How to wash clothes correctly so they last longer
Washing is a serious test for clothes. Powders and bleaches, hot water, spinning - literally all of this shortens the life of the fabric, even when used correctly! So you need to do this carefully and wisely. This is exactly what I will talk about today - how to properly wash clothes so that they last longer.
The content of the article
Sorting Features
Many people have heard that before loading into the drum it is necessary to separate white from colored. But at the same time, another important point is overlooked: things are also supposed to be sorted by degree of contamination.
Important! Anything that only needs to be refreshed a little should be aired out and then treated with a steam generator. This will extend the service life of the fabric, and the clothes will look neat.
Heavily soiled items require a more intensive washing cycle than clean ones. That's why you shouldn't put a T-shirt without stubborn stains through unnecessary testing by throwing it into the drum along with a grass-stained shirt.
Colored fabrics also require a special approach. First, it is better to turn such things inside out before washing. This helps slow down fading. Well, secondly, new clothes or linen should be checked for color fastness before the first wash. This is easy to do: you need to soak a small area of fabric, soap it, rinse and let dry.If after such a test no differences in color are found, the item does not fade.
Another not entirely obvious point is sorting by fabric type. Cotton, for example, is incompatible with synthetics, and fleece does not tolerate any proximity at all.
What to do before you start washing
Choosing the right powder and fastening everything you can - these are the basics that even apply to a bra that is sent into a special bag. But many people forget that it is impossible to accumulate dirty clothes for a long time before loading them into the drum. Some due to ignorance that old stains are more difficult to remove, even if they are minor. Others - in order to save water and electricity, which are spent more intensively if, instead of loading a full drum, you have to wash a little, but often.
Choosing between keeping your belongings safe and paying utility bills is a personal matter. However, if you practice storing clothes, it is better to choose baskets with ventilation for these purposes. The reason is simple: in sealed containers and bags, dirt eats into the fabric faster. And sometimes the smell there is such that even washing helps little.
Important! It is better to remove serious stains immediately after they appear. After taking emergency measures, such as treating a greasy stain with detergent or soaking blood in cold water, the item is rinsed and dried. And only after that it can be sent to the dirty laundry basket.
Well, the most interesting thing: checking your pockets. Sometimes they contain valuable items that can be damaged during the washing process. But much more often, various little things are found there that can damage clothes or a machine.
Subtleties of proper washing
When throwing down jackets or pillows into the drum, it is advisable to throw several rubber balls into the drum.They will not allow the filler to fall off.
Other useful tips include the following:
- For better preservation, wool should be washed with laundry soap.
- Knitwear and cotton fabric respond well to low temperatures. Moreover, rinsing should be done in cooler water than washing.
- Silk and synthetics need gentle spinning, no higher than 600 rpm. And after manual rinsing, they should not be twisted - it is better to let the moisture drain.
- The correct choice of powder should be combined with compliance with the dosage recommended by the manufacturer. Otherwise, the foam may not be washed out of the clothes, and this leads to a rapid loss of freshness.
- If you are going to wash angora or mohair, it is recommended to add a little glycerin to the powder compartment.
- Lycra cannot be boiled or bleached.
- For items made of thin fabric, it is better to use liquid powder.
- It is not advisable to put linen items in the drum: hand washing will preserve their attractiveness much longer.
Well, useful tips for those who love jeans. To make them fade less, it is recommended to wash them only after first turning them inside out. Fastened buttons and a zipper provide good protection from belt deformation. If you do without spinning and let the water drain from the material, you can forget about ironing, which jeans don’t like. In addition, this trick allows the item to “sit down” a little, returning to its original size.
