To have beautiful and immaculate clothes, you have to learn how to wash them properly, because there are some mistakes that many people do. Unfortunately, these mistakes can destroy your clothes without even being aware of it.
These are the most common mistakes when it comes to washing clothes
1. Not using antibacterial detergent
If a member of your family has been cold or had any other contagious disease, a simple washing cycle is insufficient to remove bacteria; you will need an antibacterial detergent to prevent the spread of the infection. For white laundry, you can use chlorine but follow the instructions carefully.
2. Not cleaning the washing machine
If you want your washing machine to be clean, not to smell bad and not to get rusty, it should be cleaned using vinegar and sodium bicarbonate. Place 2 liters of vinegar and 3 tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate in the bowl, and 1 liter of vinegar and 3 tablespoons of bicarbonate in the detergent compartment, then start the washing machine at a regular cycle. Take care; sodium bicarbonate makes foam in contact with vinegar. Use this method at least once a month, and you will see that the washing machine will no longer be prone to ruin.
3. Washing the laundry on the wrong side
Once you’ve emptied all the pockets of your jeans, turn them upside down to keep them fresh. You also have to do so when you wash delicate sweaters; you have to turn them backwards to avoid scamming.
4. Placing too much laundry at once in the washing machine
The washing machine may seem stackable, but the cleaning experts recommend leaving enough space for the clothes to be able to rotate well. Even if you want to pack more, you should be able to place two punches in the free space, so that all the laundry can be washed appropriately.
5. You don’t properly sort the clothes
Apart from color sorting, you should pay particular attention to the material. For example, polar clothes should be washed separately. Also, you should not mix towels with clothes made of synthetic fibers. Also, if you put the socks together with the rest of your clothes, it will be hard to mate them, so wash them in a special pouch and find them much easier. You can also use a pillow instead of a sachet.
6. Washing of black laundry
Black clothes have to be slapped in cold water after they are turned backwards. Be sure to set the washing machine temperature to 30ºC (86ºF) – this will help maintain the black color for a long time.
7. Ignoring the labels
Sometimes the labels say you have to handle clothes, shoes or plush with care. This is especially true for natural fibers, such as wool or silk, which you can wash with your hand anyway, and leather has to be handled only by specialists – otherwise, you risk spoiling your clothes.
8. You burn the material with bleach
Mix the bleach with water before putting it on your clothes and use them with the sense of measure. Otherwise, you will soon start to see holes in your clothes. When you use bleach, the fabric of the garments rises, and sometimes it can even break or “at best” your clothes will get yellow spots.
9. Not adjusting the spinning speed of the drum
The speed of the washing machine drum is influenced by the type of fabric washed, so for cotton, is recommended 600 RPM (revolutions per minute), and towels and bed linen can support up to 1400 RPM, but delicate fabrics need a maximum of 400 RPM, and 900 RPM for jeans. If you exceed the recommended speed, you can quickly deteriorate your clothes.
10. Not washing new clothes
New clothes may discolor, but you will not know this before washing them out for the first time, so always wash the same colored clothes in the same cycle to save your wardrobe.
11. Ignoring the pillow sides
Bed linen usually does not require pre-wash, but it is advisable to check every time you wash them, if there are any makeup or cream stains on them, in which case it is recommended to put either a pre-wash cycle or apply a stain removal solution.
12. Washing bathing suits in the washing machine
Bathing suits and generally all spandex or elastane clothing should never be washed in the washing machine. It is preferable to wash them manually in lukewarm water.
13. Not closing zippers
Closing the zippers during washing is necessary. If they are open, their teeth may crack or break during the washing cycle of the machine, but they can also ruin other clothes because they cling to the materials they come into contact.
14. Using laundry conditioner for towels
The chemical substances found in the laundry conditioner reduce the absorption capacity of the materials from which the towels are made. It is preferable not to use laundry conditioner on towels.
15. Not opening buttons
Be sure to open all the buttons of your clothes before putting them in the washing machine. Because of the rotating movements, the laundry that has knotted buttons can clog between the clothes and break easily. That means you’ll have to sew them back or even replace them.
16. Trying to get rid of stains in the wrong way
When you see a stain, you tend to rub the fabric to remove it; instead you need to remove it easily without spoiling the material. The best way to avoid making a hole in your favorite dress is to put a piece of white cloth over the stain, add a stain remover and let it soften. Then put it in the washing machine and run the program you usually use.
17. Washing only at low temperature
The most economical program in the washing machine involves washing the laundry at 30ºC (86ºF). Cleaning at 90°C (194°F) gives you better results. Get rid of the unpleasant smell, kill 85% of bacteria and remove the toughest stains by using a higher temperature. However, make sure the clothes you are willing to wash supports it.
If you take into account these useful tips, you will enjoy more time for your favorite clothes, thus making your life better.