Grass stains, sweat marks, faded colours… Washing your clothes can be a real chore. Here are a few tips to help you overcome your laundry challenges.
What do you do with your new coloured piece of clothing? Do you wash it on its own or with other colourful items? First, soak a piece of white cotton in cold water and detergent and rub it inside the item. If dye appears on the cotton, your new item needs to be washed on its own.
To make your whites brighter, soak your clothes in 4 litres of water and 180 grams of baking soda, or add 1 cup (250 ml) of white vinegar during the rinse cycle.
In order to prevent your bright colours and blacks from fading, use a gentle liquid detergent or one that’s specifically designed to preserve colours. If you dry your clothes outside, hang them inside out or in the shade because the sun will make colours fade. On the other hand, the sun tends to make whites brighter.
If your sweat marks are light or recent, add a bit of baking soda to water and spread the paste on the stain. Lightly rub and leave for an hour before washing. To prevent the appearance of new marks, avoid deodorants that contain aluminum or wear a white shirt under your clothes.
The best way to get rid of stains is to quickly apply a store-bought stain remover. If you don’t have one, you can use the following homemade recipes:
Carefully read the labels and bring any items that need to be dry-cleaned to a professional dry cleaner. Wash your delicates inside out and place nylon items and stockings in a mesh bag. Use your machine’s delicate setting and a detergent designed for these types of clothing. Do not put any wool pieces, knitted items, fine lingerie, nylon stockings or spandex in the dryer.
Close any zippers and make sure the item is unbuttoned – it’ll keep its shape better – and secure Velcro strips that could latch onto other items.
Avoid washing delicate items too frequently to prevent damaging them. Stockings and underwear must be washed every time they’re worn but you don’t have to wash pants or shirts that frequently. Don’t leave your clothing in the dryer once they’re dry because the heat could damage the fibres and shrink your clothes.
Place two or three tennis balls in the washing machine and dryer. They’ll provide an in-depth wash and make them fluffy again.
Separate towels and clothing that tend to lose fibres from the ones that accumulate lint such as corduroy and synthetic blends. Wash them in a gentle cycle with a liquid detergent. Make sure to remove tissues and papers from your pockets and check that your dryer and washing machine lint traps are empty. Still ending up with lint on your clothes? To remove, simply use a suit brush or the sticky side of adhesive tape.
