I hate when other people do my laundry. This is probably just the control-freak side coming out, but it is never done right when some one else man's the machines. *Hint, hint to the men out there attempting to do laundry... . Something always comes out shrunken, missing a pair, spotted, or permanently stained. And despite the anal-retentive compulsion I have to do the laundry, there are times that some one has to take over. Now, I don't claim to have been born nor bred with an innate sense of how to sort, spot treat, and sign up for an extra spin, but I have learned a few things on the way.
1. Learn the signs. All labels are marked with little signs and they mean very important things. So even if your tag doesn't have directions you can figure out how you should wash it.
2. Don't spend hours reading all the little tags inside your clothes. Note the fabric and go from there. If it is cotton- it will shrink (unless it says pre-shrunk, in which case it will only shrink a little.) If it is silk- dry clean ONLY. Wool- don't use any heat and best to lay flat to dry. By knowing basic fabrics used in the majority of clothes and how to clean them you will be way ahead of the game.
3. Pre-sort. I have 3 piles. I used to have 6. Make life simple. I am down to sorting by color only- darks, lights, and whites. If you feel the need you can do a dedicates or create a separate pile for towels, sheets, etc. if you need to. Sheets and towels are good to do by themselves since you will want to use hot water to help kill off the nasties.
4. Turn it all inside out and wash in cold water. Turning it inside out helps keep decals, colors, patterns, and everything else in better condition and cold water helps keep colors fresh. Using color-safe bleach helps keep colors together too. My room mate swore that by never drying her blacks they stayed darker longer. I dry all mine. To each their own.
5. Bleach- straight Clorox bleach- will save some whites. Not all, but most. This is where you need to be careful though, a little spill and you save a white but lose a color. I do whites as a last load to prevent anything getting on the machines or other dirty clothes. Also, this prevents the washer from storing any of it inside. After you finish a load with whites in the washer, run a quick rinse cycle to prevent this from happening. New machine? May not have to worry about that, lucky!
6. Be aware of drying things. Some are best to lay flat, others can hang, while others are best in the dryer. Read tags to learn the trends and then determine what works best for you. I suggest: always lay sweaters flat (and never hang on hangers! Fold and store in a drawer), hand pants and button down shirts, lay flat dressy, frilly tops, dry down comforters (yes, you can wash them. Don't use hot water and don't put on high in the dryer. A tennis ball in the dryer will also help fluff your feathers), dry towels and sheets, dry jeans (who wants saggy knees and butts permanently? Dryer will tighten things right back up), dry t-shirts (only if you think it is not going to or already has shrunk. Cotton will shrink the first few times. The first is the most drastic, but after that, you're in the clear. Remember this when picking out sizes.)
7. Fold immediately. I am not so ridiculous that I iron right after, but I do take them out of the dryer immediately and attempt to put them away fast. This helps things from getting those deep, hard to get rid of wrinkles that usually plague your most fabulous dresses or essential work wear. For a quick wrinkle release? Mix liquid fabric softener with water, equal parts, and spritz. Should work like a charm. I do this before jumping into a steamy morning shower. Bring the clothing into the bathroom with you and hang on the towel hook. The steam will help release even more wrinkles. You may never have to touch an iron again (Wishful thinking!)
Do you have any secret laundry tips you want to share? Have you tried any of these before? How about any laundry disasters? Everyone loves a good horror story!
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