Doing one’s laundry is a necessary, albeit mundane, task to ensure clean and tidy clothes throughout the week. Doing laundry regularly not only facilitates clean clothes but also maintains the fabric’s freshness and increases their durability. While modern laundry products and appliances allow for considerable ease of washing clothes, understanding some techniques and strategies can enhance the process. This article lists some common mistakes one should avoid while doing laundry:
Not removing stains before doing laundry
Often, hard stains may not be eliminated when clothes are directly washed in the laundry without stains being pretreated. Hence, it is advisable to remove these stains first by applying some vinegar and baking soda paste on them or blotting them with a laundry or dishwasher detergent for a while.
Washing and drying clothes at extremely high temperatures
Setting extremely high temperatures while doing laundry can cause the clothes to shrink or tear, reducing their quality and lowering durability. As a thumb rule, clothes should be washed in cold water to ensure that they last long. Maintaining a temperature of 30 degrees while washing works well for most clothes. It is also recommended to avoid using the tumble dryer, preferably opting for a clothesline instead.
Forgetting to empty pockets
Pockets play an essential role in helping one safely store valuable items. However, forgetting to remove these items before washing clothes can not only destroy these valuables but also damage the clothes and the washing machine. Thus, before doing laundry, one should remove all valuables, including keys, coins, accessories, wallets, and tissues.
Not separating whites and light-colored clothes
Washing whites and light-colored clothes with other fabrics can cause colors to bleed into the light-shaded clothes. For example, washing an orange-colored outfit with a white one can turn the latter into a pale orange color. Hence, it is crucial to segregate one’s clothes by color and wash white and light-colored clothes and dark-colored ones separately.
Not segregating clothes by material
Besides segregating clothes by their colors, one should also sort them by material before doing laundry. Heavier clothes, such as jeans, jackets, and denims, can damage the more delicate fabrics, such as synthetic tops. Washing such heavier items separately is essential to prevent such damage.
