Washing Your Laundry

sadaf26 | Mar 10, 2010 |

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Washing machine cycles or settings vary from machine to machine. Here are the standard ones:

• Hand-wash or delicate: A gentle action for fine lingerie or material. Less agitation than other settings.

Permanent press: For materials that wrinkle easily. This setting will lessen the need for ironing.

• Normal: For lightly soiled garments and safe for most materials.

• Heavy-duty: For sturdy fabrics like work clothes that are deeply soiled or dirty

PREPARE LAUNDRY

* Separate light-colored clothing from darker garments and do not wash together in the same load; the dyes of the darks can bleed onto the paler fabrics. Never wash or dry lint-making garments, such as bath towels, with lint-collecting ones, like permanent-press or synthetic clothes.

* Examine clothing for new and old stains. Read the care labels on the garments on how to treat before tossing into the machine. If you don't, that embarrassing dressing stain may remain on the front of your shirt.

* Zip zippers, clear out pockets, and shut snaps to prevent garment damage.

THE WASHING MACHINE

* Set the machine to the right level, time, and water temperature (hotter is not always best) for the clothing.

* Turn on the machine, and as the water rises in the tub, add the designated amount of detergent. Let the detergent mix (or dissolve) in the water.

* Then place the garments into the machine one piece at a time by laying them in a circle around the agitator. Do not overload because the clothes need space for proper cleaning and rinsing.

DETERGENTS AND BLEACHES

There arc a wide variety of products geared to cleaning your clothing.

Read the labels carefully. Here arc some of the basics:

DETERGENTS

Liquids work best in removing oily soils and for pre-treating.

Powders are effective in lifting out ground-in dirt and clay.

General-purpose is appropriate for all washable fabrics.

Light-duty can be used for hand or machine washing of lightly soiled garments and delicate fabrics.

BLEACHES

Chlorine should be used primarily on white clothing if the label allows. Do not put on acetates, silk, spandex, wool, or some flame-retardant fabrics.

THE DRYER

Fabrics that shouldn't go in the dryer include: silk, spandex, wool, fine garments, and waterproof items. Always clean the lint filter before putting clothes inside a clogged filter can be a fire hazard). Set the dryer on the appropriate setting for the load.

Shake out damp items before putting into the dryer. Don't overstuff because the laundry will take longer to dry and will wrinkle more. Never add wet items to a half-dried load. Remove immediately to prevent wrinkles. You can hang up many garments and avoid ironing.

PUTTING LAUNDRY AWAY

Fold sock when you take them out of the dryer to save time. Fold towels and roll them to save space in a small closet. After you've finished washing, drying, and folding clothes, put them under a current stack - underwear, T-shirts, towels, sheets, etc., so they will be rotated; alternating use will make these items last a lot longer.

When you store linen or clothing, add several used fabric softener sheets between the stacks to help stop musty smells, but never let them touch silk. A wrapped bar of soap will do the job too.