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If you are a newbie and haven’t wash your clothes before then this guide is for you. Washing apparel is one of the easy yet tough tasks; especially when you don’t habit to do your laundry.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in:
Sort Your Washing
Sort washing into four categories
- Colored,
- Light,
- Delicate fabrics, and
- Heavily soiled
Light including pastel, white, and pale, and colored laundry require different washing powder. To avoid fading, washing powders having formulation for colored textiles should be taken that don’t have bleaching agents.
Delicate fabrics such as wool and silk need lower temperatures and a gentler wash cycle. Heavily soiled fabrics might need additional cleaning agents such as bleach and a higher temperature.
If you use bleach, note that products based on are suitable only for white apparel. So-called “all fabric bleach” is for all colors and all textiles.
The “care tab” in garments helps you sort your washing. With other things, it affirms you at which temperature a garment might be washed. The care tab also tells what form of the cycle it requires. For instance, delicate fabrics should not be spun.
Following clothes should be washed separately, when new the color “bleeds.”
- dark-colored
- brightly colored
Denim garments always face the same fate.
A fabric softener is not necessary; however, avoid adding it if you have micro-fibers in the machine. You will lose their absorbency due to micro-fibers and they will render them useless.
However, if you use fabric softener instead of white spirit vinegar, the functionality of micro-fibers and toweling fabrics will increase. Don’t get worried about the smell as it dissipates during drying.
Roll Down Sleeves
Cuffs, particularly, are prone to soiling. They won’t get cleaned unless you roll down the sleeves.
If shirt collars and cuffs are immensely soiled, you have to scrub them through a brush along with an old-fashioned laundry soap before inserting them in the machine. This is among the effective pretreatments for every stain and heavy soiling.
Alternatively, make use of a special laundry stick that you will find at drugstores. Magic Wand and Cadie are the two most popular brands in the US for this purpose.
Use Laundry Nets (also known as Mesh Laundry Bags)
Avoid damage by inserting fragile items and delicate textiles like beaded garments and wired bras into laundry nets before putting them in the washing machine.
Laundry nets are best for sneakers and cuddly toys. They will keep avoiding socks going astray, as it often happens in the washing machine.
If you don’t have a laundry net, you can use a pillowcase instead.
Avoid Tearing
Always fasten these three things before washing:
- hooks,
- buttons, and
- zips
This prevents them from getting torn off during the wash cycle, or items being damaged by them.
Check Pockets
Never forget to check that each of your pockets is empty. A forgotten tissue can shred during the wash cycle and could leave a confounded mess. Thinking about worse, an ink pen left in a pocket can easily change the color of your apparel.
Ensure the Washing Machine Is Loaded Properly
After putting your dirty clothes in the machine, the drum must be full but should not be overloaded. The sign of laundry being overloaded is that there would not be enough space to fit your fist between the washing machine door and the laundry.
Turn Clothes Inside Out
To avoid fading, turn printed t-shirts and colored clothes inside out before putting them in the washing machine.
Do this even when items of washing beaded and similar if you do not own a laundry net.
Quantity of Washing Powder
Find out how soft or hard the water you get in your area.
You will require:
- More washing powder for hard water, and
- Less washing powder for soft water
Try to have a water conditioner if you are living in a hard water area. This might turn out to be more economical than applying more powder. Further, washing powder bags are also an important aspect. Thus, always prefer to buy powder wrapped by renowned washing powder bag manufacturers.
Save Energy
Today’s detergents are manufactured to efficiently wash at lower temperatures.
If you wash at 60 C rather than at 95 C, you’ll save energy by 30 percent. Washing at 40 C or less instead of 60 C would save energy by 50 percent.
Keep Washing Machine Fresh and Clean
If you don’t keep the machine smelling fresh, you can’t expect your apparel to smell good.
To prevent mustiness and mildew, let your washing machine dry after usage by leaving the door or powder compartment, or lid open. Rinse regularly the powder compartment with hot water. Use any rough toothbrush to remove fabric conditioner and detergent residue from hard-to-reach places.
