagging.

GH Lab Pick: Evercare Wash Bags ($5, cleanerhomeliving.com).

ON ANOTHER MATTER …

Ask Jackie

Jaclyn London, GH nutrition director, answers your health-related questions.

Q: I’m always constipated! What will help me get moving? – Peggi S.

A. Fill that water bottle! Constipation often is the result of not drinking enough of the fluids you need to keep waste chugging through your digestive tract. Most of us need a minimum of eight cups per day, and it’s fine if that comes in the form of unsweetened beverages like coffee, tea and sparkling water as well as the occasional diet soda. And don’t skimp on fiber: Veggies, 100 percent whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes all help create bulk as they move through your gastrointestinal tract. You’ll be back to normal in no time.

TABLE

De-wrinkle Like a Pro

These tips and tricks will have your clothing looking fresh.

1. Do delicates first: Irons take longer to cool down than to heat up, so start with materials needing the lowest temperature, like polyester and silk. Work your way up to cotton and linen. Do the reverse, and you risk melting delicate fabrics.

2. Spritz, then iron: Mist creases with your iron’s spray feature. This dampens and relaxes the fabric so that when the iron passes over it, wrinkles vanish. Use the steam-burst feature to give stubborn folds a blast.

3. Hold on tight: For best results when using a handheld steamer, grasp hanging garments from the bottom and pull gently. For heavier fabrics that steam might not penetrate, turn the garment inside out and steam both sides.

4. Reach for club soda or water: In GH tests, club soda didn’t remove stains any better than water did. Use whichever is handy, but test either in a hidden area to be sure the fabric you’re cleaning won’t get water spots.

Recalls Alert

The following products and vehicles were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Unless otherwise indicated, discontinue use of the products immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a refund. For more information about the products, call the manufacturer or CPSC’s toll-free hotline, (800) 638-2772. Only some cars or trucks recalled are affected. Contact a dealer for your model to see if it is included in the recall. The dealer will tell you what to do.

PRODUCT/VEHICLE

PROBLEM

Water-absorbing Easter and dino toys, sold at Target stores nationwide from February 2017 through March 2017 for about $1.

If the small toy is ingested, it can expand inside a child’s body and cause intestinal obstructions, resulting in severe discomfort, vomiting and dehydration, and could be life-threatening. Surgery is required to remove the toy from the body. Medical professionals and parents should be aware that there is a possibility that the toys might not show up on an X-ray. Consumers should immediately take this recalled toy away from children and return it to any Target store for a full refund. Consumers can contact Target at (800) 440-0680 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. CST Monday-Sunday or online at

www.target.com. Click on “Recalls” at the bottom of the page, then on “School/Stationery/Seasonal” for more information, or visit the “Product Recalls” tab on Target’s Facebook page.

Mercedes-Benz 2017 GLE 400 4Matic, GLE 350 4Matic, GLE 350, GLE 550E 4Matic, GLE 63 AMG, GLE 63S AMG, GLE 43 AMG 4Matic Coupe, GLE 63S AMG 4Matic Coupe, GLS 450 4Matic, GLS 550 4Matic, and GLS 63 AMG 4Matic

During certain types of crash events, the center console may unlatch, allowing the objects within to fly around the cabin. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 201, “Occupant Protection in Interior Impact.” In the event of a crash, if objects are not secured within the center console, they may strike the vehicle occupants, increasing their risk of injury. MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will modify the center console so that it remains latched in a crash for free. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at (800) 367-6372.

© Hearst Communications Inc.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate