1. Take Your Temperatures
First and foremost, follow the item’s care
label. Generally, the rules are as follows:
Cold is for fine fabrics, items that might
shrink, and sensitive dark colors.
Warm is for moderately soiled stuff and
man-made fabrics.
Hot is for whites, really dirty clothes, and
colorfast items.
2. Keep Whites Bright
When your whites start going gray (or
yellow), consider these factors: You might
not be using enough detergent to get
clothes clean; the water temps might be too
low (whites do best in hot water); and you
could be contaminating the laundry with
really dirty clothes that are making the
mildly soiled clothes even dirtier! Make the
contaminated load a do-over and try a
bleach product that’s safe for the fabrics in
the wash.
3. Prevent Fading
It’s a sad day when your perfect black
pants don’t look so black and crisp
anymore. Turn dark-colored clothes inside
out before washing and drying to reduce
abrasion and dulling. Also, check the water
temperature -- it might be too hot for your
richly colored pieces. Check the care label
to see what the manufacturer suggests.
4. Prevent Shrinking
Stop blaming your dryer. Most shrinkage
happens in the washer when fabric relaxes
(usually about 1 to 3 percent). The best way
to avoid turning your large into a small is
to follow the care label. If it permits
machine washing, use a cold water setting
and either hang the item to dry or turn the
dryer down to its lowest setting. Be careful
-- once something has shrunk, you’re stuck
with it.
5. Avoid Bleeding
Never turn your clothes an icky shade of
pink again. To find out if something is
colorfast, drop a little water on an inside
corner or seam, and see if the dye runs. To
be safe, wash it alone the first time and
check if the water has turned a different
shade.
When a red article of clothing infects the
load, there’s not much you can do. You can
opt to run the load again and add bleach,
but the damage is usually permanent. Enjoy
your new wardrobe!
6. Do the Delicates
Don’t subject your dainty brassieres to the
aggressive agitation of the machine (unless
there is a special “delicate” cycle, in which
case it’s best to place them in a mesh
lingerie bag to limit tossing that can
weaken and pull the fabric). When in
doubt, washing by hand is always a safe
alternative. To wash delicates, fill the sink
with cool water, add a capful of mild
detergent such as Forever New, and swish
it around with your hand for about 3 to 5
minutes. Allow the bra to soak for an
additional 10 minutes and then rinse with
cool water. Finish by laying it flat on a
white towel. If you’re in a hurry, roll it up
and lightly squeeze it to extract excess
water.
7. Limit the Suds
Less is more when it comes to detergent.
Follow the recommendations on the bottle.
It might seem like too little, but trust us,
your clothes will not get cleaner -- in fact
they might get dirtier. Too many suds at
one time can actually trap soil,
redepositing it on clothes and even in the
crevices of the machine (like the space
between the basket and tub). Sitting in that
warm place all alone, the body soil has
nothing better to do than turn mildewy and
stink up the washing machine. Didn’t listen?
Escape from a sudsy overflow by setting the
washer to run on a short rinse and spin
cycle without detergent.
8. Sort!
You should sort by color, water temp, soil,
and sometimes fabric.
Whites: Keep them separate, otherwise
dyes from darks could bleed on to them.
Lights: Divide into groups of colorfast
pastels, medium colors, and light print
pieces.
Darks: Same as lights
Heavily soiled: Separate items or the dirt
might transfer to innocent pieces of
clothing, making the whites gray and the
brights dull.
Fabrics: Use the above rule but if you want
to get ambitious, sort by fabrics that might
transfer lint, such as towels, flannel, and
fleece items. And always check pockets for
tissues.
9. Find the Right Detergent
If you like the scent of a country meadow,
then choose the brand that fulfills your
sensory needs. For function first, read this:
Liquid detergents are good for pretreating
stains and removing food.
Powder is nice for general loads (it’s also
really good at lifting out ground-in dirt).
Ultra versions are concentrated liquids or
powders in small packages designed to give
you more bang for your buck. Since you
need less for each use, they last longer and
the packages take up less space.
HE, or high-efficiency detergents , reduce
the level of suds and prevent color transfer
in high-efficiency machines or machines
with low-water modes (those that hold 8
gallons of water as opposed to 12 to 17).
10. Don’t Forget to Add the Fabric
Softener
Do you want dry, wrinkle-free clothing?
Then use a fabric softener either in liquid
or sheet form. Nowadays, some detergents
add in their own touch of softener. Before
you add the liquid to your wash, you’ll
need to dilute it first before it mixes with
the water. Be sure to avoid pouring it
directly onto clothes as it might stain.
(Some fabric softeners can lessen the
effectiveness of flame retardancy on
fabrics, sometimes found in clothing like
children's sleepwear.)
11. Don’t Let Your Laundry Linger
It’s best to take the laundry out of the
machine right away, but phone calls, nail
polish, the game, and crying kids can
impede even your best efforts. The longer
clothes sit, the more they wrinkle in the
dryer or get moldy in the wash. Aside from
paying close attention to the time, opt for
the automatic cycle versus the timed cycle
on the dryer so things don’t get overly dry
(the auto function senses when the load is
dry and shuts off). Also, choose the tumble
press or wrinkle guard option. When the
cycle ends, the machine will tumble at
timed intervals to prevent the setting in of
wrinkles.
12. Keep Stains From Setting
Act now! If you pretreat as quickly as
possible, you might prevent the stain from
becoming a permanent addition. Rinse or
soak the garment in cold water, apply a
stain remover, and get it to the washer.
Don’t put the shirt in the dryer if the stain
remains or it will set. Instead, pretreat,
wash, and repeat.
13. Static Cling Stuck on You?
Not to get technical on you, but that cling is
caused by a buildup of electrical charges
when clothes rub against each other in the
dryer. Drying on too high a setting doesn’t
help. Use a fabric softener sheet to sedate
the sparks and select the lowest
temperature setting possible that will still
get the job done.
14. Save the Socks
Missing socks are an age-old mystery.
Frankly, there is no solid answer on how to
keep socks from disappearing. Some
experts suggest that socks can get sucked
under the agitator and down the drain
when the water empties. Others say the
missing sock probably never made it to the
laundry room in the first place. If you don’t
pay close attention when you load up the
basket (and really, do we have time?), small
pieces like single socks can fall and get
kicked under the bed, stuck in the hamper,
or adopted by the dog as a toy. Keep track
of socks by counting them after they come
out of the wash and before they find their
way into the dryer. We’d never suggest you
handle stinky socks more than needed.
