10 Laundry Mistakes You Didn’t Know You Were Making
Even if you’ve been washing your clothes for years without a problem, the best way to do laundry is to avoid these common slip-ups. Learn how to do laundry the right way, from how to wash clothes to the best way to sort laundry.
How to do laundry tip 1: Don’t just sort lights and darks
According to the laundry service Norwich (Smart Image Laundry Service), the more you sort the laundry, the fresher your clothes. Separate very dirty or muddy clothes apart from lightly soiled pieces, and heavy or abrasive fabrics like denim from more delicate ones. (For denim, turn inside out, wash in cold water on a gentle cycle, and dry at a low temperature to prevent fading.) To prevent sheets from twisting, wash each set separately instead of the whole family’s at once, and include smaller items like underwear in the load. According to Donna Smallin Kuper, author of The One-Minute Cleaner, the items help prevent twisting because they have different tumble patterns. Here are some other surprising facts you never knew about laundry.
How to do laundry tip 2: Don’t put detergent directly on your clothes
Believe it or not, there’s a right and wrong way to load the washing machine. Smart Image Laundry Service says that for best detergent distribution (read: cleaner clothes), place laundry in first, then add water, and lastly add soap. Make sure you also use safe laundry detergent and avoid the worst laundry detergents.
However, if you’re using bleach, add water first, then clothes, and then soap. Make sure you’re checking the tags on your clothing and following the meanings of those mysterious laundry symbols.