Everyone likes to look nice, so it’s important to take care of our clothing. But once you toss them in the laundry, there’s a lot that could go wrong.
Whether it’s shrinking, fading, accidental bleaching or color leaching… if you don’t know what you’re doing you can ruin those clothes you spent all that money on.
If you know a few tricks, you can keep your clothes looking like the first day you bought them.
Here’s how to solve all your laundry problems:
The Number One Way to Avoid Clothing Mishaps
- Sort, sort, and sort again. Separate your clothing by texture (whether they create lint or attract it), fabric type (cotton or rayon? Keep like fabrics together), level of dirtiness (how soiled is your clothing?) , and color (white, lights and darks).
- Follow the product’s cleaning instructions
- Use the proper temperature water for the fabric you’re washing.
Use the Right Amount of Detergent
Figuring out the right amount of detergent is a science. Start a load with the maximum amount of laundry and reduce the amount you use in future loads until you figure out what the perfect measure is for your clothing, type of machine, and load size. Mark your cup so you don’t forget the amount.
Remove Dye Bleeding Stains From Clothing
Did a red sock slip into your load of whites? To get rid of the red and pink stains, rewash all the clothing with a non-chlorine bleach, like OxiClean or Oxygen Brightener in addition to your detergent. Get details for heavier dye bleeding stains here.
Get Rid of Greyness
Are your white starting to look more grey than white? This could be because you aren’t using enough detergent, the water temperature is too low, or you aren’t sorting well enough.
Try increasing the amount of detergent you use, make the water warmer, or try using a detergent booster or bleach.
Avoid Holes in Your Clothing
Keep delicate garments separate from items with zipper, hooks or studs. You also want to make sure you’re not using too much chlorine bleach and that it mixes with the water thoroughly before you toss your clothing in. Is the final spin speed on your washer too high for the type of fabric you’re washing? Cotton should not be sput higher than 600 revolutions and jeans no higher than 900. Learn more here.
Prevent Shrinking
Place your garment in the dryer and take it out before it’s fully dry. Hang dry your damp items, such as cotton knits. Use the method to unshrink items.
Stop Yellowing
Our frequently worn whites can start to turn yellow after a while from body oil and sweat built up. You can use extra detergent in your white loads, a detergent booster, and/or fabric-safe bleach.
Fight Pilling
Washing and wearing can cause pilling in synthetic and permanent-press fibers. You can try using fabric softener in your washing machine or dryer to try to prevent pilling. You can also use spray starch or fabric spray on your collar and cuffs and press with on a medium setting. If you already have pilling, you can use a lint brush, roller, or masking tape to remove.
Blue Stains
These occur when your fabric softener or detergent doesn’t dissolve properly. To ward off blue stains, Fill your machine with water and add your detergent or softener before you add your clothing. You can also dilute your fabric softener with water first.
If you already have blue stains, soak your garment in one cup of vinegar mixed with one quart of water. Let it soak for an hour before you launder it. Rub fabric softener stain with a bar of soap, rinse and launder.
Prevent Odors
If you don’t clean your washing machine properly and regularly, it can cause your clothing to have a musty scent. Learn how to properly clean our your washing machine here.
Powder Residue
This is also caused by detergent that doesn’t completely dissolve. You’ll want to run clothes with powder residue through another cycle. It’s best to add your powder detergent before you add water and laundry to your load.
Stop Lint
Make sure you don’t have any tissues in your pockets before you put your clothing in the wash. Wash lint causing fabrics, like terry cloth, velour, or corduroy, in a load by themselves. Clean the washer trap at least four times a year. Clean the lint dryer screen after each use. Use a roller or lint brush to remove lint.
Stiffness and Fading
To prevent clothes from coming out stiff and faded, try using a liquid laundry detergent, or add some water softener to your granular detergent.
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