When washing, it may be tempting to just add all clothes and home linen together in the washing machine, but doing so can lead to disastrous results like cloth shrinkage and bleeding of colours.
Some tips to keep in mind while washing clothes:
- Sort your clothes before washing: Don’t just separate the whites from the coloured clothes, check the labels for specific care instructions. If possible also sort your clothes and linen based on how dirty they are, since the more stubborn stains require more time in the wash while minor stains only need a gentle wash.
- Adjust water temperature: Stubborn stains and whites are better washed in hot water. However, exercise caution because hot water can shrink some fabrics. Warm water can be used to wash jeans and other synthetic fabrics. For dark colours or clothes that may bleed colours, it is better to use cold water to wash them.
- Adjust detergent quantity: It’s important to use the right quantity of detergent. Colder waters require more detergent, but it is also important to not overdo it since it won’t make your clothes cleaner, it’ll only cause the extra detergent to get washed out.
- Give home linen special care: Curtains, bedsheets, cushion covers and the like don’t need to be washed as regularly as your clothes. But when you do, it is better to use specialized detergent for it.