Get all the dirty laundry out of the way and relax on the couch
Just like having a clean and fresh household to return to every day, it’s a nice feeling to get all the dirty laundry out of the way and relax on the couch at the end. However, that’s only in a perfect scenario. As unfortunately there are many ways that laundry can go very wrong and you’ll spend your evening fretting about how to fix everything! To save yourself from stress and hassle, learn from others’ laundry mistakes so you don’t make them yourself.
Follow these pearls of wisdom and you’re going to be just fine when it comes to laundry.
Shirt buttons are loose and stretched
If you own several dress shirts or flannelette shirts, then you’ll want to take good care of the buttons to avoid having to repair or replace anything in the future. Take the time to unbutton everything before throwing them into the washing machine, as the threads and holes can weaken if the shirt is regularly washed when buttoned.
Finding rips on your clothing
Although sometimes clothing can simply break down over time due to cheap materials or being simply washed and worn for many years. There is another reason for finding strange rips on your laundry. The zippers on jeans or jackets may have snagged onto other clothing items and caused a rip. You can prevent this by always zipping them up. Also put bras or anything with hooks attached into a special wash bag that can be placed inside the washing machine drum.
Your white items have turned a strange color
Sorting laundry is one of the most basic things to learn when you’re getting the hang of washing your clothing. Especially when brand new, the dyes from colored clothing such as hoodies or socks can “bleed” somewhat in the washing machine, then your sparkling white T-shirt can turn a completely different color. Red dyes often turn white clothing a bright pink! Do separate white and colored washes to avoid any dye disasters.
Your favorite sweater has shrunk
Many nice sweaters are made of wool. If you find your sweater much smaller than it used to be after washing, it has likely shrunk because it was washed too hot. Wool sweaters are best washed separately from other clothing on a cold setting (approx. 85 degrees), but most washing machines these days have a specific wool/delicates setting to avoid confusion. You can also hand-wash many wool or silk items if you’re worried about ruining them in the machine.
Finding streaks or marks
This likely would have happened if laundry detergent or powder came into direct contact with the clothing and hasn’t rinsed out correctly. It doesn’t happen so often as machines have special compartments for detergent and fabric softener to be released at the right time. To avoid, you can also use laundry pods if you want to be sure to avoid streaks.
Stains haven’t been removed after the wash
Some stains are quite difficult to remove even for the best of us, but you can increase your chances in several ways. Try to pre-treat the stain before washing and get to it as soon as possible… leaving a tomato sauce stain on your shirt for a week won’t do you any favors!
Also, try not to scrub hard at the stain as this often pushes it deeper into the fabric. Be sure to wash on the correct temperature because some stains become permanent with hot water. Check out this guide here for stain removal techniques regarding a variety of typical foods and liquids spilling on clothing.
Your clothing is really out of shape
Many clothing items are “Dry Clean Only” and must be handled by a professional. If you’ve tried to wash it in the machine like normal, then it could have unusual results like shrinking or stretching out of proportion. The washing instructions on the garment’s label will always tell you how to wash, dry, and even iron the item.
