I had never done laundry on my own until I moved away for higher studies at the age of 17. As liberating as it was to be in charge of my own life, I had to handle it all by myself. It took me a while to realize that doing laundry is so much more than just putting clothes into the washing machine and spinning the stains away. During the initial stages, I was committing every laundry mistake there is without realizing what damage they were causing to my clothes.
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There was always a dearth of time which meant I couldn’t do any prior prep work. I didn’t know that the washing machine needs to be cleaned up on a regular basis and I was using double the amount of detergent needed to wash the clothes. Hadn’t it been for my Mom, I would have never known that doing laundry means more than just tossing the clothes into the machine.
Below are some very common laundry mistakes many of us must have been making that cause a huge damage to our expensive clothes and the washing machine:
1. Not Sorting The Clothes
In an attempt to save time and efforts, you might have been making the biggest laundry mistake there is – not sorting the clothes before washing them. Not every cloth is stitched out of the same fabric which makes it obvious that they can’t be washed together in the same water temperature or conditions. While buying your clothes, always look at the tag and note whether the garment is a cold-wash, machine-wash, warm-wash or a hand-wash. Put them in different loads in a water temperature that is suitable for them. If possible, wash your inner wears separately rather than mixing them up with the other clothes. If you treat all your clothes the same, you’ll end up ruining most of them.
2. Using A Lot Of Detergent
For many years, I believed that more detergent means cleaner clothes. The amount of detergent that was being used at my home on a monthly basis was alarming and I started looking for ways to get cleaner clothes without using a ton of detergent. While switching to a better quality detergent worked for me, it’s wise to expose your clothes to less detergent or they’ll end up getting damaged.
3. Use Natural Air To Dry Your Clothes
I can’t stress enough upon the importance of natural air/sunlight for your clothes. No matter how good the dryer of your washing machine is, nothing compares to drying your clothes out in the sun to help retain their quality and fragrance. Besides killing every last germ hiding in your clothes, sun drying the clothes will help you save money that you would have otherwise spent on running the dryer.
4. Not zipping Up/Unbuttoning The Garments
If you leave the zipper of your jeans and other garments down, they’ll end up damaging the other clothes in the wash by jagging them. Similarly, washing the shirts without unbuttoning them would put pressure on the stitches and the fabric thereby running them.
5. Over-Scouring The Stains
It’s normally advised to scrub the stains as soon as they occur, but where most of us go wrong is how we approach it. While scrubbing the stain prevents it from setting in, it can sometimes be harsh on the cloth. The best way to tackle stains is to rub it with another piece of cloth until it vanishes before tossing it in the wash.
6. Washing The Dry Clean Only Clothes
Even though getting those expensive clothes dry-cleaned can be a bit expensive, don’t ever make the mistake of washing them like your regular clothes. Fabrics such as muslin, suede, soft leather or silk are ‘Dry Clean Only’ because of their delicate nature which is why you should always send it out rather than washing them with hands or in a machine.
7. Pouring Detergent On The Clothes
For many years, I had followed a particular sequence of filling the washing machine – add water, pour detergent and toss the clothes in. Then I tried another way to do it – toss the clothes, pour detergent and fill it up with water. I’m embarrassed to say that it took me a lot of time to realize that I had been doing it all wrong. The best way to ensure that you get cleaner clothes is to always put your clothes first into the load before adding water and then detergent. It’ll ensure your clothes get soaked properly in the water after which you can add detergent before you go on to spin the washing machine.
8. Using Too Much Bleach
Bleach has been a great stain-removal agent for years but overusing it can leave room for irritants to set in which can be harsh on your sensitive skin. Instead of treating those stains with bleach, you can simply put your clothes in boiling water along with a few slices of lemon. I promise you’ll stop buying bleach after using this technique.
9. Washing Clothes In Hot Water
Hot water has proven to be harsh on the clothes so much so that they can wear out earlier than expected. Try washing clothes with cold/warm water and you’ll see that the clothes come out just as clean as they would have if you’d washed them in hot water. Of course, you can use hot water to wash the dirty linens, cleaning rags and towels.
10. Loading The Machine With A Lot Of Dirty Clothes
My Mom taught me to always pre-soak the dirty clothes before tossing them into the washing machine. Pre-soaking the clothes will help them get rid of the excessive dirt after which they can be put into the wash. If possible, you can remove the excess stains with a good quality stain-remover before putting the clothes into the washing machine.
You may think that avoiding these common laundry mistakes won’t make that much of a difference, but you’ll be surprised to see the effect it leaves on your clothes as well as your washing machine. So don’t forget to try out these tips the next time you do your laundry.